Confluence backs up your data on a daily basis into a zipped XML file. By default, the backup is performed at 2.00 a.m. and the backup files are stored in the backups folder under the Confluence Home directory. The default naming convention for the backup files is 'daily-backup-yyyy_MM_dd'. Confluence can write backups to both local and mapped network drives.

Time is derived from the Confluence server

The time zone is taken from the server on which Confluence is running. To check the time according to the server, do the following:

  1. Go to the Confluence 'Administration Console'. To do this:

    • Open the 'Browse' menu and select 'Confluence Admin'. The 'Administrator Access' login screen will be displayed.
    • Enter your password and click 'Confirm'. You will be temporarily logged into a secure session to access the 'Administration Console'.
  2. Click 'System Information' in the left-hand panel and look at the 'System Time'. You can change the time of the daily backup.

Consider using the production backup strategy if your Confluence site is large or you are encountering problems with your automated backup.

From the Administration Console, you can:

  • Enable or disable backups.
  • Include or exclude attachments in backups.
  • Configure a different path to store backup files. (By default, this option is not available. See below for information about enabling the configuration option.)
  • Change the naming format used for the files.

(info) You need to have System Administrator permissions in order to configure these options.

Configuring the Daily Backups via the Administration Console

To configure your daily backups,

  1. Go to the Confluence 'Administration Console'. To do this:

    • Open the 'Browse' menu and select 'Confluence Admin'. The 'Administrator Access' login screen will be displayed.
    • Enter your password and click 'Confirm'. You will be temporarily logged into a secure session to access the 'Administration Console'.
  2. Click 'Daily Backup Admin' in the 'Configuration' section.
  3. Click the 'Edit' button on the 'Daily Backup Administration' screen.
  4. Now you can do the following:
    • To disable backups — Select 'Disable'.
    • To specify an alternate path to store backup files — Select 'Custom' and then enter the path. The directory must be on either a local drive or a mounted network drive.
      (info) Notes:
      • By default, this option is not available. See below for information about enabling the configuration option.
      • Please ensure the mapped drive is on a physical server, not a Virtual Machine image.
    • To exclude attachments from backups — Select 'Off' beside 'Backup Attachments'. By default, this is 'On'.
    • To use a different naming prefix format — Enter the new format in the 'Backup File Prefix' input field.
    • To use a different date format — Enter the date format in the 'Backup File Date Pattern' input field using the syntax described in this document from Sun.
  5. 'Save' your changes.

Below is an example of daily backup being disabled.

Backup Path Configuration Option is Unavailable by Default

By default, it is not possible to specify a backup path via the Confluence Administration Console. This feature is disabled by default for security reasons. Administrators can restore this functionality by updating the relevant configuration property as described below. However, we recommend that you turn the feature off in production environments.

To enable the configuration option,

  1. Edit the confluence.cfg.xml file found in the Confluence Home directory.
  2. Set the value of property admin.ui.allow.daily.backup.custom.location to 'true' (without the quotation marks).
  3. Restart Confluence.

If the value of the above configuration property is 'true', it will be possible to specify a backup path via the Confluence Administration Console. If the value of this property is 'false' or the property is not present in the configuration file, the backup path is not configurable.

RELATED TOPICS
Content by label

There is no content with the specified labels

Except where otherwise noted, content in this space is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia License.