How to Set Up & Use BackupBuddy Stash

BackupBuddy v3.1 includes support for BackupBuddy Stash, our secure off-site storage destination for your BackupBuddy backups. Storing your BackupBuddy backups off-site means you always have an insurance plan if your site goes down, so all BackupBuddy purchases come preloaded with with 256MB of free BackupBuddy Stash storage space. From our experience, this is usually enough for one complete BackupBuddy backup or two database-only backups of your site – so go ahead and back that thing up!

BackupBuddy Stash is easy to set up and use. And since it’s built into BackupBuddy, you don’t need a separate account on another site to make it work.

Setting Up BackupBuddy Stash as a Remote Destination

1. Make sure your current version of BackupBuddy is 3.1 or higher.

Support for BackupBuddy Stash was introduced in BackupBuddy 3.1, so you’ll need the latest version of BackupBuddy to take advantage of BackupBuddy Stash. To see the version of BackupBuddy you’re currently running, visit the Plugins page from within the WordPress dashboard or the Getting Started page within the BackupBuddy menu. Your latest version number will be visible from both places.

Don’t have the latest version? Current BackupBuddy members can update from within the WordPress dashboard or by logging into your iThemes Member Panel for the latest BackupBuddy file version download. Need to renew your license to update? Grab your 25% customer loyalty discount.

2. From within the WordPress dashboard, visit the BackupBuddy menu and click “Remote Destinations“.

3. On the Remote Destinations page, click the “Add new” box beside BackupBuddy Stash.

4. Enter your iThemes username and password and click “Submit.”

This should be the same username and password you used to purchase BackupBuddy and to manage your BackupBuddy licenses.

5.  Use the default settings or personalize your own and click “Test Settings.”

We’ve provided default settings that are pretty standard for most BackupBuddy users, but these settings can be personalized depending on your needs:

• Destination name – For example, “My Stash.” This is for your convenience only.
• Database backup limit – This is the maximum number of database backup archives to be stored in this specific destination. If this limit is met, the oldest backup of this type will be deleted. For no limit, enter zero.
• Full backup limit – This is the maximum number of full backup archives to be stored in this specific destination. Again, if this limit is met, the oldest backup of this type will be deleted. Enter zero for no limit.
• Max chunk size (MB) – Enter 0 for no chunking or a minimum of 5 if enabling. This is the maximum file size to send in one whole piece to BackupBuddy Stash. Files larger than this will be transferred in pieces up to this file size one part at a time. This allows the transfer of larger files than your server may allow by breaking up the second process. Chunked files may be delayed if there is little site traffic to trigger them.
• Encrypt connection - Enable connecting over SSL. When enabled, all transfers will be encrypted with SSL encryption. Disabling this may aid in connection troubles but results in lessened security. Note: Once your fiels arrive on our server they are encrypted using AES256 encryption – that’s the same level of encryption that the US government authorizes for top secret government documents! They are automatically decrypted upon download as needed.
• Manage all files – Enabling allows access to manage all Stash files (not just this site). When enabled, you have access to manage and view all files stored in your BackupBuddy Stash account. You will be prompted for your password to access backups for sites other than this one. If disabled, this option is entirely removed for added security. For example, you wish to disable this feature if a client has access and you wan to keep them away from your files. This option can’t be changed without deleting and recreating the BackupBuddy Stash destination for added security.

6.  After a successful test of your settings, click “+ Add Destination.”

All done! Your BackupBuddy Stash is now all set up. Your BackupBuddy backups can now be sent manually or through scheduling to your BackupBuddy Stash.

Manual Backup to BackupBuddy Stash

1. To perform your first manual backup to BackupBuddy Stash, visit the Backup page.

2. Click “Database Only” or “Complete Backup” to start a backup. You’ll see this page as the backup runs:

3. Click the “Send backup to destination” button and then select “BackupBuddy Stash” from the next prompt.

You’ll see this notification that your backup file will arrive shortly to your BackupBuddy Stash:

4. From the Remote Destinations page, click the “Recent Transfers” tab.

Success! Within a few minutes (or less), you should see your backup file has arrived to your BackupBuddy Stash!

Scheduling Backups to BackupBuddy Stash

Backups can also be set up to send to BackupBuddy Stash through BackupBuddy’s Scheduling feature.

1. To set up a scheduled backup to send to BackupBuddy Stash, visit the Scheduling page from the BackupBuddy menu.

2. Complete your backup scheduling settings and click “+Add Remote Destination.” Select “BackupBuddy Stash“:

BackupBuddy Stash will then be added to this backup schedule.

3. Click “+Add New Schedule.”

Done! You now have a scheduled backup that will send to BackupBuddy Stash.

Managing Your BackupBuddy Stash Files

There are two places to manage your BackupBuddy Stash files:

1. The Remote Destinations page within BackupBuddy

From the BackupBuddy menu, click “Remote Destinations” and click the “BackupBuddy Stash” button. From here, you can copy your backup files to local, get a download link or delete the file. You can also view a status bar of your total BackupBuddy Stash storage usage:

2. From your Stashboard

Visit the Stashboard and login using your iThemes username and password:

From the Stashboard, you can download backup files sent to BackupBuddy Stash from any of your licensed sites using BackupBuddy. If you’re managing many different sites, the Stashboard is a convient way to access your backups from one place or upgrade to a higher storage tier if you’re running low on space.

As you can see, BackupBuddy Stash is totally easy and convenient to use. Make sure you’re taking advantage of your free BackupBuddy Stash storage space or any of the paid storage plans if you’re needing more space for your BackupBuddy Backups. Don’t have BackupBuddy yet? Go get it today!