All-in-One Backup Solution for WordPress - Powerful, reliable, and easy-to-use backup and restore plugin with manual and scheduled backup capabilities.
- Features
- Requirements
- Installation
- Quick Start
- Usage
- File Structure
- Premium Features
- Technical Details
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Support
- Contributing
- License
- 🔄 Manual Backups - Create full backups of your WordPress site with one click
- 💾 Database + Files - Backup both your database and files in a single operation
- 📅 Scheduled Backups - Automated daily backups at your preferred time
- 🌍 Timezone Support - Schedule backups in your local timezone
- 📧 Email Notifications - Get notified about backup status via email
- 🔍 Backup Scanner - View and manage all available backups
- 🗂️ Multiple Formats - Support for BZEN, ZIP, SQL, and SQL.GZ formats
- ✅ Backup Verification - Checksum validation for backup integrity
- 🧹 Automatic Cleanup - Configure retention policies to manage storage
- 📊 Dashboard Overview - See backup status at a glance
- 🎨 Modern UI - Clean, intuitive interface built with WordPress standards
| Format | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| BZEN | Custom format with metadata | Full site backups with verification |
| ZIP | Standard archive format | File-only backups |
| SQL | Plain SQL dump | Database-only backups |
| SQL.GZ | Compressed SQL dump | Space-efficient database backups |
- WordPress: 5.0 or higher
- PHP: 7.4 or higher
- MySQL: 5.6 or higher
- Disk Space: Sufficient space for backups (recommend 2x your site size)
- PHP Extensions:
mysqli- Database operationszip- Archive creationjson- Metadata handling
- Download the
backupzen.zipfile - Navigate to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
- Choose the downloaded file and click Install Now
- Click Activate Plugin
- Download and extract the plugin files
- Upload the
backupzenfolder to/wp-content/plugins/ - Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress
# Extract the plugin
unzip backupzen.zip
# Upload via FTP to:
/wp-content/plugins/backupzen/
# Set proper permissions
chmod 755 /wp-content/plugins/backupzen- Go to BackupZen → Dashboard in your WordPress admin
- Click Create Manual Backup
- Wait for the backup to complete
- Download or manage your backup from Available Backups
- Navigate to BackupZen → Scheduled Backups
- Toggle Enable Schedule to ON
- Select your preferred time (uses your local timezone)
- Choose frequency: Daily (Free) or upgrade for more options
- Click Save Schedule
The dashboard provides a quick overview of your backup system:
- Backup Status - Current backup health
- Last Backup - When the last backup was created
- Total Backups - Number of available backups
- Storage Used - Disk space consumed by backups
- Quick Actions - Create backup, view backups, settings
Create on-demand backups whenever needed:
BackupZen → Dashboard → Create Manual Backup
What's Included:
- Complete WordPress files
- Full database export
- Plugin and theme files
- Upload directory
- wp-config.php (with security measures)
Automate your backup workflow:
BackupZen → Scheduled Backups
Configuration Options:
- Enable/Disable - Turn scheduling on or off
- Frequency - Daily (FREE), Hourly/Weekly (PRO)
- Time - Choose your preferred backup time
- Timezone - Automatically uses WordPress timezone
View and manage all your backups:
BackupZen → Available Backups
Actions:
- Download - Download backup to your computer
- Restore - Restore your site from this backup (coming soon)
- Delete - Remove backup to free up space
- View Info - See backup metadata and checksum
Stay informed about backup status:
BackupZen → Settings → Email Notifications
Features:
- Success/failure notifications
- Custom recipient emails
- Detailed error messages
- Backup size and duration info
backupzen/
├── assets/
│ ├── admin.css # Admin dashboard styles
│ ├── admin.js # Admin JavaScript
│ ├── css/
│ │ ├── feedback.css # Feedback modal styles
│ │ ├── pro-features.css # Premium UI styles
│ │ └── schedule.css # Schedule page styles
│ └── js/
│ ├── feedback.js # Feedback functionality
│ ├── pro-features.js # Premium feature handlers
│ └── schedule.js # Schedule management
├── includes/
│ ├── Admin/
│ │ └── Feedback.php # User feedback system
│ ├── Backup/
│ │ ├── BackupScanner.php # Scan and detect backups
│ │ ├── BzenPackager.php # BZEN format handler
│ │ ├── CleanupManager.php # Backup retention & cleanup
│ │ ├── EmailNotifier.php # Email notification system
│ │ ├── ScheduleController.php # Schedule AJAX handler
│ │ ├── ScheduleManager.php # Schedule management
│ │ └── TimezoneConverter.php # Timezone utilities
│ ├── Premium/
│ │ └── ProFeaturesManager.php # Premium features manager
│ └── Templates/
│ └── email-feedback.php # Email template
├── templates/
│ ├── available-backups.php # Backups list view
│ ├── dashboard.php # Main dashboard
│ ├── manual-backup.php # Manual backup page
│ └── scheduled-backups-new.php # Schedule configuration
├── views/
│ ├── feedback-modal.php # Feedback modal
│ └── premium-modal.php # Premium upgrade modal
├── backupZen.php # Main plugin file
└── README.md # This file
Upgrade to BackupZen PRO to unlock powerful advanced features:
- Incremental Smart Backups - 10x faster, only backup changed files
- Backup Encryption - AES-256 military-grade encryption
- Changed Files Detection - Intelligent file scanning and optimization
- Backup Verification - Automatic integrity testing
- Partial Restore - Restore only database or only files
- Google Drive - Auto-sync backups to Google Drive
- Dropbox - Automatic Dropbox uploads with version history
- Amazon S3 - Enterprise-grade AWS S3 integration
- Off-site protection for disaster recovery
- Hourly Backups - Run backups every hour
- Weekly/Custom Schedules - Flexible scheduling options
- Multiple Schedules - Different schedules for different backup types
