A backup is the only thing that turns a bad update, a deleted file or a hacked website into a short interruption instead of a lost project. On Domain India Windows (Plesk) hosting there are two layers: the backups Domain India keeps of shared hosting, and the copies you make yourself. This guide explains both, shows how to make your own backup in Plesk if your panel offers it, and how to make one by hand if it doesn't.
Backups included with Domain India shared hosting, Windows included, are weekly, and there is no separate backup add-on to buy. To get a restore from those backups, open a ticket. For anything that changes daily, also keep your own copies: if your Plesk shows Backup Manager (under Websites & Domains, sometimes called Backup & Restore), use it to back up files, databases and mail, then download the file. If it doesn't, download httpdocs with FTP or the File Manager and export your databases. Keep at least one copy off the server.
1. The two layers of backup
| Layer | Who makes it | How often | How you get it back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain India backups of shared hosting | Domain India | Weekly | Open a ticket and ask for a restore |
| Your own backups | You | Whenever you choose | Restore it yourself, or upload it again |
Because the included backup is weekly, the newest copy can be up to a week old. A shop, a booking system or any site that takes new data every day needs its own, more frequent copies as well.
Domain India doesn't sell a separate backup product. The weekly backups come with shared hosting; anything more frequent is a copy you make yourself.
2. What a complete backup contains
A website on Windows hosting is more than its files. Make sure your copy includes:
- Website files: everything in
httpdocs, includingweb.config, thebinfolder and uploaded images or documents. - Databases: each MSSQL (or MySQL) database your site uses. Files alone are useless without the data.
- Email: mailboxes, if you keep mail on the hosting.
- Settings: DNS records you've changed, scheduled tasks, and any
appsettingsvalues held outsidehttpdocs.
3. Back up with Plesk Backup Manager (if your Plesk shows it)
Plesk has a built-in Backup Manager. Whether it is available to you depends on your subscription's permissions, so check first.
- Open Plesk.In the client area, open your hosting services, pick the Windows service and click the Plesk button.
- Find Backup Manager.In Websites & Domains, look for Backup Manager or Backup & Restore. If you can't find it, type "backup" into the search box at the top of Plesk. If nothing comes up, use section 4 instead.
- Click Back Up.Choose what to include. For a full copy, select everything: files, databases and mail.
- Start the backupand wait until it shows as finished in the list. A large account can take a while.
- Download it.Click the backup in the list and download it to your computer. A copy that stays on the same server doesn't protect you if the server has a problem.
If Backup Manager offers a schedule, you can use it for regular copies. Check the backup list after the first scheduled run, and download copies regularly.
A backup kept in Plesk's storage takes space on the server and can count towards your plan's disk. Download the file, then delete old copies from the list, so a backup doesn't fill your quota and stop your site writing files.
4. Back up by hand (works on every plan)
If your Plesk has no Backup Manager, or you want a copy you fully control:
Files. Connect with FTP on port 21 using Require explicit FTP over TLS, and download the whole httpdocs folder. Or, in the Plesk File Manager, select the folder's contents, add them to a ZIP archive and download the ZIP. Windows hosting has no SSH or SFTP.
Databases. Open Databases in Plesk and look for an export, dump or backup option for your database. If your Plesk doesn't offer one for your database type, ask support for a copy of the database, and say which database and which date.
Email. Set up your mailbox in an email app with IMAP. The app keeps a copy of the mail on your computer, which most apps can export.
Configuration. Keep a copy of web.config and any settings files, and a note of DNS records you've changed.
Store the result off the server: on your computer and one more place, such as an external drive or cloud storage.
5. When to make a backup
- Before you deploy a new version of your application.
- Before you change
web.config, the .NET version or the database structure. - Before you update a CMS, its plugins or its theme.
- Regularly, on a schedule that matches how often your site changes.
Test a backup now and then: restore it somewhere safe, or at least open the ZIP and check the database file is there and not empty.
6. Getting a restore from Domain India's backups
If you need a restore from the weekly backups, use live chat or open a ticket. Tell us the domain, what to restore (files, a database or mailboxes), and the date you need it from. A restore overwrites what is there now, so download your current files first if you might need them. For restoring a backup you made yourself, see restoring from a Plesk backup.
On cPanel and DirectAdmin hosting, backups work differently: you restore them yourself with JetBackup. See backup and restore with JetBackup.
Does Domain India back up my Windows hosting?
Backups included with Domain India shared hosting, Windows included, are weekly. There is no separate backup add-on. To restore from them, open a support ticket with the domain, what to restore and the date.
How do I make my own backup in Plesk?
If your Plesk shows Backup Manager or Backup and Restore under Websites and Domains, click Back Up, select files, databases and mail, wait for it to finish and download it. If it isn't there, download httpdocs with FTP or the File Manager and export your databases.
Why should I make my own backups if Domain India already keeps them?
The included backups are weekly, so the newest one can be up to a week old. A site that changes daily can lose several days of data. Your own copies before each change, and kept off the server, close that gap.
Where should I keep my backups?
Off the server: on your computer and one more place, such as an external drive or cloud storage. A backup kept only on the same server doesn't help if that server has a problem, and it uses your disk space.
Can I back up with SFTP or SSH on Windows hosting?
No. Windows hosting has no SSH or SFTP. Use FTP on port 21 with explicit TLS, or the Plesk File Manager.
Is a backup of my files enough?
No. Most applications keep their data in a database. Back up every database your site uses as well as the files, and your mail if you keep it on the hosting.
Ready to protect your site? Make a copy before your next change, and contact support if you need a restore. Support is on 24/7 live chat, and tickets get a first response within 15 minutes. Compare plans on Windows hosting, or read the Plesk Windows hosting guide.
- 30 GB Storage
- 150 GB Monthly Bandwidth
- 5 Websites
- 50 Email Accounts
Prices on the cards exclude 18% GST.
Tell us the domain, what to restore and the date you need, and we'll take it from there.
Open a ticket