• Security & Recovery · restic

Backups: A copy that hasn't been restored isn't a copy

Backup of the site is almost always "there". The question is not whether the files are created, but whether the working store can be returned from them - and in how much time. These two things are tested separately, and the second is almost never tested. We don't know this from theory: on our own project, copies were quietly not created for seven months, and it was only discovered during a routine recovery check.

See how it works
Price
after a free audit
Guarantee
30 days after project sign-off
Setting period
2-10 business days depending on volume
after a free audit
Price
30
Guarantee

days after project sign-off

2-10
Setting period

business days depending on volume

after checking current copies for free
Cost
30
Guarantee

days after signing the act

a scheduled test restore, not just a backup
Main check
outside the site's server, with encryption
Where do we keep it?
What's included

Complete list of work and what you get as a result

  • Database and file copies on a schedule that matches your pace of change: a shop with orders every hour and a business site need different things.
  • Storage outside the site server. A copy on the same disk does not protect against disk failure, which is the most common cause of loss.
  • Encryption: The repository is compromised separately from the site, and the copy must remain unreadable to whoever has access to it.
  • Storage depth in steps: fresh daily, weekly, monthly. This is what saves in the case of a hack that is not noticed immediately.
  • Automatic check that the copy was created and is not empty - zero bytes also "completes successfully".
  • Scheduled test recovery: deploy a copy to a separate location and make sure the site is up.
  • Copy failure notifications to where you'll actually see them.
  • Written instructions on how to recover without us - including where the keys are.
When this service isn't right

What's not included — so there are no surprises at delivery

  • Recovering data that was destroyed before we started making copies. There is no time machine.
  • Copies of other people's services: CRM, payment offices, mailboxes - everyone has their own mechanisms.
  • Round-the-clock duty in case of an accident. There will be copies, but the button is pressed by a person; permanent rotation is a separate agreement.
  • Legally significant storage of documents is a different task with different requirements.
Who it's for

Situations where this service delivers results

Scenario 1 of 4

The hosting makes copies — and that's all

The most common case. Hosting does store something, but usually on the same hardware, for a limited time and without verification. When the server goes down, the copy goes down with it—which is exactly the scenario it's needed for.

We'll review your situation in a free audit

Instead of a price fork — a free proof of your copies

We look not at whether copies are made, but at whether it is possible to recover from them. These are different things, and almost no one has checked the second.

What we measure

  • Are there any copies at all?and what exactly is in them: only the database, only files or all together
  • Where they liea copy on the same server disappearing with the server is the most common mistake
  • Has anyone recovereddo a test recovery and see what happens
  • Storage depthif the copies are only from yesterday, the malicious code detected a week later is already in all copies
  • Who has accessthe copy to which the hacked account has access does not save

What you get

  • honest answer, is it possible to restore the site now and how long
  • what exactly is broken in the current scheme
  • backup plan for your volume
  • evaluation of works

Timeline: 1-2 working days

Why is it free

Half of the answer can be seen in an hour: a copy on the same server or the absence of a test recovery is a diagnosis without a long analysis.

What's next

You get a conclusion and a plan. Then you decide for yourself - the inspection does not obligate you to anything.

Short form: your contact and site URL

  • Contract, act and 30-day warranty

    Every project gets a written contract: scope, deadlines, amount, acceptance procedure. After delivery — act and invoice, then 30 calendar days of warranty.

  • Sole proprietor & bank transfer

    The contractor is a registered sole proprietor. Payment by invoice with closing documents.

  • Rights & access — yours

    Code, design and materials transfer to you after full payment. Domain, hosting, repository and analytics are registered to you.

  • Client portal instead of email chains

    During the project you get access to a portal: contracts, invoices, acts and project status in one place.

  • European clients

    Among our work — projects for Norway, Bulgaria, Moldova and Spain.

  • Verifiable numbers

    Every case in the portfolio comes with a link to a live site and a technical measurement.

  • Audit first, then pricing

    There is no price list on the site intentionally: the scope of the same work differs multiples between clients.

  • We say "no" when unsure

    If the task isn't ours or the deadline is unrealistic — we tell you upfront.

What affects the price

Why two seemingly identical tasks are priced differently

  • Data volumeA 200 MB database and a store with tens of thousands of images differ in copy time, storage space, and recovery speed.
  • Frequency of copiesOnce a day means that, in the worst case, a day of orders is lost. Every hour is an hour. This decision is not technical, but commercial: how much is a lost day worth to you.
  • Number of storage spacesOne off-server copy covers most cases. The second, from another provider, closes the "provider has disappeared" scenario — and costs separately.
  • Storage depthIt is cheaper to hold for a month than for a year. But it is the depth that saves in the case of a hack that is not noticed immediately, so saving on it is the most risky.
  • Test recoveryThe most expensive part of the work is the only one that distinguishes a copy from a hope. The frequency is negotiated separately.
  • Current server statusIf the accesses are scattered, and the configuration is not described anywhere, the first step is to describe what should be stored in general. This can be seen on the free inspection.
Cases

