moodle_autoback

Update: Autoback now supports database backup for both MySQL/MariaDB and PostgreSQL.

moodle_autoback backs up a Moodle site's database, webroot files, and moodledata directory from one command. It reads the required database and data directory settings from Moodle's config.php.

Autoback started life as moodle_db_backup, which was a tool I built back in 2015, and the first that auto-configured itself from the Moodle config.php in order to simplify usage. It started out as a Moodle datatbase backup tool only, but morphed into tool to backup Moodle instances more fully. Autoback is the next generation of its original development intention.

With the name change the old moodle_db_backup is no longer available (except in the git history), however the old moodledbbackup.sh and moodlefilesbackup.sh scripts are compatibility wrappers if anyone out there has actually been using it and built things that depend on those scripts (not that I expect anyone has, but just in case I figured it's best to be kind to those who might have :)) Going forward, any new use should use moodle_autoback.

Usage

./moodle_autoback /path/to/moodle
./moodle_autoback ./moodle
./moodle_autoback --moodlepath /path/to/moodle
./moodle_autoback -m /path/to/moodle

By default, the script backs up:

• the Moodle database
• the Moodle webroot
• the Moodle dataroot

Backup Location

If --backup-path is not supplied, the script looks beside the Moodle webroot for a backup directory:

1. backups/
2. backup/

For example, if the Moodle webroot is:

/var/www/mymoodle.com.au/public_html

then the script checks:

/var/www/mymoodle.com.au/backups
/var/www/mymoodle.com.au/backup

If neither directory exists, backups are written to the current working directory. The script refuses to run from inside the Moodle webroot and refuses to write backup output inside the Moodle webroot.

Options

./moodle_autoback /path/to/moodle --backup-path /path/to/backups
./moodle_autoback /path/to/moodle -b /path/to/backups
./moodle_autoback /path/to/moodle --db-only
./moodle_autoback /path/to/moodle --files-only
./moodle_autoback /path/to/moodle --data-only
./moodle_autoback /path/to/moodle --single-archive
./moodle_autoback /path/to/moodle --bundle
./moodle_autoback /path/to/moodle --dry-run
./moodle_autoback /path/to/moodle --debug
./moodle_autoback /path/to/moodle --email someone@example.com
./moodle_autoback --version
./moodle_autoback --help

--single-archive and --bundle create one final .tar.gz containing the selected backup archives.

Multiple --*-only options can be combined. For example:

./moodle_autoback /path/to/moodle --db-only --data-only

Preflight Checks

Before writing backups, the script checks:

• the Moodle path exists
• config.php is readable
• the backup path exists and is writable
• the current directory is not inside the Moodle webroot
• the backup path is not inside the Moodle webroot
• required commands are available
• database access works when a database backup is selected
• moodledata is readable when a data backup is selected
• selected file trees can be traversed before archive writing starts

Required commands for a full backup:

• bash
• find
• tar
• gzip

Database backups also require the client tools for the Moodle database type:

• MySQL/MariaDB (mysqli, mariadb, or mysql): mysql and mysqldump
• PostgreSQL (pgsql): psql and pg_dump

If --email is used, either mutt or sendmail is required. The sendmail path also requires base64 for attachments.

Permissions

The user running the backup must be able to read the selected Moodle webroot and moodledata trees. If Moodle session files or uploaded files are owned by the web server user, run the backup with suitable permissions, such as from root's cron or with sudo.

Config Parsing

If PHP CLI is available, the script evaluates the Moodle config.php values before Moodle's lib/setup.php is loaded. This supports common programmatic config values such as paths built from __DIR__ or environment variables.

If PHP CLI is not available, the script falls back to a Bash parser for simple single-quoted or double-quoted $CFG->key = "value"; assignments.

For database connections, $CFG->dboptions['dbport'] is used when set.

Output Files

The database backup is written as:

SITE_DB_DBNAME_backup_YYYY-MM-DD--HHMMSS.sql.gz

The webroot backup is written as:

SITE_files_backup_YYYY-MM-DD--HHMMSS.tar.gz

The Moodle data backup is written as:

SITE_moodledata_backup_YYYY-MM-DD--HHMMSS.tar.gz

When --single-archive is used, the final archive is:

SITE_full_backup_YYYY-MM-DD--HHMMSS.tar.gz

Notes

The moodledata backup excludes:

• cache
• temp
• trashdir

The site name used in filenames comes from Moodle's course shortname where sortorder = 1. If that query fails, the database name is used instead.

Compatibility Wrappers

moodledbbackup.sh calls moodle_autoback --db-only.

moodlefilesbackup.sh calls moodle_autoback --files-only --data-only.

Caveats and limitations

I made this tool for my own use (I often say that laziness is the mother of invention, and indeed in this case it is true!) and it's something I use often, so when things go wrong I often find them - however with that said, this is no commercial product by any means and I have not the time to vet all corners of it (especially since updating it so extensively recently, there are bound to be some new sharp edges not yet discovered!). As such, I can in no way guarantee it will be right for anyone else, but all are welcome to use it and my hope is that it helps someone, somewhere, in whatever small way it possibly could.

Conversely, my advice is if you do indeed use it PLEASE double and triple check that whatever you use it on is restorable from the backups you create from it (pretty standard advice for any backup regime, I know) and do not rely on it as your sole backup process by any means.

One of my favourite use for it is in packing up small to medium Moodles for moving to other servers, which is a nice "safe" way of quickly testing it out, as presumably the original is gonna still be there if the archive has an issue.

Whatever the case, the upshot is THIS SCRIPT IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. BY USING THIS SCRIPT, THE USER CONFIRMS THEY HAVE CONDUCTED THEIR OWN DUE DILIGENCE TO VERIFY ITS SUITABILITY AND SAFETY. THE USER VOLUNTARILY ACCEPTS FULL RISK ASSUMPTION FOR ANY DAMAGES OR DATA LOSS ARISING FROM ITS USE.

"Caveat qui exemplaria subsidiaria facit"