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Restore by situation — pick the right level, follow the right order

Introduction

When something goes wrong, the most important thing is to restore only the part that broke — not to send the whole site back in time because of one wrong setting. This document is for site owners and administrators who need to restore: choosing the restore level for the situation, the steps on the Restore screen, undoing, restoring after a security incident, and using a backup made on another site. Backup setup is in Backup & restore.

At a glance

Every restore on the screen goes through the same five steps; nothing is written before you type the confirmation:

flowchart LR
    A["Pick a backup<br/>and a level"] --> B["Unlock<br/>password / key"]
    B --> C["Preview<br/>what will change"]
    C --> D["Type the<br/>confirmation"]
    D --> E["Run<br/>+ 24-hour undo"]

• Pick the smallest level that fixes the problem — the rest of the site keeps its newer data.
• Always preview: the screen lists which tables are replaced and how much newer data will be lost.
• Undo is possible for 24 hours for the levels that replace data — a mistake can be taken back.
• Suspect a break-in? Use Restore after a security incident, not an ordinary restore.

On this page

• Choose the restore level — decision diagram
• Restore steps on the screen — from picking a backup to the result
• Undo a restore — when you restored the wrong thing
• Restore files — uploads, extensions, .env
• Restore after a security incident — when the site was taken over
• Use a backup made elsewhere — bring a .gp247bak file in, move servers
• Restore from the command line — on a VPS, sites too large for a browser

Choose the restore level for the situation

Answer the questions below in order; stop at the first level that solves your problem.

flowchart TB
    Q0{"Break-in?"} -->|"yes"| P["Restore after<br/>an incident"]
    Q0 -->|"no"| Q1{"Only a few<br/>records lost?"}
    Q1 -->|"yes"| U["Add back<br/>deleted records"]
    Q1 -->|"no"| Q2{"Only settings<br/>broken?"}
    Q2 -->|"yes"| C["Configuration"]
    Q2 -->|"no"| Q3{"A few data<br/>groups broken?"}
    Q3 -->|"yes"| R["Replace<br/>data groups"]
    Q3 -->|"no"| F["Whole<br/>database"]

Situation	Level	What happens
Deleted a few products, customers, orders by mistake	Add back deleted records	Only missing records come back (with their child records); nothing existing is changed
A settings change broke the site	Configuration	Settings go back to the backup; backup settings are kept
Bulk import went wrong for products, prices	Replace data groups	The chosen groups go back to the backup; other groups stay
An update damaged many tables	Whole database	The whole database goes back to the backup; needs a Full backup
The site was taken over	Restore after a security incident	Whole database + everyone signed out, tokens revoked, new passwords required
Uploaded images lost, an extension broken	Restore files	Command line only — see Restore files

💡 Tip: after a failed update, look for the "Before a change" backup GP247 took right before that operation — it is usually the best one to use.

Restore steps on the screen

You need the Backup - restore permission. Every restore is logged and e-mailed to the site owner.

1. Go to System config → Backup & restore, and on the backup you want click Restore (only Verified backups can be restored).
2. In What to restore, choose the level from the table above; for Replace data groups tick the groups, for Add back deleted records choose the table and then the records (or Add back all of them).
3. Type the backup password or recovery key, then confirm it is you with your sign-in password.
4. Click Preview. Read What this restore will do carefully: tables to replace, record counts now and in the backup, newer data that will be lost, tables with passwords / API keys (accounts deleted or changed after the backup's time will come back).
5. Type the code shown on the screen into Confirmation to start.
6. Keep the tab open until the screen shows the result. For Whole database, the site goes into maintenance mode while it runs; you alone keep using the admin.

If it worked, the screen shows the result and an Undo the last restore button with its deadline.

⚠️ Note: any data created after the backup's time in the replaced tables (new orders, new customers…) disappears from the site. Write down orders you must keep first, or choose a smaller level.

Undo a restore

Restored the wrong backup or the wrong group? Go back without needing another backup.

1. Go to the Restore screen: the top block says "The last restore can be undone until …".
2. Click Undo the last restore and confirm.
3. The tables the restore replaced go back exactly to how they were just before the restore.

• The undo deadline is 24 hours after the restore.
• Only the latest restore can be undone.
• Add back deleted records has no undo: this level only adds missing records, it does not replace any table.

Restore files (images, extensions, .env)

Restoring files overwrites folders on the server, so it is done only from the command line, with someone answering each confirmation question. The backup must be a Full backup.

1. Preview:

   php artisan gp247:backup-restore <backup-id> --files=uploads --preview
   

2. Run it for real (without --preview) and answer the confirmation questions:

   php artisan gp247:backup-restore <backup-id> --files=uploads
   

File groups you can choose: uploads (uploaded images and files), extensions (plugin / template folders), env (the .env file). Combine with a data restore using --level=full.

⚠️ Note: restoring .env also replaces the site's encryption keys. Do it only when the current .env is lost or broken, and read Encryption keys & backup first.

