We strongly encourage members to make their own backups. However, sometimes that just doesn't work out, and people need to know what we can help them recover.
Recovering deleted files from an existing site
If you've accidentally deleted a file or files on your website, or you want to roll back to a recent backup, you may be able to fix that yourself. On the ssh server, the /home/.zfs/snapshot directory allows you to access historical snapshots of your site. Snapshot names are 12-digit numbers based on the date and time the snapshot was created, in the form YYYYMMDDHHMM. For example, if a snapshot is named 202401021200, then it was created on 2024-01-02 at 12:00 UTC. A site may have up to 60 snapshots covering the past 30 days, depending on how large the site currently is, how fast the site's content changes, and how long ago it was created.
You can copy individual files out to the live site:
YourPrompt$ cp /home/.zfs/snapshot/202401021200/public/whoopsie-deleted.txt /home/public/.
You can also use a tool like rsync to recover entire directories:
YourPrompt$ rsync --dry-run -va /home/.zfs/snapshot/202401021200/public/. /home/public/.
The --dry-run flag will cause rsync to tell you what it would do instead of doing anything, so
you can make sure the behavior is what you expect. Once you're sure you're putting the right files in the right
place, run rsync without --dry-run and it will perform the operation for real.
The rsync command also supports --delete and --force flags (among many
others), which may be useful to make sure there aren't other stray files lying around. But these flags can also be
very dangerous; if the command isn't exactly right, they may delete something other than what you intended.
Recovering sites or database processes that have been completely deleted
We can attempt to recover deleted sites and database processes for a period of up to six months after they are deleted as long as the membership they are on still exists. This is not guaranteed and the likelihood of successful recovery drops over time.
To request that we attempt to recover a site or database process deleted within the past six months, follow these instructions:
- Review and submit an Attempt to recover deleted content assistance request.
- We will invest the time to determine what can likely be recovered and how much it will cost to do so. There is a fee for us to produce this estimate unless you have a subscription membership.
- Based on the cost and expected results, you can decide whether to proceed with the restore and make sure you have the necessary funds available in your account.
- If you decide to proceed, we will attempt to restore your site or database process content using the backup made when it was deleted. If successful, will debit your account for the cost.
- Recoveries of deleted sites restore the content only. They do not include site aliases or DNS settings. You will be able to re-add aliases yourself after a successful restore of the content.
After six months, backups of deleted site and database content are purged. No further recovery is possible.
Rolling back a MariaDB 10.x process to an earlier state
As with deleted sites and MariaDB processes, use the Attempt to recover deleted content assistance request. The process is very similar, although the costs are much, much higher. Further details are under the appropriate heading on that page.
Other deleted content
Registered domains can be recovered for a little while after they expire.
Removed DNS or email forwarding settings cannot be recovered.