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Database Backup for WordPress

By WP Engine

Site Administration & Utilities / Site Migration & Cloning

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Database Backup for WordPress Review - In-Depth Analysis

Database Backup for WordPress is your one-stop database backup solution for WordPress. It allows instant backups, email delivery, and scheduling of backups.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.82/10

User Rating

4.5/5 (based on 66+ reviews)

Active Installations

60,000+

Update Frequency

Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

6 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Backup your database instantly, send the backup via email, or schedule backups to run automatically.

Database Backup for WordPress allows you to quickly back up your core WordPress database tables, and either download the backup as a gzipped file, or send it via email to an address you choose.

By default, the plugin will always back up all the core WordPress database tables. However, you may also selectively back up any custom tables that might be created by other plugins.

Additional options include the ability to exclude spam comments from the comments table, or post revisions from the posts table, saving you space and bandwidth.

You can also enable scheduled backups to run automatically at set intervals, and configure the email address to send the scheduled backups to.

Backups are the one thing you don’t think of until you need them. You might have the best web host, the most secure server, and a tried and tested process for running plugin, theme, or core updates. But all it takes is one little thing to go wrong, and you lose your entire website.

You need a reliable and automated solution which backs up your WordPress data and sends it to an off-site location. Database Backup for WordPress is that solution.

As much planning as you do, any CMS like WordPress that stores its data in a database is vulnerable. Hardware, software, and security hiccups are rare, but they do happen. Even the best enterprise systems in the world have multiple levels of backup in place.

Think about the data you store in your WordPress site. Your blog posts since the day you launched the site. Your customers, products, and order history if you run an ecommerce site. Backups are like implementing an insurance policy for your data. With backups, you have a reliable way of restoring that data if anything goes wrong.

Simple, automated backups save you time and give you peace of mind that you are prepared for the worst case scenario, even if you never need it. Better to have it and not need it, than to not have it and suddenly need it.

Depending on your needs, you might want to back up your database every few minutes, hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly. You’ll want to automate this process, or it becomes another possible point of failure.

Scheduled backups give you peace of mind that your data is being backed up as much or as little as you need, without your intervention. By emailing the backups to an email address you choose, you can verify that the backup has run, and store it in a safe location.

Comparing to Alternatives

Database Backup for WordPress is a specialized plugin focusing on database backups with several notable alternatives available that offer broader or different backup features.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple and reliable database backup functionality
Easy setup with automated daily backups
Lightweight and focused on database only
Good for users wanting a straightforward backup solution
Free to use without upselling

Weaknesses

No built-in restore function in the plugin itself
Backup speed can be very slow according to users
Limited to database backups, no file backups
Security history includes several vulnerabilities, though fixed

User Sentiment Analysis

With a strong majority of 5-star ratings, users appreciate the plugin's reliability and simplicity, though a small portion report performance issues.

Positive highlights

'Install, activate, setup and forget … until needed' - barnez
'This plugin is awesome! It works beautifully.' - jonalmada
'Good plugin. The backups went fine and I saved them on my computer.' - Anonymous
'The support was TOP class. They answered my queries straight away.' - Anonymous

Common complaints

Backup process is very slow, not suitable if speed is critical

Weaknesses

No native restore functionality in the plugin
Some users report PHP notices/errors
Backup speed performance issues
Security vulnerabilities have been identified and fixed in updates

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a simple, free, and dedicated database backup plugin without needing file backups or integrated restore features.

Not ideal for

Users who require fast backups, integrated restore capabilities, or comprehensive site backups including files, or those concerned about past security vulnerabilities.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers automated daily database backups with email delivery and basic backup management.

Final Verdict

Database Backup for WordPress excels as a straightforward, free solution for database backups with a strong user base appreciating its reliability and ease of use. However, its lack of integrated restore functionality and slow backup speeds may limit its appeal for users needing more comprehensive or faster backup solutions.

While the plugin has addressed past security vulnerabilities, users should ensure they keep it updated. Those needing full site backups or faster performance might consider the many available alternatives with broader features and active development.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Database Backup for WordPress plugin.

Database backup

WordPress backup

Mysql backup

Screenshots

FAQ

The backup file is a gzipped MySQL database export, which can be used to restore with MySQL applications like phpMyAdmin, included with most hosting control panels. If you are comfortable with the command line, you can also restore the database using the mysql command. More info on how to restore databases is available here.

If the backup stops prematurely, you can enable a plugin setting that will implement a small delay after each table is backed up. To do this, add the following line to your wp-config.php file, just above the /* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */ line:

define( 'DBBWP_MOD_EVASIVE_OVERRIDE', true );

If you are still experiencing problems, you can also increase the delay, by defining the DBBWP_MOD_EVASIVE_DELAY constant in your wp-config.php file and giving it a value higher than 500 (which is the default).

define( 'DBBWP_MOD_EVASIVE_DELAY', '600' );

We recommend incrementing the value by 100 each time, until the process completes successfully.

Contributors and developers

“Database Backup for WordPress” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

WP Engine

Delicious Brains

Free Version

WPS

6.82

Average

Ratings

4.5 out of 5 | 66

Version

2.5.3

Last updated

5 months ago

Active installations

60,000+

WordPress version

6.9.9 or higher

PHP version

5.3 or higher

Languages

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Database Backup for WordPress Review - In-Depth Analysis

Performance Overview

What It Does

Comparing to Alternatives

User Sentiment Analysis

Who Should Use This?

Pricing & Value

Final Verdict

Other Notable Features

Screenshots

FAQ

Contributors and developers

Ratings

Reviews (66)

Sort by:

Contributors & Developers

Interested in development?

Changelog

Security Status

Secure

No Unpatched Vulnerabilities

Known Vulnerabilities (5)

Previous Versions

WPS

6.82

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