A copy that was never restored is a hope, not a backup. The real test is putting it back on a test subdomain, next to the real site, and seeing whether it works. It takes an afternoon, once a year and before any big change, and tells you two things: whether the copy is good and how long restoring takes, which is the number you would be missing on the bad day.
First, the two-minute checks
| Check |
How |
What it proves |
| The archive opens |
In a terminal: tar -tzf file.tar.gz lists the contents and fails if it is damaged. |
That the file is not truncated. |
| The database copy opens |
For a compressed file: gzip -t db.sql.gz. Open the SQL and see if it ends with a “Dump completed” line. |
That the export reached the end. |
| The size makes sense |
Compare it with the previous copy. |
That half a folder was not lost, nor the database empty. |
These do not replace the full drill: they only say the file is not broken, not that the site comes back.
The full drill
| 2 |
Copy the files from the backup into that subdomain’s folder.
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| 4 |
Point the configuration file at the test database. This is the critical step: if the test site stays connected to the real database, it is no longer a test (a test site before touching what is live).
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| 5 |
On WordPress, force the test address, or the site jumps to the real address, because the database stores the old one. In wp-config.php, add two lines with the test address:define('WP_HOME', 'https://test.yourdomain.tld');
define('WP_SITEURL', 'https://test.yourdomain.tld');
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| 6 |
Keep search engines and sending out. Put a directory password on it or use the do-not-index option, and switch off anything that charges or e-mails customers.
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| 7 |
Go through the list below and write down the result and the date.
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| 8 |
Delete the subdomain and the scratch database. They hold real data and nobody updates them.
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What to check
| Check |
Passed? |
| The home page and an inner page open, with images and style. |
If images are missing, the uploads folder did not come in the copy. |
| An old post or product is there. |
Compare with the real site. |
| The number of posts, orders or users matches the real site. |
If it is much lower, the database is older than you thought. |
| You can sign in to the dashboard. |
Proves the users table came across whole. |
| The contact form works (with real sending switched off). |
Shows the site’s e-mail is still wired up. |
| How long it took from start to finish. |
It is your honest estimate for a real restore. |
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Never import the copy into the real database just to test. It replaces the live data. The test is always done on a separate database.
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Note the date and the result in a separate file. Months from now, knowing the last drill went well on a given date and took so long beats memory. And rehearse a copy that you made too, not only JetBackup’s (restoring a backup yourself).
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The drill failed, or the copy you have will not restore? Send us the domain and what appeared.
Open a support ticket
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