Selective Backup (Files Only / DB Only)

Creating Partial Backups in DirectAdmin

Sometimes you do not need a full account backup. Selective backups let you back up only specific components — such as website files or databases — saving time and disk space. This is especially useful before making targeted changes like a theme update or database migration.

Files-Only Backup

Log in to DirectAdmin and go to Advanced Features → Create/Restore Backups.
Under the Create Backup section, check Home directory (this includes your website files).
Uncheck Databases, E-mail data, E-mail settings, and any other components you do not need.
Select the domain(s) to include.
Click Create Backup.

This creates a backup containing only your public_html and other files in your home directory, without database dumps or email data.

Database-Only Backup

Go to Create/Restore Backups.
Check only Databases.
Uncheck all other components.
Click Create Backup.

Manual Database Export via phpMyAdmin

For granular control over database backups, use phpMyAdmin:

Navigate to Account Manager → phpMyAdmin.
Select the database you want to export from the left sidebar.
Click the Export tab.
Choose the export method:
- Quick: Exports the entire database with default settings.
- Custom: Lets you select specific tables, output format, and compression.
Select SQL as the format.
Click Go to download the .sql file.

Tip: When backing up before a CMS update (e.g., WordPress), export the database via phpMyAdmin and download a copy of the wp-content folder via FTP. This covers the two most critical components without creating a full account backup.

Manual File Backup via SSH

If you have SSH access, you can create targeted file archives:

# Back up only public_html
tar -czf ~/backups/files-only-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz -C ~/domains/example.com public_html

# Back up a specific directory
tar -czf ~/backups/uploads-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz -C ~/domains/example.com/public_html/wp-content uploads

When to Use Selective Backups

Before plugin/theme updates: Back up files and the database.
Before database schema changes: Database-only backup.
Before redesigning a site: Files-only backup of the current design.
Migrating email: Email-only backup before changing mail providers.