Customers often ask us which backup solutions fits them the best. This really depends on your requirements and your access level.
Do you have SSH, root or whm backup access?
If yes, then read the next question. If you have neither, ssh or root access you can only do backups using FTP. Usually shared hosting and reseller hosting clients do not have ssh or root access to the server. Most Hosting companies do not like to give out ssh access due to security reasons. It's easier to compromise a server if the hacker has shell access to the server. Your only option is to use our php ftp backup scripts to transfer the backups to our backup servers via FTP.
What are your requirements?
There are many methods to backup data like Rsnapshot, rdiff-backup or Duplicity which all use rsync to transfer data. Each backup method is unique since they all do something different than the other. I will start explaining each method so you can see what fits you best:
Rsync - Only synchronizes the files that have changed.
rdiff-backup - This backup method will act like Rsync just that it keeps revisions of your backup. This is the best way to combine the best features of a mirror and an incremental backup.
Rsnapshot - As the name says, this method keeps a Snapshot of your files, hardlinks and any incrementals for easy restoration of the whole system.
Duplicity - This method is like rsync just that it creates encrypted tar files as backups. This is a great way to backup data to an offsite storage provider you don't trust, although you should always trust your provider. Most customers use this to add extra security to their backups.
I guess there is one backup method for any need...
