# Backup only Site Settings
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/backup-only-site-settings/78150
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [January 16, 2018, 10:16am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/backup-only-site-settings/78150 "2018-01-16T10:16:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Vaishak\_Kallore](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Vaishak_Kallore)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2018, 10:16am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/backup-only-site-settings/78150/1 "2018-01-16T10:16:03Z")
I would like to know the possibility of backing up **Only Site Settings** , just as opposite of what was asked here
> [@How to "migrate" Discourse to Discourse without Site Settings](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-migrate-discourse-to-discourse-without-site-settings/49741):
>
> We need to migrate all our database to a new bigger server (digital ocean). We need to import only the database (users, passwords, posts, topics etc…) but we don’t want import the site settings, so we can’t use the normal way (backup restore). That’s because in our installation the old admin delete some categories (like staff and lounge) and probably other things. Originally it was a trial installation to test Discourse so many settings have been touched or changed or even deleted and, I don’t…
The purpose is to replicate forums for different clients. If I can replicate settings, its easy to proceed with different categories, topics & users.
Please advise.
PS: I couldn’t understand by reading this
> [@Backup site settings only (without any user content)?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/backup-site-settings-only-without-any-user-content/21513):
>
> Maybe I’m missing something, but here’s a thought that occurred to me while fiddling with my import scripts: wouldn’t it be nice if we had a backup feature that deals only with the site’s settings, but not the contents (posts, categories, uploads etc. should be left out)? This would be a) somewhat reassuring if you had a staff of more than one who are allowed in the admin section. Plus b) it would ease my (admittedly somehow unstructured blush) import efforts, since I run an import (lengthy o…
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### Author:  [@dax](https://meta.discourse.org/u/dax)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2018, 10:25am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/backup-only-site-settings/78150/2 "2018-01-16T10:25:22Z")
> [@Vaishak\_Kallore](#):
>
> PS: I couldn’t understand by reading this
I think @zogstrip suggested entering the forum database you want to replicate (via SSH), clone the `site_settings` table into that database and replace that particular table in each new site you’re going to create.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2018, 10:25am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/backup-only-site-settings/78150/3 "2018-01-16T10:25:56Z")
I believe @techapj has expressed interest in this feature but we do not have it yet.
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### Author:  [@Vaishak\_Kallore](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Vaishak_Kallore)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2018, 10:41am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/backup-only-site-settings/78150/4 "2018-01-16T10:41:30Z")
Alright.
So, I need to install Discourse as usual and take this step to replicate the settings. Will the instance version different make any conflicts here?
If we have to get the forum logo to new one, we will have to re-upload this, I suppose. Am I right?
---
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/backup-only-site-settings/78150/5 "2018-01-16T15:24:50Z")
> [@Vaishak\_Kallore](#):
>
> I would like to know the possibility of backing up Only Site Settings,
Save [https://yoursite/admin/site\_settings.json](https://yoursite/admin/site_settings.json). Use [GitHub - pfaffman/discourse-settings-uploader: Install a Discourse settings JSON file to a site · GitHub](https://github.com/pfaffman/discourse-settings-uploader) to upload them.
### To install these settings to another site
Do this:
```
./discourse-settings-uploader HOSTURL API_KEY API_USER SETTINGS_FILE
```
For example:
```
./discourse-settings-uploader https://discourse.example.com d35989078a system site_settings.json
```
One caveat: It uploads only settings that are marked as changed. This means that if there’s some setting that’s changed on the site you’ve uploaded that you want to restore to default with the script it won’t work. The solution is to edit the JSON file so that the default value there doesn’t match the value you want to set.
Now what’s needed is a way to easily download all themes and then upload them. Uploading
a set of files shouldn’t be hard to do. Downloading themes by hand could be tedious, so some automated way to get all of them would be nice.
---
### Author:  [@Vaishak\_Kallore](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Vaishak_Kallore)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2018, 4:23am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/backup-only-site-settings/78150/6 "2018-01-17T04:23:50Z")
This sounds good. Will try this method next time I create a new forum.
I hope Discourse version difference will not make any issue, however I do update forums on regular basis… 🙂
---
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2018, 10:54am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/backup-only-site-settings/78150/7 "2018-01-17T10:54:01Z")
As long as the setting is available it will be set. Settings that don’t exists can’t get set, but make only that it doesn’t get set. For example, if you have a plugin installed on the system your are copying from its settings exist only if the target system has the plugin as well. When that happens an error is presented for each unavailable setting.
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### Author:  [@raisedadead](https://meta.discourse.org/u/raisedadead)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2020, 5:31pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/backup-only-site-settings/78150/8 "2020-03-01T17:31:35Z")
Oh this would be such a life saver feature.
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### Author:  [@Overgrow](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Overgrow)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2020, 5:51pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/backup-only-site-settings/78150/9 "2020-03-01T17:51:48Z")
See here: [Administrative Bulk Operations](https://meta.discourse.org/t/administrative-bulk-operations/118349#heading--5)
---
### Author:  [@Faizan\_Zahid](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Faizan_Zahid)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/backup-only-site-settings/78150/10 "2020-09-11T18:31:15Z")
it would be super amazing if you guys add an option to export/backup current site settings into a file, and then allow the new forum site to import this file and have the same site settings. Can anyone do this please? its a very cool feature in case i want to have a full clone of my site’s data + settings.
What options do i have if i want a full clone of my current forum, user’s data/topics/posts/pictures etc as well as discourse admin and plugin settings the way i have configured it. Can anyone guide me please? @pfaffman
All i can save currently is my app.yml files and my discourse folder which contains a folder named shared, i think that has all the DB and user uploaded files?
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### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 6:34pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/backup-only-site-settings/78150/11 "2020-09-11T18:34:59Z")
> [@Faizan\_Zahid](#):
>
> it would be super amazing if you guys add an option to export/backup current site settings into a file, and then allow the new forum site to import this file and have the same site settings.
Two ways to do that are described above.
> [@Faizan\_Zahid](#):
>
> What options do i have if i want a full clone of my current forum, user’s data/topics/posts/pictures etc as well as discourse admin and plugin settings the way i have configured it.
Create a new forum. Backup your current forum. Restore that backup to the new forum. You can save some steps if both forums use the same S3 bucket for backups.
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### Author:  [@Faizan\_Zahid](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Faizan_Zahid)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 7:03pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/backup-only-site-settings/78150/12 "2020-09-11T19:03:48Z")
Thanks for the quick reply,
> Create a new forum. Backup your current forum. Restore that backup to the new forum. You can save some steps if both forums use the same S3 bucket for backups
Why do i need to do the manual site settings only backup?, if the above method already backs up all plugins settings & site settings, and pics/uploads/db/posts/topics etc.
If i follow these 3 steps, would my site export will give me a full backup of site/plugin settings as well as DB and file uploads?
1. create a new forum.
2. backup current forum by going to admin UI dashboard and going to backup section (not in command line,right?)
3. restore this new backup i got in step 2 and insert it into new forum i made in step 1
4. well i dont have any buckets for backup yet, my forum is simply hosted on a DO droplet and it is just in a directory on my server inside the `var/discourse/shared` folder. but i dont get why my discourse docket yml file is in `/www/discourse` i dont understand why all discourse files are being distributed in these 2 folders which reside on a different path. ?
Please confirm.
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### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [June 8, 2024, 12:36pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/backup-only-site-settings/78150/13 "2024-06-08T12:36:58Z")
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