- Cron Expressions - Full cron syntax support for developers
- One-Click Staging - Create instant staging environments
- Full Migration Tools - Move to any host or domain
- Clone to Subdomain - Perfect for testing
- Multisite Support - Full WordPress Multisite compatibility
- Email Reports - Detailed backup activity reports
- White-Label PDF Reports - Professional branded reports for clients
- Advanced Analytics - Backup success rates and statistics
- Priority Email Support - Get help faster
- Live Chat - Real-time assistance
- Premium Documentation - Comprehensive guides and tutorials
BackupZen follows WordPress coding standards and uses modern PHP practices:
- Object-Oriented Design - Clean, maintainable code structure
- Namespace Organization -
BackupZen\Backup,BackupZen\Admin,BackupZen\Premium - Singleton Pattern - Efficient resource management
- WordPress Hooks - Proper integration with WordPress core
- AJAX Handlers - Asynchronous operations for better UX
- Security First - Nonce verification, capability checks, sanitization
The proprietary BZEN format includes:
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│ Metadata Header (JSON) │ ← Site info, timestamps, checksums
├─────────────────────────────┤
│ Compressed Database Dump │ ← SQL.GZ format
├─────────────────────────────┤
│ Compressed Files Archive │ ← ZIP format
└─────────────────────────────┘
Benefits:
- Single-file backup solution
- Built-in integrity verification
- Metadata for easy identification
- Optimized for WordPress
BackupZen uses WordPress options API for configuration:
// Core settings
'backupzen_schedule_enabled' // bool
'backupzen_schedule_frequency' // 'daily', 'hourly', 'weekly'
'backupzen_schedule_time' // 'HH:MM' format
'backupzen_email_notifications' // bool
'backupzen_notification_email' // string
'backupzen_retention_days' // intDevelopers can extend BackupZen:
// Check if PRO version
apply_filters('backupzen_is_pro', false);
// Customize upgrade URL
apply_filters('backupzen_upgrade_url', $url);
// Scheduled backup event
do_action('backupzen_scheduled_backup_event');
// Before backup
do_action('backupzen_before_backup');
// After backup
do_action('backupzen_after_backup', $backup_file);- Chunked Processing - Large files handled in chunks
- Background Processing - Non-blocking backup operations
- Resource Management - Memory and time limit handling
- Smart Scanning - Efficient file system operations
- Compression - GZIP compression for reduced file sizes
Q: Is BackupZen free?
A: Yes! BackupZen offers a robust free version with manual and daily scheduled backups. Premium features are available in the PRO version.
Q: Where are backups stored?
A: Backups are stored in /wp-content/backupZen_backups/ by default. PRO users can also sync to cloud storage.
Q: How large can backups be?
A: Backup size depends on your site. BackupZen handles large sites efficiently with chunked processing.
Q: Can I restore from a backup?
A: Restore functionality is coming soon. Currently, you can download backups and restore manually.
Q: What happens if a scheduled backup fails?
A: You'll receive an email notification with error details. The schedule will retry at the next scheduled time.
Q: Can I run backups via WP-CLI?
A: WP-CLI support is planned for a future release.
Q: Is BackupZen compatible with Multisite?
A: Basic features work on Multisite. Full Multisite support is available in the PRO version.
Q: Does BackupZen work with managed hosting?
A: Yes! BackupZen works on most shared, VPS, and managed WordPress hosting providers.
Q: Backup is taking too long
A: Large sites may take time. Consider:
- Upgrading to PRO for incremental backups
- Excluding certain directories (PRO feature)
- Increasing PHP time limits with your host
Q: Scheduled backups aren't running
A: Check that:
- WordPress cron is working (
wp cron test) - Timezone settings are correct
- No caching plugins are blocking cron
Q: Out of disk space error
A: Enable automatic cleanup to remove old backups, or manually delete unused backups.
- Documentation: Plugin Documentation
- WordPress Forum: Support Forum
- GitHub Issues: Report Bugs
PRO users get priority support:
- Priority Email: support@example.com
- Live Chat: Available on our website
- Response Time: Within 24 hours (weekdays)
We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help:
- Check if the issue already exists
- Provide detailed reproduction steps
- Include WordPress & PHP versions
- Share any error messages
- Open a GitHub issue with
[Feature Request]prefix - Describe the feature and use case
- Explain how it would benefit users
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature) - Follow WordPress coding standards
- Write clear commit messages
- Test thoroughly
- Submit a pull request
- Follow WordPress Coding Standards
- Use meaningful variable and function names
- Add inline comments for complex logic
- Include PHPDoc blocks for all functions
BackupZen is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2 or later.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.
See LICENSE for full details.
Developed by: Your Name
Plugin URI: https://example.com/backupzen
Support: support@example.com
- WordPress Core - Content management system
- Dashicons - Icon set for WordPress admin
- Initial release
- Manual backup functionality
- Scheduled daily backups
- Email notifications
- BZEN, ZIP, SQL, SQL.GZ format support
- Backup scanner and management
- Timezone-aware scheduling
- Premium features framework
- ✅ Restore functionality (In Progress)
- ⏳ WP-CLI support
- ⏳ Backup download from cloud storage
- ⏳ One-click restore from dashboard
- ⏳ Import backup from external source
- ⏳ Advanced exclusion rules
- ⏳ Backup splitting for large sites
Website • Documentation • Support • Upgrade to PRO
Made with ❤️ for the WordPress community