This guide explains the difference between the automated backups Discourse manages for its hosting infrastructure and the site-level backups you create and download for your Discourse-hosted site. It covers how to create both database-only and full site backups, how to upload and request a restore, and what to consider before downgrading your plan.
Required user level: Administrator
Back up and restore your hosted Discourse site
If your site is hosted by Discourse, you are responsible for keeping downloadable copies of your site data. The backups Discourse takes automatically protect the hosting infrastructure, but they are not a substitute for backups you manage yourself.
This guide explains what is covered by our automated systems, what is not covered, and how to request a full site backup that includes uploads.
Automated infrastructure backups
Discourse takes automated infrastructure-level backups of all hosted sites every 12 hours. These are disaster recovery backups. They exist solely to protect against catastrophic datacenter-level events, such as hardware failure, data loss on our end, or cluster-level outages.
These infrastructure backups are not the same as your site’s own backup files:
- they are not accessible to you on demand
- you cannot browse, download, or restore a site from these snapshots
- they are not a substitute for scheduling your own regular backups
Think of the infrastructure backup as a safety net for our infrastructure, not for your personal backup strategy. If you need to restore your site to a previous state after accidental user deletion, content errors, site changes or plugin issues, you must rely on a site-level backup that you have requested and downloaded.
Site-level backups
On hosted sites you have two ways to create a backup, depending on whether you need the uploads.
Create a database-only backup
You can create a database-only backup (.sql.gz) at any time from the Admin / Backups page in your site’s interface. These backups are smaller and faster to generate, but they do not include user uploads such as images and attachments.
A database-only backup can still be used to restore your site, provided the restore happens on our hosting infrastructure, where uploads are managed on your behalf.
Request a full site backup
If you need a backup that includes uploads (.tar.gz), you must request one through our support team:
- send an email from an address associated with an administrator account on your site
- state that you need a “full site backup including uploads”
Full backups are resource-intensive, so we centralize the process through support to ensure data integrity and manage server load. Once generated, the backup file is normally available for download directly from your site’s /admin/backups page.
Restore a hosted site
Upload the backup file
You upload the backup file yourself:
- go to Admin / Backups in your site’s interface
- open the Backup Files tab
- click Upload and select your backup file.
Request the restore
On hosted sites you cannot perform the restore yourself. After uploading the backup file, contact support with the name of the file you want to restore, and our team will complete the restoration.
Specify the origin of the backup file when you contact support:
- did it originate from a self-hosted site?
- did it originate from a Discourse-hosted site?
- did it originate from another provider?
This information lets us determine upfront whether additional checks or migration-specific steps are needed before proceeding.
Restoring a backup overwrites all current data on your site. Make sure you have a current backup of your existing state before requesting a restore to an older version.
Restore eligibility by plan
Not all hosting plans include the same restore capabilities. Review your plan’s restrictions before attempting a restore:
- Free plan: restore services are not available. You cannot restore a backup of any origin onto a Free site, including imports of existing communities.
- Pro plan and above: full restore capabilities are included, including backups originating from self-hosted sites or from another provider.
You cannot downgrade a paid site to the Free plan. The Free plan is only available as a new, separate site that you start from scratch.
If you need an existing community imported or restored, the Pro plan is the minimum plan that includes that support.
Best practices
- Create a database-only backup regularly from Admin / Backups and download it to a location you control.
- Request a full site backup including uploads before major changes or migration work.
- Store important backups externally. Backups are not kept indefinitely and should not be relied on for long-term archival.
Common issues and solutions
My requested backup is no longer available. We retain up to three of your most recent full site backups. Once this limit is reached, the oldest backup is rotated out automatically. Enterprise customers may request extended retention periods. Download and store important backups externally, because backups are not kept indefinitely.
My site was decommissioned and I lost access to my backup. When a site is cancelled, the system automatically generates a full backup for safety, and it remains on our side for 30 days after decommissioning. This backup is kept for precautionary purposes only and is not a recovery backup. After those 30 days the backup is destroyed, and the site is no longer recoverable unless you kept a copy of your own backup. Download the final backup as soon as it is ready, before the site is taken offline.
My restore request was not accepted. Restores are not available on the Free plan. If you are moving an existing community to Discourse hosting, the Pro plan is the minimum plan that includes support for restoring or importing an existing site. Check the restore eligibility section before you request a restore.
FAQs
Why can’t I create full backups myself from the admin panel?
Generating a full backup including uploads is resource-intensive, so we centralize those requests through support. You can still create a database-only backup (.sql.gz) at any time from the admin panel.
How long do you keep the backups I request?
We retain up to three of your most recent full site backups. Once the limit is reached, the oldest backup is rotated out. Enterprise customers may request extended retention. Download and store important backups externally, because backups are not kept indefinitely.
Can I restore my site myself?
No. On hosted sites you upload the backup file, but the restore operation is performed by our team. Contact support with the backup filename and its origin.
Can I downgrade my paid site to the Free plan?
No. The Free plan is only available as a new site that you start from scratch. You cannot downgrade an existing paid site to Free while keeping its data. Contact support to discuss your options.
What happens to my data when I cancel hosting?
When you cancel your site, the system automatically generates a full backup that is available for you to download. We keep this backup on our side for 30 days after the site is decommissioned, as a precaution. Once the 30 days pass, the backup is destroyed and the site is no longer recoverable unless you saved your own copy. Download and verify the final backup before the site is shut down. See the guide on cancelling your hosting plan for details.
Additional resources
- Create, download, and restore a backup of your Discourse database
- How do I cancel my hosting plan?
- Migrate your Discourse site to hosted Discourse
- Hosted Customers Index
- Discourse pricing | Discourse - Civilized Discussion
Last edited by @dax 2026-09-07T20:13:20Z
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