Designing a Reliable Backup and Disaster Recovery Workflow for WordPress

Problem

Backups are often treated as a checkbox, but restores are where failures happen. Manual backup and restore processes are error-prone: wrong paths, wrong database, missing uploads, failed search-replace, or accidental overwrites—especially during high-stress recovery situations.

Goal

Design a backup and disaster recovery workflow that:

consistently backs up files and the database
restores safely with guardrails
supports environment changes (search/replace)
works both interactively and unattended
reduces human error during recovery

Approach

I built a pair of shell scripts around WP-CLI to formalize both backup and restore as a single, predictable workflow. The scripts prioritize safety and clarity over speed, using sensible defaults, configuration files for automation, and prompts only when decisions matter.

The restore process was treated as a first-class concern, not an afterthought.

Implementation Highlights

Full site backups (files + database) using WP-CLI
Database details extracted directly from wp-config.php
Config-file support for unattended or repeatable runs
Restore safety mechanisms:
- detect existing WordPress installations before overwrite
- configurable database drop behavior (yes / no / ask)
- optional search-replace during restore for environment changes
Clear terminal output and cleanup steps to reduce confusion during recovery

Outcome

Reliable, repeatable backups with predictable restores
Faster recovery when rebuilding staging or handling migrations
Reduced risk of data loss or accidental overwrites
Disaster recovery became a documented, executable process instead of a manual checklist

Future Enhancements

Orchestrate backups via cron, Slack commands, or n8n triggers
Store artifacts in remote storage with retention policies
Add verification steps (dump validation, quick smoke checks after restore)