Tasks and results in numbers — all metrics measured by us

own agency management system: agreements, contracts, invoices, documents, client portal

Task
Make sure that a server failure does not mean the loss of documents and client data, and that the problem with copies is known immediately, and not during an accident.
Solution
Scheduled database and file copies with off-server migration, encryption, and a separate background job that checks every day that the copy has been created and is not empty. Copy monitoring sits alongside integration health monitoring—both in the same set of background tasks.
Result
Measured on 08/02/2026: the system has 35 scheduled background tasks, including monitoring backups and integration health. The system has been in production since 10/10/2025, 958 commits in 10 months.

own premium template for OpenCart 4 with Ukrainian layer

Task
Protect the product and its stand from data loss during experiments with updates and configuration.
Solution
Daily database and file backups with specified storage depth, along with automatic build and publishing of releases.
Result
Measured 2026-08-02: Daily backups with retention work alongside CI/CD on GitHub Actions; the product codebase is 8,157 PHP files, 718 templates, and 726 JavaScript files.

Did not find your case?

Describe how it works on your side — we will tell you whether “Site backups with recovery verification” fits and what it means in your situation. No brief and no call: one question, one answer.

Process steps

Transparent stages with approval at every step

Total duration:2–10 days

  1. Checking what is there

    1-2 days

    We look at the current copies and try to recover from them. Often everything is clarified on this.

  2. Scheme for your case

    1 day

    We decide the frequency, depth, storage locations. We proceed from the cost of a lost day, not from technical preferences.

  3. Settings

    1–5 days

    Scheduled backup, encryption, off-server export, crash notification.

  4. First recovery

    1 day

    We deploy a copy in a separate place and make sure that the site is up. Until this moment, the copy is not considered working.

  5. Regular inspections

    monthly

    Scheduled test recovery and report that it passed.

Technologies & integrations

What we build on and what it connects to

Stack

  • restic
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • S3-compatible storage

Integrations

  • Hetzner Storage Box
  • S3
  • Telegram notifications
Copies of hosting or own scheme

How this option differs from the alternative

Where they lieoutside the site's server, often with another provider
Recovery checkaccording to the schedule, with confirmation
Depthsteps: day, week, month
What if the provider disappearsthe second copy remains
What we need from you

We can't start without this — best to prepare in advance

  1. access to the server and database
  2. where exactly to store copies and how much space is available
  3. how much data are you willing to lose in the worst case scenario
  4. who should receive crash notifications
  5. whether there are requirements for the geography of storage

If something is missing — let us know, we'll help you gather it or do it as a separate task.

FAQ

Most frequently asked questions — with concrete answers

Hosting makes copies. Why else?

The question is not whether they are being made, but the other three: where they lie, how deep they are, and whether any of them have recovered. A copy on the same server does not save from a disk failure. Copies for only three days do not save from a hack noticed a week later. And a copy that has never been recovered from is a hope, not a copy.

How often to make copies?

As much as you are willing to lose. Once a day means that in the worst case, the day of orders disappears. This is not a technical decision, but a commercial one: multiply the average number of orders per day by the average check, and the answer is usually obvious.

How long will recovery take?

Depends on the volume, which is why we measure it on the first test recovery, not promise up front. After it, you know the exact number for your store — and this is the most useful result of all the work.

Does it happen that there is a copy, but there really isn't?

Constantly, and we have our own example. On one of our copy projects, it was quietly not working for seven months: the script crashed on the first line due to an invisible difference in the file format, and no one read the log because the error did not look like an error. This was discovered during a routine recovery check. That is why verification is part of the job, and not offered as an option.

Where do you keep copies?

Off site server is the main requirement. We choose a specific storage together: S3-compatible, a separate provider's storage or your own. If the buyers are European, the geography of storage is discussed separately.

Are the copies encrypted?

Yes. The repository is compromised separately from the site, and the copy must remain unreadable by whoever gets to it. We hand over the keys to you — otherwise you depend on us at a time when dependence is the worst.

What happens if we stop working together?

Copies and keys remain yours, the scheme is described in the instructions, we remove access and notify you about it. Backup is not the place where attachment to a contractor is appropriate.

Is it possible to recover a single file or a single table?

Yes, and this is the most common real-life scenario: not "the site burned down", but "the manager deleted the category". Therefore, the copies are stored in such a way that you can get a part without deploying the whole thing.

Let's start by checking what you already have

Give read access - in 1-2 business days we'll try to recover from your current copies and tell you honestly what happened. If the scheme is working, we will write: you don't need to pay for a new one.

View cases
  • Reply within 2 hours
  • No commitment
  • We work under a contract

There is no price list on the site on purpose: the same work differs several times over between two clients, and a “from” figure explains nothing in that case. First a free audit — we count your pages, duplicates and speed — then we name the sum and the deadline and fix both in the contract.