Restore after a security incident

When you suspect the site was taken over, an ordinary restore is not enough: the attacker still has sign-in sessions, API tokens and known passwords. Restore after a security incident does those extra steps right after restoring.

flowchart TB
    subgraph S1["Before restoring"]
        direction LR
        A["Pick a backup<br/>from BEFORE<br/>the break-in"] --> B["Tick restore<br/>after incident"]
    end
    subgraph S2["GP247 does"]
        direction LR
        C["Restore the<br/>whole database"] --> D["Sign everyone<br/>out"] --> E["Revoke tokens<br/>require new<br/>passwords"]
    end
    subgraph S3["You do"]
        direction LR
        F["Rotate the<br/>encryption key"] --> G["Reinstall code<br/>from the source"] --> H["Change hosting,<br/>DB passwords"]
    end
    S1 --> S2 --> S3

1. Pick a backup made before the suspected break-in (later backups may already hold accounts or data the attacker planted).
2. On the Restore screen, choose Whole database and tick Restore after a security incident.
3. Go through preview and confirmation as usual. Right after it finishes: every sign-in session ends (yours too), every API / MCP token is revoked, every admin must set a new password at the next sign-in.
4. Sign in again and set a new password. The backup screen shows the list of tasks to do by hand:
   • Rotate the site's encryption key (put a new key in .env, move the old one to the previous-key variable, run the rotation command — the screen shows the exact command).
   • Reinstall the code (core, plugins, templates) from the original source.
   • Change the database, hosting, FTP and e-mail passwords.
   • Run php artisan gp247:doctor and fix what it reports.
5. When done, click These tasks are done.

ℹ️ Info: this mode does not restore code and .env from the backup — the code may have been given a backdoor before. The full incident procedure is in Updates & incidents.

Use a backup made elsewhere

You can restore from a .gp247bak file downloaded earlier, or made on another server (moving servers, building a test site).

1. Go to the Restore screen, block Bring in a backup file.
2. Type the backup password or recovery key of the site that made the file.
3. Choose the file and click Upload and check. The file is sent in small parts (up to 2 GB by default) and fully checked.
4. Once checked, the backup appears in the list with kind Imported; restore it like any other backup.

A backup made on another site is marked origin not verified (it is not signed with this site's key): the data is intact, but GP247 cannot prove who made it. When restoring, you must tick I know where this backup comes from — restore it anyway; code and .env from such a backup are not restored. A backup that only exists at the external destination is brought back as described in External destination.

Restore from the command line

On a VPS, or when the site is too large for a browser, use gp247:backup-restore. The command asks for the backup password and the confirmation code while it runs.

Task	Command
Preview	php artisan gp247:backup-restore <id> --level=full --preview
Whole database	php artisan gp247:backup-restore <id> --level=full
Replace data groups	php artisan gp247:backup-restore <id> --level=replace --group=catalog
Configuration	php artisan gp247:backup-restore <id> --level=config
Add back deleted records	php artisan gp247:backup-restore <id> --level=undelete --table=<table> --key=<key>
After a security incident	php artisan gp247:backup-restore <id> --level=full --post-incident
From a .gp247bak file	php artisan gp247:backup-restore --file=<path> --level=full
Undo	php artisan gp247:backup-restore --undo

Add --recovery-key when you type the recovery key instead of the password; --accept-unverified for a backup whose origin is not verified.

Conditions & Rules (know before you act)

Choosing the backup and level

• Only Verified backups — a broken or altered backup is never used to write onto the site.
• Whole database needs a Full backup — a quick snapshot or selected groups do not hold every table.
• A backup newer than the site cannot be restored: update the site to the backup's version first — a newer backup's table structure may differ.
• Tables that other tables point to must be restored with their whole group — replacing one table alone would break links between records.
• Add back deleted records only works for tables with a primary key, up to 5,000 records at a time; for more, use Replace data groups.

While running

• Only one writing task at a time — wait if another backup or restore is running.
• The key that opens the backup is usable for 1 hour from the start — a restore left too long must be started again.
• Maintenance mode turns itself off if a whole-database restore cannot finish, so the site does not stay stuck on the maintenance page.
• Code and .env are not restored in incident mode or from a backup whose origin is not verified — code in the backup may carry a backdoor.

Q&A

Q1: Will restoring lose new orders?

→ Only in the replaced tables: orders created after the backup's time are lost if you replace the Orders group or the Whole database. The preview shows how much data will be lost before you confirm.

Q2: I deleted one product by mistake — do I have to send the whole site back to yesterday?

→ No. Choose Add back deleted records, pick the products table and that product — everything else stays as it is.

Q3: What do visitors see during a whole-database restore?

→ The maintenance page. You — the person who started the restore — keep using the admin to follow its progress.

Q4: I noticed I picked the wrong backup after restoring — what now?

→ Click Undo the last restore within 24 hours; the tables go back exactly to how they were before the restore.

Q5: Why does the incident restore sign me out too?

→ Because your session cannot be told apart from one the attacker stole. Signing everyone out and requiring new passwords is the sure way to close the door.

Q6: Can a backup from the old site be restored on a new site?

→ Yes: bring the .gp247bak file in with the old site's backup password or recovery key, tick the origin confirmation, then restore. The new site must run the same or a newer GP247 version than the old one.

Q7: What if the browser closes during a restore?

→ Open the Restore screen again: the unfinished restore carries on from where it stopped. Left for more than 1 hour, it is stopped and maintenance mode turns itself off; preview again and restore from the start.

Q8: I have no command line — how do I restore uploaded images?

→ Restoring files is command-line only. Ask your hosting provider or developer to run the commands in Restore files.

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_{📅 Last updated: 2026-11-07 · ✍️ Author: GP247}