Backup and Restore

Flatboard Team • 07/12/2025 • 12 min de lecture

Backup and Restore

Regular backups are essential for protecting your forum data. This guide covers backup strategies, restoration procedures, and disaster recovery for Flatboard 5.

Why Backups Matter

Importance of Backups

Backups protect against:

Data Loss - Accidental deletion or corruption
Hardware Failure - Server or disk failures
Security Breaches - Malicious attacks
Human Error - Mistakes during updates
Disasters - Natural disasters or outages

Backup Frequency

Recommended backup schedule:

Daily - Full backups for active forums
Weekly - Full backups for smaller forums
Before Updates - Always backup before updates
Before Major Changes - Backup before configuration changes

What to Backup

Essential Files

Backup these directories and files:

Flatboard5/
├── stockage/          # Configuration and data (CRITICAL)
│   ├── json/         # JSON storage files
│   └── sqlite/       # SQLite database (Pro)
├── uploads/          # User uploads (IMPORTANT)
│   ├── avatars/
│   ├── attachments/
│   └── markdown/
├── plugins/          # Installed plugins (OPTIONAL)
├── themes/           # Custom themes (OPTIONAL)
└── languages/        # Custom translations (OPTIONAL)

Critical Data

Must Backup:

stockage/json/ - All JSON files (users, discussions, posts, config)
stockage/sqlite/ - SQLite database file (Pro)
uploads/ - User-uploaded files

Should Backup:

stockage/logs/ - Log files
Custom plugins and themes
Configuration files

Optional:

Core application files (can re-download)
Default themes and plugins

Backup Methods

Method 1: Admin Panel Backup (Recommended)

The easiest way to create backups is using the built-in backup feature in the admin panel:

Creating a Backup

Navigate to Admin Panel
- Go to Admin Panel > Tools > Backups
Create Backup
- Click the "Create Backup" button
- Select what to include:
  - ✅ Configuration - System configuration files
  - ✅ Data - All user data (JSON or SQLite)
  - ⬜ Uploads - User-uploaded files (avatars, attachments, images)
  - ⬜ Logs - System logs
  - ⬜ Cache - Cache files
  - ⬜ Plugins - Installed plugins (select specific plugins or all)
  - ⬜ Themes - Installed themes (select specific themes or all)
- Click "Create" and wait for the backup to complete
Download Backup
- Once created, click the download icon (⬇️) next to the backup in the list
- The backup file will be downloaded to your computer
- Backup files are named: backup_YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS.zip

Uploading a Backup

You can also upload a backup file to the server:

Navigate to Admin Panel
- Go to Admin Panel > Tools > Backups
Upload Backup
- Click the "Upload Backup" button
- Select a ZIP file from your computer
- The file must:
  - Be a valid ZIP archive
  - Contain a manifest.json file
  - Have a .zip extension
  - Be within your PHP upload_max_filesize / post_max_size limit (displayed on the upload page)
- Click "Upload" and wait for the upload to complete

Restoring a Backup

Navigate to Admin Panel
- Go to Admin Panel > Tools > Backups
Restore Backup
- Find the backup you want to restore in the list
- Click the "Restore" button
- Confirm the restoration (this action is irreversible)
- Wait for the restore to complete
- Important: You will be logged out after restoring data - you must log in again with the restored admin account

Data Will Be Deleted

When restoring a backup, all existing data that was included in the backup will be permanently deleted before restoration. This includes:

All user data (if data was included in backup)
All uploads (if uploads were included in backup)
Selected plugins/themes (if they were included in backup)

Make sure you have a current backup before restoring an older backup!

Method 2: Manual Backup

JSON Storage Backup

# Create backup directory
mkdir -p /backups/flatboard-$(date +%Y%m%d)

# Backup JSON storage
tar -czf /backups/flatboard-$(date +%Y%m%d)/json-backup.tar.gz stockage/json/

# Backup uploads
tar -czf /backups/flatboard-$(date +%Y%m%d)/uploads-backup.tar.gz uploads/

# Backup plugins (if custom)
tar -czf /backups/flatboard-$(date +%Y%m%d)/plugins-backup.tar.gz plugins/

# Backup themes (if custom)
tar -czf /backups/flatboard-$(date +%Y%m%d)/themes-backup.tar.gz themes/

SQLite Backup (Pro)

# Backup SQLite database
sqlite3 stockage/sqlite/flatboard.db ".backup /backups/flatboard-$(date +%Y%m%d)/flatboard.db"

# Or copy the file
cp stockage/sqlite/flatboard.db /backups/flatboard-$(date +%Y%m%d)/flatboard.db

Full Backup

# Backup entire installation (excluding core files)
tar -czf /backups/flatboard-full-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz \
    stockage/ \
    uploads/ \
    plugins/ \
    themes/ \
    languages/

Method 3: Automated Backup Script

Create automated backup script:

#!/bin/bash
# backup-flatboard.sh

BACKUP_DIR="/backups/flatboard"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
BACKUP_PATH="$BACKUP_DIR/$DATE"

