Configure Backup Schedules

Published · Last updated: May 2026 · 3 min read

Who this is for

Users who want to automatically back up their servers or sites on a schedule without manually triggering each backup.

Prerequisites

Server is running with SSH connectivity.
Owner or Admin role in the organization.

How to Create a Backup Schedule

Go to Dashboard → Backups.
Click the Schedules tab.
Click + Add Schedule.
Fill in the form:

Field	Description
Server	Select the server to back up
Backup type	`snapshot`, `files`, `database`, or `full`
Frequency	Every 6 hours, Every 12 hours, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly
Time (UTC)	Hour and minute the backup runs (shown for daily/weekly/monthly)
Day of week	For weekly schedules: which day to run
Day of month	For monthly schedules: which day of the month
Retention days	How long to keep each backup (default 30)
Incremental	For files/full backups: only back up files changed since last backup (faster, less disk)
Offsite enabled	Upload each backup to cloud storage automatically
Storage vault	Select a pre-configured cloud storage vault — set up vaults first in the Cloud Storage section (see KB-05-07)

Click Save.

Scheduling Tips

Frequency	Best for
Every 6 hours	High-frequency database backups on critical systems
Every 12 hours	Active databases where losing 12 hours is acceptable
Daily	Most production workloads
Weekly	Full/snapshot backups for archival
Monthly	Long-term archival snapshots

Tip: Schedule backups during low-traffic hours — typically late at night or early morning (UTC). All times are in UTC.

Recommended Backup Strategy

For production servers:

Backup type	Schedule	Retention	Offsite
`database`	Daily at 2 AM	30 days	Yes
`full`	Weekly, Sunday 3 AM	90 days	Yes
`snapshot`	Weekly, Saturday 1 AM	14 days	N/A (cloud provider)

Incremental Backups

When Incremental is enabled for file backups:

The first backup is always a full backup.
Subsequent backups only include files changed since the last backup.
Incremental backups are faster and use less disk space.
Restore requires the full backup plus all incremental backups up to the desired point.

How to Edit or Delete a Schedule

Go to Dashboard → Backups → Schedules tab.
Find the schedule in the list.
Click Edit (pencil icon) to change the frequency, retention, or offsite settings.
Click Delete (trash icon) to remove the schedule.

Editing the frequency or time recalculates the next run automatically.

What Success Looks Like

The schedule appears in the Schedules list with the selected frequency and a next run timestamp. After the scheduled time passes, a new backup appears in the Backups tab.

Common Issues and Fixes

Issue	Likely cause	Fix
"INVALID_CRON" error	Cron expression syntax error	Use exactly 5 space-separated fields: `minute hour day month weekday`
Schedule created but backups not running	Server is offline at scheduled time	Ensure server is running. CloudAIPilot skips missed schedules.
Offsite upload fails	Cloud account credentials invalid or bucket not accessible	Verify the cloud account — see KB-05-07: Cloud Storage Vault Setup