Plesk supports two types of backups: full and incremental. Understanding the difference helps you choose the right backup strategy for your needs.
Full Backup
A full backup contains a complete copy of all your data:
- Website files and configuration.
- Databases and database content.
- Email accounts and messages.
- DNS settings.
- SSL certificates.
Pros: Self-contained — can be restored independently of any other backup.
Cons: Takes longer to create and uses more disk space.
Incremental Backup
An incremental backup contains only data that has changed since the last backup was created:
- Faster to create than a full backup.
- Uses significantly less disk space.
- Requires the preceding full backup to restore.
How it works: Plesk creates a full backup first. Subsequent incremental backups only store the differences. When restoring an incremental backup, Plesk automatically applies the full backup and all incremental backups made before the one you selected.
Which Should You Choose?
- Full backup: Best for one-time backups before major changes (updates, migrations). Provides the most reliable restore.
- Incremental backup: Best for scheduled daily backups. Faster and uses less space, ideal for automated backup routines.
Important Notes
- If the original full backup is deleted, incremental backups made after it cannot be restored.
- Restoring an incremental backup takes longer than restoring a full backup, because Plesk must apply all intermediate backups.
- For critical data, always maintain at least one recent full backup.
Troubleshooting
Incremental restore fails:
- The original full backup may be missing or corrupted. Check that all backups in the chain are present.
