The Basic Operations group contains the most common functions you will need on your day to day Akeeba Backup use. In fact, you will only use the other features occasionally, mostly when you create a backup profile or want to update it after doing significant changes to your site.
Profiles Management page
The Profiles Management page is the central place from where you can define and manage backup profiles. Think of each backup profile as a named group of Akeeba Backup configuration settings and filters. Each one uniquely and completely defines the way Akeeba Backup will perform its backup process.
The main page consists of a list of all backup profiles. On the left hand column there is a check box allowing the selection of a backup profile so that one of the toolbar operations can be applied. The other column displays the description of the backup profile. Clicking on it leads you to the editor page, where you can change this description.
On the page's toolbar you can find the operations buttons:
- New
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Creates a new, empty profile. Clicking on this button will lead you to the editor page, where you can define the name of the new profile, or cancel the operation if you've changed your mind.
- Copy
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Creates a prostine copy of the selected backup profile. The copy will have the same name and include all of the configuration options and filter settings of the original.
- Enable one click-backup icon
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Available under the Actions menu button.
Enables the one click backup feature for this backup profile. An icon will be shown in the Control Panel page of the component for this profile. Clicking on it will immediately start a new backup using this profile, without further user interaction.
- Disable one click-backup icon
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Available under the Actions menu button.
Disables the one click backup feature for this backup profile.
- Reset
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Available under the Actions menu button.
Resets the configuration and filter settings of the selected backup profiles to their default values. Use this if you feel like you've messed up your backup profile so bad you'd rather start over.
- Delete
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Available under the Actions menu button.
Permanently removes the selected backup profiles. All associated configuration options and filter settings are removed as well. This is an irreversible operation; once a profile is deleted, it's gone forever.
Please note that you cannot delete the default backup profile (profile ID 1). Instead, use the Reset action on it to restore it to the factory default settings and start over.
- Import
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Opens a modal dialog with the profile import feature. Use it to import a backup profile JSON file you had exported using the Export button described below.
We strongly advise you to review your settings after importing a profile. If the profile comes from another site you may have used an absolute path or overridden the database connection information. In this case you will have to change those settings to reflect the current site's configuration.
When you create a new profile or copy an existing profile, the newly generated profile becomes current. This means that you can work on your new profile as soon as you're finished creating it, without the need to manually make it current from the Control Panel page.
To the left of each profile's name you will find two buttons:
- Configure...
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Clicking this button makes that profile current and opens the Configuration page. This is equivalent to going back to the Control Panel, selecting that profile in the list, waiting for the page to reload and clicking on Configuration. We figured that having to click to just one button is much faster – and simpler!
- Export
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You can export a profile in JSON format. Clicking this button will ask you to download a file with all of the profile settings. You will be able to import that file on the same or a different site using the Import feature further down the page.
Please note that the file you are downloading contains all of the configuration information UNENCRYPTED. We strongly advise you to only use this feature when connected to your site over HTTPS. We also strongly advise against storing exported profile files in media which could reasonably be lost (e.g. USB keys) or cloud services without file encryption that you manage yourself. Whenever possible, encrypt the exported backup profiles e.g. with GPG or even in a password-protected ZIP file before storing them.
Each row displays the profile description, the profile ID , the status of the one click backup icon feature and the Access Level of a profile. You can click on the one click backup status icon to toggle that feature on the profile.
The Access column
The Access column indicates which Access Level (set up in Users, Access Levels in Joomla itself) can choose a backup profile to configure a backup profile or take a backup with this backup profile using the backend of the site. Please note that two conditions must be met for someone to be able to use a backup profile in the backend:
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They must be allowed the Backup permission to take a backup or the Configure permission to change a backup profile's configuration.
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They must belong to a user group allowed by the Access setting of the backup profile.
The default Access is Public which effectively means that the second condition is always met: Public access includes everyone. However, not everyone will be able to use Akeeba Backup; they will still need to belong to a user group which gives them the Backup permission (to take a backup) or the Configure permission (to change the backup profile's configuration) i.e. the first condition must also be satisfied.
![[Important]](/media/com_docimport/admonition/important.png) | Important |
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The default backup profile (the one with ID 1) always has Public access. You cannot change it. This is intentional. When Akeeba Backup is asked to use a backup profile which does not exist or the user does not have access to it will fall back to profile #1, the default backup profile. If this profile has access other than Public it may lead to an infinite redirection loop which prevents the user from using Akeeba Backup at all. We recommend setting up the default backup profile as the profile you want everyone with access to Akeeba Backup to be able to use to take backups and have more complex backup profiles intended for scheduled or special purpose backups in higher profile numbers. Do remember that you can always copy the default backup profile so as not to lose its settings. |
Please note that the Access is ignored when taking a backup through any of the automated / scheduled backup methods: CLI, Legacy frontend backup URL, JSON API, and Scheduled Tasks. These methods do not check who the current user is, nor do they need to. CLI access requires access to the server at a level where someone can do whatever they want to the site, essentially giving them access higher than a Super User. The legacy frontend backup URL and the JSON API are protected by a secret (password). Scheduled Tasks by definition can only be set up by a Super User who has inherently full access to the site.
Practically speaking, this feature is useful if you want to allow some non-Super User group to take backups with a specific backup profile only. Create a new Joomla user group, let's call it “Easy Backup”, under the Public group. Go to Akeeba Backup, Options, Permissions and click on the Easy Backup group. Set Access Administration Interface and Backup to Allow, then click on Save and Close. Create a new Joomla Access Level (Users, Access Levels, New) called “Easy Backup Access”. Select the Easy Backup group and the Super Users group. You can add any other groups you want to have access to the profile. Click on Save & Close. Go to Components, Akeeba Backup for Joomla!™, Control Panel, Profiles Management and edit the backup profile you want to give access to. Set the Access to Easy Backup Access and click on Save & Close. Remember to add your users to the Easy Backup group. Now they can access a minimal version of Akeeba Backup where they can only select the backup profile you have set up for them.
The Edit Profile page
When you click on a backup profile you can change its very basic information: the description and the one-click backup icon preference.
The description is something you see throughout the Akeeba Backup interface. Keep it short, unique and descriptive. It will help you understand which backup profile is currently active.
The one-click backup icon refers to the feature explained when describing the toolbar buttons.