How to Back Up Softaculous Applications Using Amazon S3 Make it Rain Paper

The Softaculous 1-click script installer makes installing and managing web apps easy while keeping them up-to-date and secure. This guide will show you how to back up your Softaculous applications to Amazon S3, with important notes on configuration and best practices.

Pre-requirements

• AWS account with S3 access
• Access to cPanel with Softaculous installed
• AWS S3 Access Key and Secret Key (IAM user recommended)
• Administrator login credentials

Important Notes Before You Proceed

1. Softaculous vs. WordPress Toolkit: If you are using Softaculous to manage your WordPress applications, do not mix it with WordPress Toolkit. Choose one to avoid conflicts. If you have both installed, visit the WordPress Toolkit and detach the WordPress application before proceeding with Softaculous.
2. Alternative Backup Locations: You can also use Dropbox, Google Drive, WebDAV, or SFTP as optional backup locations in Softaculous. These services are generally easier to configure and might not incur extra costs if you already have existing accounts.

Watch How to Set Up Amazon S3 or Microsoft OneDrive for Backups

For a visual guide, watch this short video on how to use Amazon S3 or Microsoft OneDrive as backup locations for Softaculous:

Steps to Set Up Amazon S3 as a Backup Location

1. Log in to cPanel

   Access your cPanel by visiting https://example_domain.com:2083 and log in with your credentials.

2. Open the Softaculous End-user Panel

   Navigate to the Software section of your cPanel and select Softaculous.

3. Edit Backup Settings

   Once in the Softaculous panel, click on Edit Settings, then select Add Backup Location.

4. Configure Amazon S3
   • Enter a unique Location Name for your reference (e.g., "S3 Backup").
   • Select Amazon S3 as the Protocol from the drop-down menu.
   • Enter the AWS S3 Endpoint (e.g., s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com).
   • Enter the AWS S3 Region (e.g., us-east-1).
   • Enter your AWS S3 Access Key and Secret Key.
   • Specify the AWS S3 Bucket Name where Softaculous should store the backups. If the bucket doesn't already exist, it will be created automatically.
   • Specify the directory in S3 where you want Softaculous to store the backups (e.g., /backups).
5. Add the Backup Location

   Click on the Add Backup Location button to finalize the setup. Softaculous will now use Amazon S3 to back up your applications.

Best Practice: Using IAM Users for Amazon S3

IMPORTANT: For security reasons, it's a best practice to create an IAM user in AWS, generate the access and secret keys under that IAM user, and assign the necessary permissions for backup storage. This limits access and enhances