Backup and restore

Backup and Restore

This article explains the crucial concepts of backing up and restoring your MediaWiki installation. Regular backups are essential for protecting your wiki's data against hardware failures, software errors, accidental deletions, and malicious attacks. A well-defined restore process ensures you can quickly recover your wiki in case of any data loss incident. This guide is aimed at beginners and covers various methods and best practices.

Why Backups Are Essential

Your MediaWiki installation contains valuable data: the wiki content itself (articles, images, etc.), configuration files, user accounts, and extension settings. Losing this data can be catastrophic. Consider these scenarios:

Hardware Failure: Hard drives fail. It’s not a matter of *if*, but *when*.
Software Corruption: Bugs in MediaWiki core, extensions, or the underlying operating system can corrupt your database or files.
Accidental Deletion: A user (or even an administrator) might accidentally delete important pages or files.
Hackers: Malicious actors can compromise your server and delete or modify your wiki’s data.
Disaster Recovery: Fires, floods, or other disasters can destroy your server.

Without regular backups, recovering from these situations can be extremely difficult or even impossible. A recent backup allows you to restore your wiki to a working state with minimal data loss.

What to Back Up

A complete backup of your MediaWiki installation includes the following:

The Wiki Directory: This directory contains all the MediaWiki files, including the core code, extensions, skins, images, and configuration files (like LocalSettings.php).
The Database: The database (usually MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, or SQLite) stores all the wiki’s content, user data, and revision history. This is the most critical part of your backup.
Configuration Files: Specifically, your LocalSettings.php file, which contains important settings like database credentials and the wiki’s URL.
Uploads Directory: This directory contains all uploaded images and other files.
Cron Jobs (If Applicable): If you use cron jobs for maintenance tasks, back up their configuration.
Web Server Configuration: Back up your web server configuration (e.g., Apache’s httpd.conf or Nginx’s nginx.conf) to ensure a smooth restoration process.

Backup Methods

There are several methods for backing up your MediaWiki installation, ranging from simple manual backups to automated solutions.

Manual Backups

This method involves manually copying the wiki directory and exporting the database. It's suitable for small wikis with infrequent updates.

1. File System Backup: Use your operating system’s tools (e.g., `tar`, `zip`, `cp`) to copy the entire wiki directory to a safe location. Ensure you include all hidden files and directories (often starting with a dot `.`). 2. Database Export: Use your database’s command-line tools or a graphical interface (like phpMyAdmin) to export the database as a SQL file.

   * MySQL/MariaDB: `mysqldump -u [username] -p [database_name] > backup.sql`
   * PostgreSQL: `pg_dump -U [username] -d [database_name] > backup.sql`
   * SQLite:  SQLite is typically a single file, so copying the database file is sufficient.

Automated Backups

Automated backups are highly recommended for larger wikis or those with frequent updates. They can be scheduled to run automatically, ensuring you always have a recent backup.

Cron Jobs: You can create a cron job to run the manual backup commands automatically. This requires some command-line knowledge.
Scripts: Write a custom script (e.g., in PHP, Python, or Bash) to automate the backup process.
Backup Extensions: Several MediaWiki extensions provide automated backup functionality:

   * BackupTool: A simple extension for creating and restoring backups.
   * BackupPlus: Offers more advanced features, such as incremental backups.

Server-Level Backups: Many web hosting providers offer automated backup services as part of their hosting packages. These backups typically include the entire server, including your wiki.
Cloud Backup Solutions: Use cloud backup services (e.g., AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob Storage) to store your backups offsite.

Incremental vs. Full Backups

Full Backup: A full backup copies all the data. It’s the most comprehensive but also the most time-consuming and resource-intensive.
Incremental Backup: An incremental backup only copies the data that has changed since the last *full* backup. It’s faster and uses less storage space, but restoring requires the last full backup *and* all subsequent incremental backups.
Differential Backup: A differential backup only copies the data that has changed since the last *full* backup. It's faster to restore than incremental backups (only requires the full backup and the last differential backup), but takes more space than incremental backups.

Choosing the right backup strategy depends on your wiki’s size, update frequency, and recovery time objectives.

Restoring Your Wiki

Restoring your wiki involves replacing the current wiki directory and database with the backed-up versions. The process varies depending on the backup method used.

Manual Restore

1. File System Restore: Copy the backed-up wiki directory to its original location, overwriting the existing files. Be careful not to overwrite your current LocalSettings.php file immediately; you may need to adjust database credentials. 2. Database Restore: Import the backed-up SQL file into your database using your database’s command-line tools or a graphical interface.

   * MySQL/MariaDB: `mysql -u [username] -p [database_name] < backup.sql`
   * PostgreSQL: `psql -U [username] -d [database_name] < backup.sql`
   * SQLite: Replace the existing database file with the backed-up file.

3. Configure LocalSettings.php: If necessary, update the database credentials in your LocalSettings.php file to match the restored database. 4. Clear Cache: Clear the MediaWiki cache to ensure the restored content is displayed correctly. You can do this by accessing `https://yourwiki.com/w/index.php?title=Special:PurgeCache` (replace `yourwiki.com` with your wiki’s URL).

Automated Restore

If you used a backup extension or server-level backup service, the restore process will typically be handled by the extension or service. Follow the specific instructions provided by the extension or service.

Testing Your Backups

Creating backups is only half the battle. You must also *test* your backups regularly to ensure they are valid and can be used to restore your wiki successfully.

1. Restore to a Test Environment: The best way to test a backup is to restore it to a separate test environment. This allows you to verify the integrity of the backup without affecting your live wiki. 2. Verify Content: After restoring to the test environment, browse the wiki and verify that all content, images, and functionality are working as expected. 3. Document the Process: Document the backup and restore process, including any specific steps or configurations required. This documentation will be invaluable in case of a real disaster.

Best Practices

Regular Backups: Schedule backups regularly, based on your wiki’s update frequency. Daily backups are recommended for frequently updated wikis.
Offsite Storage: Store your backups in a different location than your live server. This protects against data loss due to hardware failures or disasters.
Version Control: Consider using version control (e.g., Git) for your wiki directory and configuration files.
Encryption: Encrypt your backups to protect sensitive data.
Retention Policy: Establish a retention policy to determine how long to keep backups.
Monitor Backups: Monitor your backup process to ensure it’s running correctly.
Security: Secure your backups to prevent unauthorized access.

Advanced Considerations

Database Replication: Set up database replication to create a real-time copy of your database on a separate server. This provides a high level of redundancy and can significantly reduce recovery time.
Disaster Recovery Plan: Develop a comprehensive disaster recovery plan that outlines the steps to take in case of a major data loss incident.
Backup of External Services: If your wiki relies on external services (e.g., external authentication providers), back up their configuration as well.

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