# Automatic backup not working
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/automatic-backup-not-working/160711
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [August 13, 2020, 5:13am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/automatic-backup-not-working/160711 "2020-08-13T05:13:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@lyseoy](https://meta.discourse.org/u/lyseoy)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2020, 5:13am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/automatic-backup-not-working/160711/1 "2020-08-13T05:13:19Z")
I’ve followed [this guide](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-up-file-and-image-uploads-to-s3/7229), and [this](https://meta.discourse.org/t/configure-automatic-backups-for-discourse/14855), but my automatic backups fail. When I check in AWS, the public access settings for my bucket is set to “Block all public access”. When I try to allow the necessary public access, the systems says 100% success and the setting is still the same 😂
How do I make the correct settings stick?
Edit: I learned that several settings affect the bucket public access settings. I tried various settings for “Block public access (account settings)” and I checked permissions for Access control lists, Bucket policies and Access point policies, none of which I have.
Here is where I try to allow the public access, is it the right place?
---
### Author:  [@gerhard](https://meta.discourse.org/u/gerhard)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2020, 9:04am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/automatic-backup-not-working/160711/2 "2020-08-13T09:04:50Z")
> [@lyseoy](#):
>
> automatic backups fail
What’s the error?
> [@lyseoy](#):
>
> When I try to allow the necessary public access
I’d be careful with that. You don’t want to make your backups public by accident!
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### Author:  [@lyseoy](https://meta.discourse.org/u/lyseoy)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2020, 9:14am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/automatic-backup-not-working/160711/3 "2020-08-13T09:14:20Z")
There is no error message. The backup just doesn’t happen when it should.
I am worried about the public access, for sure! At the moment though, I would just like to see a backup successfully stored on S3. I may eventually just abandon the whole automatic backup thing, if I’m not convinced the data will be safe on S3 with the public access that is required for it to work.
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### Author:  [@gerhard](https://meta.discourse.org/u/gerhard)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2020, 10:25am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/automatic-backup-not-working/160711/4 "2020-08-13T10:25:45Z")
As an admin you should get a PM whenever an automatic backup fails. It contains the log output of the backup process.
I have a couple of questions:
- Is this a standard Docker based install?
- Do manual backups work?
- Is there a warning about a paused Sidekiq in the admin dashboard?
- Are your uploads stored on S3 as well or just backups? Are you using different buckets for uploaded files and backups?
> [@lyseoy](#):
>
> public access that is required
Where did you get the idea that it is required? It is not! We might need to clarify our documentation if you read it there.
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### Author:  [@lyseoy](https://meta.discourse.org/u/lyseoy)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2020, 1:48pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/automatic-backup-not-working/160711/5 "2020-08-13T13:48:36Z")
I got no PM’s about failed backups.
It’s a standard Docker based install.
Manual backups work.
No warning of a paused Sidekiq.
I don’t store uploads on S3.
About the public access requirement, see this thread, in the “Bucket” section:
[Setting up file and image uploads to S3](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-up-file-and-image-uploads-to-s3/7229)
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### Author:  [@gerhard](https://meta.discourse.org/u/gerhard)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2020, 2:45pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/automatic-backup-not-working/160711/6 "2020-08-13T14:45:37Z")
That’s strange. Did you change any of the backup related settings (see `/admin/site_settings/category/backups`) besides `backup_location`?
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### Author:  [@lyseoy](https://meta.discourse.org/u/lyseoy)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/automatic-backup-not-working/160711/7 "2020-08-13T15:15:28Z")
I did, but to test if any settings were wrong, I reset all of them, except:
backup location: S3
backup frequency: 1
S3 backup bucket: “my bucket”
backup time of day: I set this to a few minutes ahead, to start the backup.
Still nothing happens. I haven’t yet waited a full day for the daily backup to start but I checked that the server is running with the correct time.
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### Author:  [@gerhard](https://meta.discourse.org/u/gerhard)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2020, 3:35pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/automatic-backup-not-working/160711/8 "2020-08-13T15:35:43Z")
Please note that `backup time of day` is in UTC and not a local time. And backup jobs are only scheduled once per day at midnight, so it won’t start right away. You have to wait a day for it to happen!
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### Author:  [@lyseoy](https://meta.discourse.org/u/lyseoy)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2020, 1:37am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/automatic-backup-not-working/160711/9 "2020-08-14T01:37:33Z")
Sure, I’ve been setting the backup time to current UTC + 2 minutes. But why have the “backup time of day” setting if it only happens at midnight? In any case, it’s past UTC midnight now, and again nothing happened. So it seems not a time issue.
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### Author:  [@neounix](https://meta.discourse.org/u/neounix)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2020, 5:55am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/automatic-backup-not-working/160711/10 "2020-08-14T05:55:31Z")
Hey @lyseoy
Just to be comprehensive, you might also check the Job Scheduler:
```plaintext
https://your-cool-discourse-site.com/sidekiq/scheduler
```
Then look for the “ScheduleBackup” entry:
If you find the entry, you might want to trigger the job and see if you can trigger it directly from the scheduler.
Hope this provides a new clue or confirms what you already know.
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### Author:  [@gerhard](https://meta.discourse.org/u/gerhard)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2020, 10:03am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/automatic-backup-not-working/160711/11 "2020-08-14T10:03:15Z")
The “ScheduleBackup” job runs at midnight and schedules a backup at `backup time of day` if automatic backups are enabled and the last backup file (automatic or manual) is older than `backup frequency` days.
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### Author:  [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2020, 10:12am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/automatic-backup-not-working/160711/12 "2020-09-13T10:12:23Z")
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