# Should I backup before rebuilding?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/should-i-backup-before-rebuilding/207603
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [October 29, 2021, 9:29pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/should-i-backup-before-rebuilding/207603 "2021-10-29T21:29:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Jonathan5](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jonathan5)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2021, 9:29pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/should-i-backup-before-rebuilding/207603/1 "2021-10-29T21:29:23Z")
I never bother doing a backup before rebuilding Discourse at the command line because I am so confident that it will work… but if a backup is recommended, what’s the best or quickest way? Thanks.
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### Author:  [@omarfilip](https://meta.discourse.org/u/omarfilip)
#### Post date: [October 30, 2021, 2:31am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/should-i-backup-before-rebuilding/207603/2 "2021-10-30T02:31:17Z")
A backup is always a good idea. How much data loss are you willing to accept if things go sideways?
**Method #1** Have an automatic Discourse backup. Mine runs daily to S3.
> [@Configure automatic backups for Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/t/configure-automatic-backups-for-discourse/14855):
>
> bookmark This guide explains how to configure automatic backups for Discourse, including storage options on local servers and S3-compatible storage. Learn how to set up automatic backups for your Discourse platform. This guide covers configuring automatic backups, storing them on local servers or S3-compatible storage, and managing storage retention options like Amazon Glacier. Configuring automatic backups Navigate to /admin settings. Select the Backup section. Set backup\_frequency to …
**Method #2** Manually run a backup from the Admin `/admin/backups`.
**Method #3** Create a snapshot of your instance where it’s hosted. DigitalOcean, for example, has a simple way to do that in the Admin. This is a bit slow, though - about an hour in my case.
**Method #4** If you can also automatically backup your instance, do it. DigitalOcean runs weekly backups, for example.
So, to answer your question—if it’s convenient, time your upgrades right after a backup has run, or do a manual one.
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### Author:  [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2021, 2:31am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/should-i-backup-before-rebuilding/207603/3 "2021-11-29T02:31:43Z")
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