Instance backups

A backup is a complete copy of your instance: your QGIS projects with their data and images, the published maps, the Lizmap configuration (repositories, rights, theme, added modules) and each of the instance's databases. It is stored off the server that runs the instance: a failure of that server does not take your backups with it.

The backup option is taken for your account, like the plan: it applies to all your instances. It is chosen in Subscriptions, Backups card. Each instance keeps its own archives: the Backups tab of its page shows the option in force, the list of archives and, during a restore, its progress.

A longer history can be chosen on top: 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year or 2 years. Beyond the included period, one archive per day is kept (one per week for the weekly frequency): going back to the state of two months ago is still possible, to the nearest hour it no longer is.

1. Open Subscriptions, then the Backups card. From an instance page, Turn on backups or Change option lead to the same page.
2. Choose the frequency, then the history. The Summary, on the right, shows the price and the maximum number of archives kept right away.
3. Choose Monthly or Yearly, 2 months free, then the payment method.
4. Accept the terms and click Pay. The first backups start within minutes of the payment, for all your instances.

Paid by card, the option renews itself every period. Paid by Mobile Money, it covers the period paid for: emails warn you seven days and then one day before it ends. Every payment produces an invoice, sent by email and filed with the others in Billing.

Changing options loses nothing: the new one is paid right away, and the time left on the current one is added to it in days, pro rata. The next charge is pushed back accordingly. The price follows your plan's maximum storage, not the number of instances: adding one does not change what you pay.

Cancel, in the Summary, is offered for an option paid by card. After you confirm with your account password, the option stops the same day and the remaining time is refunded to your card, pro rata. Your instances then keep the backup included in your plan, if it includes one; otherwise, archives are kept for 60 days, then deleted. Paid by Mobile Money, an option cannot be cancelled: it runs until it ends, without renewal. Only the account owner can subscribe, cancel or download an archive.

The Archives table gives the date, origin, size, content and status of each one, ten per page. The search above it accepts several words and ignores accents: typing manual failed, or 11 oct, keeps only the archives that contain each of these words. An archive marked Scheduled followed the option's rhythm; Manual was requested with Back up now; Before restore keeps the state that a restore replaced. If the latest one shows Failed, the Try again button on its line restarts it at once, as many times as needed: a failure does not count. Each period of the option, a week for weekly backups for example, allows only one backup, scheduled or manual: Back up now brings forward the period's backup when it has not happened yet. If it has, the button stays greyed out and the date of the next one is shown below it. When a scheduled backup fails, you are notified by email and in the notifications, only once even if the following ones fail too, then again when backups resume. A successful backup sends no message.

1. On the line of the archive you want, click the Restore icon.
2. Read the warning, enter your account password and confirm with Restore.
3. The section follows the operation: the current state is backed up first, then the archive is put back in place. An email confirms the end.

Download gives you the archive itself, as a .tar.gz file: your projects and data, and one SQL file per database, readable by psql. Keep a copy of it on your side from time to time: it is the only one that does not depend on us.