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Free Plugin by Greg Ross v2.5.5

CYAN Backup

Backup your entire WordPress site and its database into a zip file on a schedule. Remote storage options include FTP, SFTP and FTPS.

CYAN Backup

The facts

Rating
4.1★ from 11
Active installs
300+
Price
Free
Last updated
4 Nov 2025
Added
Feb 2014
Requires WP
2.9
Tested up to
WP 6.8.8
Downloads
37,069

Our analysis

AI-assisted

CYAN Backup is a WordPress plugin that allows you to back up your entire site and its database into a zip file on a scheduled basis. You can configure the backup frequency to be hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly, with specific intervals for each option. The plugin supports remote storage options such as FTP, SFTP, and FTPS.

The plugin is suitable for users who need a straightforward solution for backing up their WordPress sites regularly. It includes features to exclude specific directories from backups and allows you to manage old backups by deleting them as needed.

Best for: This plugin is best for WordPress users looking for a simple and effective backup solution.

What it does well

  • Free to use from the WordPress.org directory
  • Supports multiple scheduling options for backups
  • Allows remote storage via FTP, SFTP, and FTPS
  • Excludes specific directories from backups
  • Auto pruning feature for managing old backups

Where it falls short

  • Limited information on user experience and support
  • No details on advanced features or customisation options

Verdict

CYAN Backup offers essential backup features with scheduling and remote storage options. It may suit users who want a basic, free backup tool without extensive customisation needs.

From the developer

Greg Ross's own description of CYAN Backup, lightly tidied.

Backup your entire WordPress site and its database into a zip file on a schedule. Remote storage options include FTP, SFTP and FTPS.

CYAN Backup is a fork of the great Total Backup by wokamoto.

Currently support schedules are hourly, daily, weekly and monthly with intervals for each (for example you could select a schedule of every 4 hours or every 6 weeks, etc.).

PHP5 Required

Localization

CYAN Backup is fully ready to be translated in to any supported languages, if you have translated into your language, please let me know.

Usage

Configure the archive path which specifies the directory to store your backups to. This must be writeable by the web server but should not be accessible via the web as a hacker could guess the filename and get a copy copy of your database. If you must place the backups in a directory inside of the WordPress directory (or web server root) make sure to block extenal access via .htaccess or other means. The default path is the directory for the temp files returned by sys_get_temp_dir().

Configure the excluded paths which specify the directories you don’t want to back up. The default excluded directories are:

  • wp-content/cache/ : the directory for the cache files used by WP super cache and so on.
  • wp-content/tmp/ : the directory for the cache files used by DB Cache Reloaded Fix so on.
  • wp-content/upgrade/ : the directory for the temp files used by the WordPress upgrade function.

If you have configured your archive path below the main WordPress directory you MUST add it to the list of excluded directories as well.

Activate and configure the scheduler if you want to backup on a regular basis. Schedule options include:

  • Hourly (Backup your site every X hours, an hourly backup with an interval of 12 would run a backup twice a day).
  • Daily (Backup your site every X days at a specific time.
  • Weekly (Backup your site every X weeks at a specific day and time, for example every second Tuesday at 4am).
  • Monthly (Backup your site every X months on a specific day and time, for example the 1st day of the month at 4am).

You can also enable auto pruning of old backups by setting the number of backup files you want to keep.

Backing up your site can take a while, you will want to ensure your PHP and webserver are configured to allow for the backup script to run long enough to complete the backup..

Once a backup is complete you can download the backup files from the links in Backup page. You can delete old backup files by checking one or more boxes in the backup list and then clicking the Delete button.

Read the full description on the official page →

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