Site Backup and Restore

By default, Confluence backs up all data and attachments once a day to a backup file. These files are called XML site backups, stored in the backups directory of Confluence home. You can also create XML site backups manually.

• Restore your site from an XML site backup
• Manually create an XML site backup
• Configure Daily Backups
• User Submitted Backup & Restore Scripts

XML site backups are fine for most instances of Confluence. However, large instances of Confluence will find backups may become slow to create and use large amounts of disk space.

Backups For Large Instances

XML site backups are unsuitable for instances of Confluence that contain hundreds of large pages, as XML backups take progressively longer to complete as the amount of text increases. Another issue with XML site backups is that Confluence instances with a gigabytes of attachments will consume disk space rapidly. This is because each site backup contains all content needed for a site restore. For example, if a 1 gig instance of Confluence is backed up daily, it will create 30 gig of backups per month if left unattended. When administering a large instance, you can reduce disk space by setting XML site backups to exclude attachments, then manually scheduling a backup of your attachments from the Confluence home directory or database. The backup manager can save space by saving changed files instead of all content.

Creation Delay is the time it takes to create an XML site backup minus attachments.
Disk Usage can be estimated by multiplying the frequency of your XML site backups by their current size.

Manual Backups

Confluence's attachment storage configuration can be set to store attachments in the Confluence home directory, or in the database.

Database Backup
Use your Database Administration Tool to create a backup of your Confluence database. if your database is storing your attachments, importing this later will restore all content.

Attachment Backup
If stored on the filesystem, attachments are placed under the attachments directory of your Confluence home directory. Copy this directory to create a backup of all attachments.

To restore from these backups, please refer to Restoring Data from other Backups.

Backup FAQ

For answers on Site Backup and Restore, click a query below.

Backup will not import
Can XML backups be deleted automatically?
Does running a daily XML backup slow performance?
How can I reduce the space taken up by automatic backups
Can Confluence be restored from a backup minus attachments?
Are there any scripts for backup creation and restore?

Backup will not import

See Troubleshooting failed XML site backups

Can XML backups be deleted automatically?

Windows users must manually delete any backup files. Linux users can insert a nightly or weekly automation script or cron similar to the following:
ls -t <path to your backup dir>/* | tail +6 | xargs -i rm {}

Does running a daily XML backup slow performance?

There is a minor slowdown every time the backup is performed, usually nightly between 2am and about 2.10am. If the performance hit is significant, you can switch to an external backup process for large instances.

How can I reduce the space taken up by automatic backups

Switch to a manual backup process according to the 'Backups For Large Instances' section of Site Backup and Restore, which will give you more control over disk usage.

Can Confluence be restored from a backup minus attachments?

Yes, as long as the attachments have been backed up are the same time. Refer to Site Backup and Restore.

Are there any scripts for backup creation and restore?

Check out User Submitted Backup & Restore Scripts