Akeeba Backup

Akeeba Backup is the industry-standard backup solution for Joomla. It creates complete, self-contained site archives — files and database in a single package — that can be restored with the standalone Akeeba Kickstart tool on any PHP server, with no Joomla installation required. Backups can be automated on a schedule and pushed to remote storage including Amazon S3, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and SFTP.

How It Works

Akeeba Backup operates as a Joomla component (com_akeeba) and a set of CLI tasks. A backup run produces a JPA or ZIP archive containing the full site filesystem and a SQL dump. The archive is self-restoring — Akeeba Kickstart extracts it and guides the user through database restoration and configuration without needing a working Joomla installation on the target server.

Backup Profiles

Every backup run uses a Profile that defines what to include and where to store the result. Go to Admin → Akeeba Backup → Configuration. Key profile settings:

SettingPurpose
Archive format JPA (fastest), ZIP (most compatible), or JPS (encrypted)
Backup type Full site, database only, or files only
Exclusions Exclude folders, extensions, or database tables
Post-processing Upload finished archive to remote storage
Chunk size Archive in chunks for shared hosting time limits

Taking a Backup

  1. Go to Admin → Akeeba Backup → Backup Now
  2. Select the profile, optionally add a description, and click Backup Now
  3. Akeeba runs in AJAX steps — the progress bar fills automatically even on slow shared hosting
  4. When complete, the archive appears in Manage Backups for download or deletion

Automated Scheduling

Schedule backups using Joomla's built-in Scheduler (Joomla 4+) or a server cron job. The CLI command is:

php /path/to/joomla/cli/joomla.php akeeba:backup:take --profile=1

For server cron, add to crontab:

0 2 * * * php /path/to/joomla/cli/joomla.php akeeba:backup:take --profile=1 --quiet

Remote Storage

Configure post-processing engines in the profile to automatically upload finished archives:

  • Amazon S3 — bucket, path prefix, access key, region
  • Google Drive — OAuth authenticated, folder selection
  • Dropbox — OAuth authenticated, target folder
  • SFTP / FTP — remote server credentials and path
  • OneDrive — Microsoft OAuth, folder selection

Local copies can be automatically deleted after successful upload to save disk space.

Restoring a Backup

  1. Download the archive from Manage Backups or remote storage
  2. Upload kickstart.php and the archive to the target server root
  3. Browse to kickstart.php — it extracts the archive and guides through DB configuration
  4. Delete kickstart.php and the archive after successful restoration
Tip: Keep at least 3 backup generations — daily, weekly, and monthly. Configure separate profiles with different retention policies and remote storage targets for each rotation.