---
url: /gst-manager-acellemail/backup-and-restore.md
description: >-
  How GST Manager snapshots its own data before every in-place update, where
  those snapshots live, how to secure them, and how a failed update rolls back
  automatically.
---

# Backup and restore

GST Manager protects your data around updates without any setup from you. Every time you update in
place, it first takes a database snapshot of its own tables, so an upgrade can always be undone.
This page explains what gets backed up, where the snapshots live, how to keep them private, and how
rolling back works.

## Automatic snapshot before every update

Before an in-place update runs, GST Manager takes a **database snapshot of only this plugin's own
tables** — never AcelleMail's tables. That snapshot is what lets a failed upgrade roll back to the
version you were running.

You can see your snapshots on **GST Manager → Plugin Settings → Integrity & Updates**, listed as
**Database snapshots** with **Version**, **Taken**, and **Size** columns and a **Download** button
for each one.

![The Database snapshots list on the Integrity & Updates tab](/gst-manager-acellemail/img/gst-backup-snapshots.png)
*GST Manager → Plugin Settings → Integrity & Updates*

The plugin keeps the **N most recent** snapshots and removes older ones automatically, so the list
doesn't grow without bound.

## Where snapshots are stored

Snapshots are written to `storage/app/gstmanager-backups/`. On a standard AcelleMail install
`storage/` sits **outside the web root**, so the files are not directly reachable over the web.

::: warning A snapshot contains your license key
Because a snapshot includes plugin data such as your license key, GST Manager writes an **Apache
deny rule** into that folder to block web access. If you run **nginx** (which ignores `.htaccess`),
you must add an **equivalent server-level rule** yourself to deny access to that directory.
:::

These snapshots cover the plugin's own data only. For full safety, keep taking your **normal
AcelleMail database backups** as well — they protect everything else.

## Rolling back

Rollback is **automatic on a failed update**. If an in-place update can't complete, GST Manager
restores the snapshot it took first and leaves you on the version you were running — you don't need
to do anything.

If you ever need to restore a snapshot yourself, use the **Download** button next to the snapshot on
the Integrity & Updates tab to retrieve it. See [Updating](/gst-manager-acellemail/updating) for how
the in-place update sequence works end to end.

## Related pages

* [Updating](/gst-manager-acellemail/updating)
* [Licensing](/gst-manager-acellemail/licensing)
* [File integrity](/gst-manager-acellemail/features/file-integrity)
* [Uninstalling](/gst-manager-acellemail/uninstalling)
* [Troubleshooting](/gst-manager-acellemail/troubleshooting)