First Backup Walkthrough
Protect your first site after the dashboard is installed. This is the same path the in-dashboard walkthrough uses once you create an admin account and sign in.
Order matters: agent → discover sites → choose storage → first backup → schedule.
You must decide where backups live (local on the agent, or offsite) before a backup can store a snapshot.
Prerequisites
- Dashboard installed — see Installation.
- Browser setup wizard completed (admin account).
- You can sign in to the dashboard UI.
1. Install an agent
Agents run on each host you want to protect. They poll the dashboard (no inbound agent API) and run restic jobs.
From Agents → Add / Upgrade agent:
| Path | When to use |
|---|---|
| New install (SSH) | First-time hosts — deploy from the dashboard |
| Upgrade (SSH) | Existing hosts — keeps agent identity |
| Manual pair | Generate a pairing code, run the install script on the server |
Wait until the agent shows online. Details: Agents & Sites.
2. Discover your sites
When an agent is online it auto-discovers WordPress installs on that host. Sites appear on the Dashboard and Agents pages (use Refresh if the list is empty for a minute after pair).
For non-WordPress trees, use Agents → Custom path backup (optional MySQL / SQLite). Custom paths count toward your site license the same way WordPress sites do.
3. Choose where backups are stored
Every site needs a primary repository before Run / Backup all can store data.
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| Local | Restic repository on the agent server. Works without extra config. Free tier is local-only. Good for a first test — but the host is still a single point of failure. |
| Offsite | S3-compatible, Backblaze B2, or SFTP/SSH for disaster recovery. Add the destination first, then set it as the site’s primary. |
Local (simplest first backup)
- On the Dashboard, click Run on a site.
- When prompted for a repository, choose local (or set primaries under Settings → Primary repos).
- Confirm and let the job finish on Jobs.
Offsite (recommended for real DR)
- Open Offsite and add S3 / B2 / SSH (paid tiers; Free is local-only). See Offsite Storage and Cloud Destinations.
- Test the destination if the UI offers it.
- Set the site’s primary repository to that destination (site card chooser, or Settings → Primary repos).
- Then run the backup.
You cannot skip this decision: a backup job must know the restic destination before it can write a snapshot.
4. Run your first backup
- Dashboard → site card → Run (or Backup all for every site with a primary).
- Open Jobs and wait for success.
- When a snapshot appears, you have a real restore point — try Restore when you are ready to practice recovery.
5. Set a schedule
Automate so you are not relying on manual Run:
- Open Schedules.
- Create a schedule: frequency, retention, and the same storage destination (local or offsite).
- Ensure Automatic scheduling is on and the dashboard minute cron is installed (the CDN installer sets this up). See Schedules.
Checklist
- [ ] Agent online on the host that runs your sites
- [ ] WordPress discovered and/or custom path added
- [ ] Primary repo chosen — local and/or offsite configured
- [ ] First backup completed successfully
- [ ] Schedule created for ongoing protection
Tips
- Local-only is fine to prove the pipeline; add offsite before you trust the setup for production DR.
- Free edition: one site, local storage only — still use this walkthrough end-to-end.
- Paid tiers unlock offsite destinations and higher site packs (Pricing).
- Optional client-side restic encryption is off by default; leave it off for the first backup unless you need it — see Security.