Components included in the backups

To restore a TYPO3 CMS project you need to have a backup of at least the following data directories:

  • fileadmin
  • typo3conf
  • uploads

You do not need a backup of the “typo3temp/” directory, due to the fact that all files are re-generated automatically if they do not exist. Also a backup of the TYPO3 source code is not needed (unless changes were made to the source code, which is not recommended). You can always download the TYPO3 source packages from the TYPO3 website, even for older versions of TYPO3.

In addition to the data directories listed above, a backup of the database is required. For MySQL the command line tool “mysqldump” (or “mysqldump.exe” for Microsoft Windows) is a good way to export the content of the database to a file without any manual interaction (e.g. as an automated, scheduled system task).

Once a backup has been created, it should be verified that it is complete and can be restored successfully. A good test is to restore a backup of a TYPO3 project to a different server and then check the site for any errors or missing data. In a perfect world, these restore checks should be tested frequently to ensure that the concept works and continues working over a time period. The worst case would be that you rely on your backup concept and when you need to restore a backup you notice that the concept has not worked for months.