Why Softaculous backups are disabled
Softaculous backup is turned off on WebGee hosting because it writes full copies into your own disk quota. Use JetBackup instead.
Softaculous includes a backup feature, and it is disabled on WebGee shared and reseller hosting. Use JetBackup instead — it is included with your plan and is better in every respect that matters.
Why it is off
Softaculous backups are not incremental. Every run copies every file and every database again, even if nothing changed.
That has three consequences on shared hosting:
- They fill your disk quota. The backups are written into your own account, so a few runs of a moderate site can consume more space than the site itself and push you past your plan's limit.
- They are expensive to generate. Copying everything from scratch each time uses substantial CPU and I/O, which affects your site and everyone else's on the same server.
- They cannot be scheduled sensibly. There is no control over when they run, so they land during peak hours as readily as at 3am.
Use JetBackup instead
JetBackup runs automatically on every account — daily, or hourly on some plans — and it is incremental, so only what changed since the last run is stored. It costs you no disk quota, because the copies live outside your account.
| Softaculous | JetBackup | |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Full copy every run | Incremental |
| Stored | In your disk quota | Outside your account |
| Schedule | Uncontrolled | Daily or hourly |
| Restore granularity | Whole application | Files, folders or a single database |
What to use for what
- Restore something you broke — Restore files or databases from JetBackup
- A restore point before a risky change — Take a snapshot backup
- A copy you keep yourself — Download a backup of your account
If you specifically want a per-application backup, install a WordPress backup plugin that stores off-site — to your own cloud storage rather than into your hosting account. That gives you what Softaculous backup was for, without consuming your quota.
Related
Download a backup of your account
Generate and download a full cPanel backup, or just a database or mail forwarders, so you hold a copy outside WebGee's infrastructure.
Restore from a backup
Restore files, a database or a whole cPanel account from JetBackup, choosing a backup date and restoring only what you need.