Over the summer I created Disembark, which is a super simple way to generate a WordPress backup. There are plenty of existing tools for making a WordPress backup like ManageWP, WP Umbrella, Solid Backups, and so on. So why did I make my own? Well… to make backups easier.
Most backup tools require upfront configurations or a connection process that might be 10+ clicks before you can actually run a backup. With Disembark it’s two clicks after activating the WordPress plugin. Don’t believe me? Then check out this demo.
Disembark Overview
On the technical side, the files and database are packaged on the WordPress side. The final backup zip is only compiled at the destination computer/server with a single command over the terminal. When I migrate WordPress websites between web hosts I rarely download the backup snapshot. Instead, I connect over SSH to the new web server and have the server handle downloading and migrating the files over. Disembark works great with this approach.
Disembark is not meant for ongoing regular backups. It is meant to easily create a one-time backup.
If you’re a developer then you might be interested to know everything with Disembark is open source: https://github.com/DisembarkHost. If you find Disembark useful then feel free to contribute back. Everything here is free to use.
Disembark works well for most websites, however, there may be circumstances that prevent it from working in a specific scenario. Disembark currently requires the WordPress REST API to be enabled. Disembark also hasn’t been widely tested so there might be many edge cases to find and improve.
