Last modified: November 5, 2024

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Overview

When you create a backup, the system creates a tarball (.tar.gz) file, which contains compressed versions of an account’s files. The system uses the USERNAME.tar.gz file format, where USERNAME is the cPanel account’s username. To view the contents of this file, you can:

• Download the tar.gz file and extract its contents.
• On the command line, use the tar -tvf USER.tar.gz command, where USER is the account username. This displays all of the backup file’s contents. It does not extract the file’s contents.

Create a backup in WHM

You can create an account backup file in WHM with one of the following methods:

• In WHM’s Backup Configuration interface (WHM » Home » Backup » Backup Configuration).
• Use WHM’s backup script.
• Use WHM API 1’s Backup functions.

Create a backup in cPanel

You can create an account backup file in cPanel with one of the following methods:

• In cPanel’s Backup interface (cPanel » Home » Files » Backup).
• Use UAPI’s Backup functions.

Directories

The following entries are the file directories in an account’s backup file:

authnlinks

The /authnlinks directory contains the account’s external authentication data. This directory only appears if the account uses external authentication.

apache_tls

The /apache_tls directory contains the account’s domain files. The files in this directory contain the private keys and SSL certificates for each domain that exists on the account.

bandwidth

The system stores bandwidth information in the bandwidth.json file. The system creates the /bandwidth directory in the backup file, but does not store any data in this directory.

bandwidth_db

The system stores bandwidth information in the bandwidth_db.json file. The system creates the /bandwidth_db directory in the backup file, but does not store any data in this directory.

counters

The /counters directory contains a copy of any file the account owns within the /var/cpanel/Counters/ directory. Each of these files contains the current count for the webpage hit counters. For example, the USER.dat file, where USER is the account’s username.

cp

The /cp directory contains the account’s user file that exists in the /var/cpanel/users directory. This file contains the account’s information and account settings.

cron

The /cron directory contains the account’s cron table file data.

ccs

The /ccs directory contains the account’s Calendar and Contacts Server (CCS) plugin data, if it exists.

customizations

The /customizations directory contains the JSON files created when a reseller uses the WHM API update_customizations function to customize the cPanel interface in the Jupiter theme.

dnssec_keys

The /dnssec_keys directory contains the DNSSEC keys for all of the account’s domains. The system creates a directory for each domain, in which the system copies the domain’s DNSSEC key files. The system stores the DNSSEC key files in keytag_keytype.key format, where keytag represents the key’s tag ID, and keytype represents the type of DNSSEC key.

dnszones

The /dnszones directory contains copies of the account’s DNS zone files. The system stores these files in DOMAIN.db format, where DOMAIN is the account’s domain.

domainkeys

The /domainkeys directory contains the account’s private and public domain key files. The private file contains the private keys for each domain that exists on the cPanel account. The public file contains the public keys for each domain that exists on the cPanel account.

homedir

The /homedir directory contains a copy of the account’s /home directory. The system creates this file with the getpwnam command. This directory contains the contents of the account’s /home directory.

httpfiles

The /httpfiles directory contains the account’s custom virtualhost templates.

ips

The /ips directory contains the related_ips file. This file contains the IPv6 addresses that exist on the account’s server.

locale

The /locale directory contains an account’s custom locale.

logs

The /logs directory contains copies of the account’s log files in the /usr/local/apache/domlogs directory. These files contain data tracked by the the log file.

mm

The /mm directory contains the account’s Mailman mailing list files. Each mailing list has its own subdirectory in this directory.

mma

The /mma directory contains all of the account’s domains’ Mailman files. The system divides the copied files into subdirectories that correspond to each type of mailing list:

• pub/ — This directory contains all of the account’s domains’ Mailman files from the /usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/mailman/archives/public directory.
• priv/ — This directory contains all of the account’s domains’ Mailman files from the /usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/mailman/archives/private directory.

mms

The /mms directory contains files from the account’s /usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/mailman/suspended.lists directory.

mysql

The /mysql directory contains the account’s MySQL® dumps for any of its MySQL databases. It stores these files in USER_database.sql format, where USER is the account’s username.

mysql-timestamps

The /mysql-timestamps directory contains log files that state when the account created a MySQL database. It stores the files in .txt file format. These files contain the MySQL database creation timestamp in Unix time format.

psql

The /psql directory contains the account’s PostgreSQL® database files, in .tar file format. It also contains the following files:

• 1psql_users.sql — This file contains all of the account’s PostgreSQL users.
• psql_grants.sql — This file contains all of the account’s PostgreSQL grants.

resellerconfig

The /resellerconfig directory contains a reseller account’s reseller file. The reseller file contains data from the account’s /var/cpanel/resellers file, which includes the account’s username and all of the account’s access control list (ACL) privileges. The /resellerconfig directory also contains the resellers-nameservers file, which contains the account’s entry in the /var/cpanel/resellers-nameservers file.

resellerfeatures

The /resellerfeatures directory contains a reseller account’s custom feature lists.

resellerpackages

The /resellerpackages directory contains a reseller account’s custom packages.

ssl

The contents of the /ssl directory exist in the backup file’s /homedir/ssl directory.

sslcerts

The /sslcerts directory contains the certificate files for each of the account’s domains. This directory contains the following files, where where DOMAIN is the account’s domain name:

• DOMAIN.crt — The domain certificate file.
• DOMAIN.cabundle — This file is a copy of the domain’s Certificate Authority (CA) bundle.
• DOMAIN.csr — This file is a copy of the certificate-signing request (CSR). These system copies these files from the following directories:
  • /usr/share/ssl/certs
  • /etc/ssl/certs
  • /var/cpanel/ssl/installed/certs
  • /usr/local/ssl/certs

sslkeys

The /sslkeys directory contains all of the SSL keys for the account’s domains. The system copies this file in DOMAIN.key format, where DOMAIN is the account’s domain name.

suspended

The /suspended directory contains a copy of the file in the account’s /var/cpanel/suspended directory. The system copies the files in USER or USER.lock format, where USER is the account username. Each file contains the reason for the account suspension, if one exists.

suspendinfo

The /suspendinfo directory contains a copy of the files in the account’s /var/cpanel/suspendinfo directory.

userconfig

The /userconfig directory contains a copy of the files in the /var/cpanel/userconfig directory. This file contains symlinks from the account’s public_html directory.

userdata

The /userdata directory contains the user data of the account’s subdomain or domain. The system copies files in this directory from the /var/cpanel/userdata/USER directory, where USER is the account’s username.

va

The /va directory contains any of the account’s autoresponders. The system copies this file from the /etc/valiases/ directory.

vad

The /vad directory contains a copy of the account’s virtual domain aliases. The system copies this file from the /etc/vdomainaliases directory.

vf

The /vf directory contains a copy of the user’s Exim filters. The system creates copies of the filters that the user owns from the /etc/vfilters directory.

Files without a directory

The following are files in the tarball that do not exist in a directory:

addons

The addons file contains a hash of the account’s addon domains and their relative subdomains.

autossl.json

The autossl.json file contains the account’s AutoSSL run preferences. This file also contains any AutoSSL run restrictions set by the system administrator.

bandwidth_db.json

The bandwidth_db.json file contains the account’s bandwidth data information.

bandwidth_db.data.json

The bandwidth_db.data.json file contains the account’s bandwidth usage data.

digestshadow

The digestshadow file contains the passwords for the account’s DAV digest authentication for cPanel’s WebDisk feature (cPanel » Home » Files » Web Disk).

has_sslstorage

The has_sslstorage file contains a touch file that indicates the account uses WHM’s SSL Storage Manager feature (WHM » Home » SSL/TLS » SSL Storage Manager). It stores this file in crtindex.txt format.

homedir_paths

The homedir_paths file contains the full path to the account’s /home directory.

mysql.sql

The mysql.sql file contains the account’s MySQL database grants.

mysql_host_notes.json

The mysql_host_notes.json file contains the user-provided description information for the account’s MySQL database hosts, if available.

nobodyfiles

The nobodyfiles file contains a list of files in the account’s /home directory that the nobody system user owns.

pds

The pds file contains a list of the account’s parked domains (aliases).

proftpdpasswd

The proftpdpasswd file contains a copy the account’s ProFTPd file in the /etc/proftpd directory.

quota

The quota file contains the account’s quota size, in bytes.

sds

The sds file contains a list of the account’s subdomains.

sds2

The sds2 file contains a hash of subdomains and their relative document roots.

shadow

The shadow file contains a copy of the account’s password that the getpwnam command returns.

shell

The shell file contains the account’s login shell.

version

The version file contains the account’s pkgacct version number and its archive version number.

webcalls.json

The webcalls.json file contains the account’s web call data. For example, the account’s dynamic DNS domains.