Managing server resources
A backup build is a heavy task - it uses CPU, RAM and disk I/O. On a server with limited resources, a build can slow the site down or cause downtime.
CPU
Compressing files is CPU intensive. If the CPU stays above 80% for a long time → the site starts to slow down.
Ways to reduce the load:
- Switch the engine to DupArchive - chunked, with breaks between chunks
- Build during off-peak hours (late at night, early morning)
- On a VPS where you have root, you can
nicethe backup process so it has a lower priority than site requests
RAM
Reference plugin memory usage:
- Scanner phase: 200-500 MB
- Database dump: 100-300 MB (per chunk)
- Archive phase: 500 MB - 1 GB
Recommended PHP memory_limit:
- Small sites (<2 GB): 512 MB
- Large sites (>5 GB): 1024 MB - 2 GB
Disk
Free space
You need free space >= 3× the site size:
- The snapshot (archive file)
- The tmp folder during the build (uncompressed)
- A buffer for the database dump
Before building, verify that there is enough free disk.
IOPS
An SSD is dozens of times faster than an HDD. On shared hosting you have no control over this - only move hosting if the problem keeps recurring.
Tmp folder location
By default the plugin uses wp-content/backups-slm/tmp/. If the disk holding this folder is slow or full, you can override it (most hosting providers do not support this).
Network bandwidth (uploading to the cloud)
Uploading a large archive to remote storage (SFTP/FTP) depends on the server's upload bandwidth.
The plugin uses multipart upload automatically (splitting the file into small parts). You can adjust the chunk size in Storage settings to suit your network speed.
WooCommerce sites / high traffic
Recommended:
- Build locally and upload to storage outside peak hours
- Exclude dynamic cache folders (LiteSpeed Cache, WP Rocket cache, …) - the cache is regenerated after the restore
- Set a sensible retention policy - keep the 7-14 most recent backups, not too many