# Create backup directory
mkdir -p "$BACKUP_PATH"

# Backup JSON storage
tar -czf "$BACKUP_PATH/json.tar.gz" stockage/json/

# Backup SQLite (if exists)
if [ -f "stockage/sqlite/flatboard.db" ]; then
    sqlite3 stockage/sqlite/flatboard.db ".backup $BACKUP_PATH/flatboard.db"
fi

# Backup uploads
tar -czf "$BACKUP_PATH/uploads.tar.gz" uploads/

# Backup custom plugins
tar -czf "$BACKUP_PATH/plugins.tar.gz" plugins/

# Backup custom themes
tar -czf "$BACKUP_PATH/themes.tar.gz" themes/

# Create manifest
echo "Backup created: $DATE" > "$BACKUP_PATH/manifest.txt"
echo "Files:" >> "$BACKUP_PATH/manifest.txt"
ls -lh "$BACKUP_PATH" >> "$BACKUP_PATH/manifest.txt"

# Compress everything
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/flatboard-$DATE.tar.gz" -C "$BACKUP_DIR" "$DATE"

# Remove uncompressed directory
rm -rf "$BACKUP_PATH"

# Keep only last 7 days of backups
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -name "flatboard-*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

echo "Backup completed: $BACKUP_DIR/flatboard-$DATE.tar.gz"

Make executable:

chmod +x backup-flatboard.sh

Method 4: Cron Job Automation

Set up automated daily backups:

# Edit crontab
crontab -e

# Add daily backup at 2 AM
0 2 * * * /path/to/backup-flatboard.sh >> /var/log/flatboard-backup.log 2>&1

Backup Storage

Local Storage

Store backups on the same server:

Pros: Fast, easy access
Cons: Lost if server fails

Remote Storage

Store backups off-site:

FTP/SFTP

# Upload backup via SFTP
scp backup.tar.gz user@backup-server:/backups/

Cloud Storage

AWS S3:

aws s3 cp backup.tar.gz s3://your-bucket/backups/

Google Cloud Storage:

gsutil cp backup.tar.gz gs://your-bucket/backups/

Dropbox/OneDrive:

Use rclone or similar tools

Backup Rotation

Keep multiple backup versions:

# Keep daily backups for 7 days
# Keep weekly backups for 4 weeks
# Keep monthly backups for 12 months

Restore Procedures

Restore from Admin Panel (Recommended)

The easiest way to restore a backup is using the built-in restore feature in the admin panel:

Step 1: Upload Backup (If Needed)

If your backup is on your computer and not on the server:

Go to Admin Panel > Tools > Backups
Click "Upload Backup" button
Select the backup ZIP file from your computer
Click "Upload" and wait for the upload to complete

The backup file must:

Be a valid ZIP archive
Contain a manifest.json file
Have a .zip extension
Be smaller than 500MB (or your PHP upload_max_filesize limit)

Step 2: Restore Backup

Go to Admin Panel > Tools > Backups
Find the backup you want to restore in the list
Click the "Restore" button
Confirm the restoration (this action is irreversible)
Wait for the restore to complete
You will be automatically logged out after restoring data
Log in again with the restored admin account credentials

Important: Data Deletion

When restoring a backup, the restore process will:

Delete all existing data that was included in the backup (users, discussions, posts, etc.)
Delete all existing uploads if uploads were included in the backup
Delete selected plugins/themes if they were included in the backup
Then restore all data from the backup

This ensures a clean restore without conflicts. Make sure you have a current backup before restoring an older backup!

What Gets Restored

The restore process will restore only what was included in the backup:

Configuration - System settings (if included)
Data - All user data (users, discussions, posts, categories, etc.) (if included)
Uploads - User-uploaded files (avatars, attachments, images) (if included)
Logs - System logs (if included)
Cache - Cache files (if included)
Plugins - Selected plugins (if included)
Themes - Selected themes (if included)

Restore from Command Line

Restore JSON Storage

# Stop forum (put in maintenance mode)
# Extract backup
tar -xzf json-backup.tar.gz

# Restore files
cp -r json/* stockage/json/

# Set permissions
chmod 600 stockage/json/config.json
chmod 644 stockage/json/*.json

# Clear cache
php app/Cli/console.php cache:clear

Restore SQLite Database (Pro)

# Stop forum
# Restore database
sqlite3 stockage/sqlite/flatboard.db < backup.sql

# Or restore from backup file
cp backup.db stockage/sqlite/flatboard.db

# Set permissions
chmod 600 stockage/sqlite/flatboard.db

# Verify integrity
sqlite3 stockage/sqlite/flatboard.db "PRAGMA integrity_check;"

Restore Uploads

# Extract backup
tar -xzf uploads-backup.tar.gz

# Restore files
cp -r uploads/* uploads/

# Set permissions
chmod -R 750 uploads/

Full Restore

# Extract full backup
tar -xzf flatboard-full-20251225.tar.gz

# Restore directories
cp -r stockage/ stockage/
cp -r uploads/ uploads/
cp -r plugins/ plugins/
cp -r themes/ themes/

# Set permissions
chmod -R 750 stockage/
chmod -R 750 uploads/
chmod 755 plugins/
chmod 755 themes/

# Clear cache
php app/Cli/console.php cache:clear

Verify Restore

After restoring:

Check Files - Verify all files restored
Test Forum - Access forum and test functionality
Check Data - Verify discussions, posts, users
Test Features - Test key features
Check Logs - Review error logs

Updating Flatboard (Local Update System)

Flatboard supports a local update workflow for offline or self-hosted deployments where the automatic update check URL is not configured or not reachable. This lets you apply official update archives manually without internet access during the update itself.

