How to Schedule Automatic Backups in HestiaCP

Prerequisites

Before scheduling backups, make sure you have:

• Admin access to HestiaCP
• Sufficient disk space for backup rotation

Method 1: Configure via HestiaCP Web Interface

Step 1: Log in to HestiaCP

https://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8083

Step 2: Navigate to SERVER Section

Click on SERVER in the top menu bar.

Step 3: Go to Backup Tab

Click on the Backup tab.

Step 4: Configure Backup Schedule

Click on Configure or Settings.

Set:

• Backup Time: When to run (e.g., 02:00)
• Backup Interval: Daily, Weekly, Monthly
• Backup Retention: How many backups to keep
• Users to Backup: All or selected users

Step 5: Save

Click Save to apply schedule.

Method 2: Configure via SSH

Edit HestiaCP configuration:

nano /usr/local/hestia/conf/hestia.conf

Add or modify:

BACKUP_SYSTEM='yes'
BACKUP_TIME='02:00'
BACKUP_INTERVAL='daily'
BACKUP_RETENTION='7'

Restart Hestia:

systemctl restart hestia

Schedule via Cron (Alternative)

Add custom cron job:

crontab -e

Daily backup at 3 AM:

0 3 * * * /usr/local/hestia/bin/v-backup-users

Weekly backup with rotation:

0 2 * * 0 /usr/local/hestia/bin/v-backup-users && find /backup -name "*.tar" -mtime +30 -delete

Backup Rotation Strategy

Recommended retention policies:

• Daily backups: Keep last 7 days
• Weekly backups: Keep last 4 weeks
• Monthly backups: Keep last 3 months

Example rotation script:

#!/bin/bash
# Keep last 7 daily backups
find /backup -name "*.tar" -mtime +7 -delete

Monitor Scheduled Backups

Check backup logs:

tail -f /var/log/hestia/backup.log

Check backup status in HestiaCP dashboard (Backup tab).