Selective Backup

What Is Selective Backup

A selective backup lets you choose exactly which files and database tables to include instead of backing up your entire site. You pick specific plugins, themes, uploads, other wp-content files, and individual database tables from an interactive tree browser. SafeGuard then creates a backup containing only the items you selected.

Selective backups are available in SafeGuard v1.1.0 and later.

When to Use Selective Backup

Using the File Tree Browser

The file tree browser shows your wp-content directory organized into four categories:

How the tree works

• Expand directories by clicking the arrow icon. Child contents are loaded on demand, so the initial scan is fast even on large sites.
• Select items using the checkboxes. Selecting a parent directory automatically selects all its children.
• Estimated sizes appear next to each item so you can gauge the backup size before starting.
• "Other wp-content files" loads in pages of 20 items. Click Load more to see additional files if your wp-content directory has extra folders or loose files.
• Refresh data using the refresh button at the top to re-scan the filesystem. Scan results are cached for one hour.

Selecting Database Tables

The database panel lists every table in your WordPress database with its size. Tables are grouped under a root Database node.

• Each table shows its name and size (e.g., wp_posts — 12.4 MB).
• Select individual tables or check the root node to select all tables.
• Core WordPress tables, plugin tables, and custom tables all appear in the list.

Creating a Selective Backup

wp safeguard backup create --type=selective \
  --files=plugins/woocommerce,themes/flavor \
  --tables=wp_posts,wp_postmeta,wp_options

wp safeguard backup create --type=selective \
  --tables=wp_posts,wp_postmeta,wp_options,wp_usermeta \
  --name="Pre-deploy DB snapshot"

wp safeguard backup create --type=selective \
  --files=plugins/woocommerce \
  --tables=wp_wc_orders,wp_wc_order_items,wp_wc_order_stats \
  --storage=s3

Selective Backup via REST API

Create a selective backup by sending a POST request with type set to selective and a scope object containing the selected file paths and table names.

POST /wp-json/safeguard/v1/backups

Request body:

{
  "type": "selective",
  "storageDestinations": ["local"],
  "scope": {
    "files": [
      "plugins/woocommerce",
      "themes/flavor"
    ],
    "tables": [
      "wp_posts",
      "wp_postmeta",
      "wp_options"
    ]
  }
}

Response (202 Accepted):

{
  "id": "bkp_s1e2l3c4",
  "type": "selective",
  "status": "running",
  "storage": "local",
  "created_at": "2026-03-28T14:30:00Z"
}

Selective Scanner Endpoints

These endpoints power the interactive tree browser and are useful if you are building custom integrations.

Restoring from Selective Backups

A selective backup is a partial backup — it only contains the files and tables you selected. Keep these points in mind when restoring:

• Selective backups do not replace everything. Only the files and tables included in the backup are restored. Everything else on the site remains untouched.
• Restoring a selective backup will overwrite the specific files and tables it contains with the versions from the backup.
• You cannot restore files that were not included. If you need a complete site restore, use a full backup.
• Selective restore is available from the Restore page. SafeGuard detects that the backup is selective and shows you exactly what it contains so you can confirm before proceeding.

Combining with Schedules

You can use selective backups in scheduled jobs. When creating or editing a schedule, choose Selective as the backup type. The schedule configuration shows the same file tree browser and table selector, letting you define exactly what the recurring backup includes.

CLI example — scheduled selective backup:

wp safeguard schedule create \
  --type=selective \
  --frequency=daily \
  --storage=s3 \
  --time=03:00 \
  --retention=14

Best Practices

Use selective backup when:

• You are about to update a specific plugin or theme and want a rollback point for just that component.
• You need a quick database snapshot without waiting for a full file scan.
• Your site has a very large uploads directory and you only need to back up recent changes.
• You manage client sites and want to back up only the custom work (theme + key plugin tables).

Prefer full backups when:

• You need a complete disaster-recovery archive.
• You are setting up automated daily/weekly backups for general protection.
• You are migrating to a new host (migration requires a full backup).

Tips:

• Check estimated sizes before starting. The summary bar shows the combined size so you can estimate storage usage and transfer time.
• Use the refresh button if you recently installed a plugin or uploaded files — the scanner cache is valid for one hour.
• Name your selective backups with a descriptive label (e.g., "Pre-WooCommerce-update") so you can easily find them later in the backup list.
• Include related tables together. If backing up a plugin, include all of its database tables to avoid inconsistencies on restore.