How It Works

Download a Flatboard update archive (.zip) from the official site or your distribution channel
Upload it via the Backups page — the system detects it as an update and routes it automatically
Apply it from Admin → Tools → Updates using a guided 5-step process

Update archives are standard ZIP files with an embedded manifest.json that identifies them as Flatboard updates:

{
  "type": "update",
  "software": "flatboard",
  "edition": "pro",
  "version": "5.2.1",
  "build_date": "2026-03-10",
  "checksum": "sha256:...",
  "compatible_from": "5.0.0"
}

Archive Builder

Official update archives are generated by the Archive Builder plugin, which automatically injects the manifest.json into every Community and Pro archive it produces.

Step 1: Upload the Update Archive

Go to Admin Panel → Tools → Backups
Click "Upload Backup"
Select the Flatboard update .zip file from your computer
:::info The upload page displays the effective PHP upload size limit (upload_max_filesize / post_max_size). The client validates the file size before submitting to avoid a failed round-trip. :::
Click "Upload" and wait for the upload to complete

The server detects the archive as a Flatboard update (manifest.type == "update" and manifest.software == "flatboard") and routes it to storage/updates/ instead of storage/backups/. A success notice with a link to Admin → Tools → Updates is displayed.

Step 2: Apply the Update

Go to Admin Panel → Tools → Updates

The page scans storage/updates/ and displays one card per valid archive:

Card style	Meaning
Green ("Update")	Archive version is newer than the installed version
Yellow ("Reinstall")	Archive version matches the installed version
Listed for deletion only	Archive version is older than the installed version

Click "Update" or "Reinstall" on the desired archive

The 5-step progress UI runs automatically:

Step	What it does
1 — Verify	Validates manifest (edition, semver ≥ current version, checksum)
2 — Backup	Creates a full automatic backup of your forum before touching any files
3 — Extract	Extracts the archive to a temporary directory
4 — Deploy	Copies new files into the installation, skipping protected paths
5 — Cleanup	Removes the temporary extraction directory

Each step is executed over a separate CSRF-protected AJAX call with retry logic. The UI shows real-time progress and stops with an error message if any step fails.

Automatic Pre-Update Backup

Step 2 always creates a complete backup before any file is deployed. If something goes wrong, restore this backup from Admin → Tools → Backups.

Protected Paths

The deploy step never overwrites these paths regardless of what the archive contains:

stockage/ — all forum data (JSON / SQLite)
uploads/ — user-uploaded files
.env — environment configuration
.htaccess — web server configuration
install.php — installer

Managing Old Archives

Archives older than the currently installed version are listed separately on the Updates page with a Delete button. They cannot be applied. Clean them up once you no longer need them.

Disaster Recovery

Complete Server Failure

If server is completely lost:

Provision New Server - Set up new server
Install Flatboard 5 - Fresh installation
Restore Backup - Restore from latest backup
Verify - Test everything
Update DNS - Point domain to new server

Partial Data Loss

If only some data is lost:

Identify Lost Data - Determine what's missing
Restore from Backup - Restore specific files
Merge Data - Merge with existing data if needed
Verify - Check data integrity

Corrupted Data

If data is corrupted:

Stop Forum - Put in maintenance mode
Restore from Backup - Restore last known good backup
Verify Integrity - Check data integrity
Test - Test functionality

Backup Best Practices

Regular Schedule

Automate - Use cron jobs for automation
Test Restores - Regularly test backup restoration
Monitor - Check backup logs regularly
Verify - Verify backup integrity

Security

Encrypt Backups - Encrypt sensitive backups
Secure Storage - Store backups securely
Access Control - Limit backup access
Off-Site - Keep backups off-site

Documentation

Document Process - Document backup procedures
Label Backups - Clearly label backup files
Keep Logs - Maintain backup logs
Update Procedures - Keep procedures current

Troubleshooting

Backup Fails

Check:

Disk space available
File permissions
Backup script permissions
Error logs

Restore Fails

Check:

Backup file integrity
File permissions
Disk space
Compatibility with current version

Backup Too Large

Solutions:

Exclude unnecessary files
Compress more aggressively
Split into multiple backups
Use incremental backups

Resources

Installation Guide - Fresh installation
Storage Guide - Storage information
Troubleshooting - Backup issues

Last updated: March 10, 2026