Answers.Body: <p>One great way to shrink the backup is to only backup the bespoke bits (e.g. custom extensions and themes) and the database, not the actual Joomla! and CiviCRM code files that are freely downloaded from elsewhere. </p>
  
  <p>This depends on you not having edited any core files, which your developers shouldn't be doing anyway.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2017-04-16T17:10:51.843Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2017-04-16T17:10:51.843Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: JohnFF
Answers.Body: <p>I believe the free version of Akeeba Backup lets you exclude directories: <a href="https://www.akeebabackup.com/products/405-akeeba-core-vs-professional.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.akeebabackup.com/products/405-akeeba-core-vs-professional.html</a></p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2017-04-17T13:39:05.353Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2017-04-17T13:39:05.353Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Nic
Answers.Body: <p>Yes, that is approximately the number of files. And when you make a code base backup, you have to copy them all. What is the backup method you are using? If your only option is to copy them with (s)ftp transfer this can take a lot of time. But if you have ssh access to the system use zip or tar to pack all these files together, and copy just this single file. And often ISP´s offer faster backup methods in the control panel of the site.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2017-04-16T13:32:18.503Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2017-04-16T13:32:18.503Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Kainuk - CiviCooP
Answers.Body: <p>problem was to backup the joomla, civi site because of the huge number of files; so backup with ftp (httpdocs) and database sql with phpmyadmin took several hours</p>
  
  <p>so I tried akeeba free backup, extension for joomla; this works fine and fast on the server itself and I can downlad the akeeba .jpa file (70 MB) also very fast with ftp (downloading over browser is not recommended)</p>
  
  <p>did not try to restore because the site is being used</p>
  
  <p>now I will transfer the site to another subdomain with akeeba, fingers crossed...</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2017-04-19T11:20:09.203Z
Answers.Text: Thanks for posting this as an answer. It looks like it could be useful to others.  To make it even more helpful you could edit this to provide more details about what you did.  Try to word it so that someone can just read your answer without looking at any of the other answers.  If you can try to answer your original questions.
Answers.UserDisplayName: William Mortada
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Answers.CreationDate: 2017-04-18T15:10:20.973Z
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Answers.LastEditDate: 2017-04-20T07:25:37.380Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: user4246
Answers.Body: <p>thank you</p>
  
  <p>I backup the database with phpmyadmin and the files with ftp because then I have the correct versions for joomla and civi</p>
  
  <p>I have no ssh access and never changed the core files so I think of leaving out all unused themes and unused extensions
  thnx again</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2017-04-16T18:32:50.390Z
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Answers.UserDisplayName: user4246
Body: <p>I made a backup of my <code>httpdocs</code> directory (a very small Joomla and CiviCRM extension) and discovered the backup contained more than 15000 different files? Is this normal? can I skip some of these from the backup?.</p>
  
  <p>Thank you
  Rob</p>
  
Tags: <joomla><backups>
Title: How to make backup joomla CiviCRM smaller?
ThreadText: # How to make backup joomla CiviCRM smaller?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2017-04-15)
  
  I made a backup of my `httpdocs` directory (a very small Joomla and CiviCRM extension) and discovered the backup contained more than 15000 different files? Is this normal? can I skip some of these from the backup?.
  
  Thank you
  Rob
  
  **Tags:** joomla, backups
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 5 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2017-04-16. Score: 3
  
  One great way to shrink the backup is to only backup the bespoke bits (e.g. custom extensions and themes) and the database, not the actual Joomla! and CiviCRM code files that are freely downloaded from elsewhere.
  
  This depends on you not having edited any core files, which your developers shouldn't be doing anyway.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2017-04-17. Score: 2
  
  I believe the free version of Akeeba Backup lets you exclude directories: <https://www.akeebabackup.com/products/405-akeeba-core-vs-professional.html>
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2017-04-16. Score: 1
  
  Yes, that is approximately the number of files. And when you make a code base backup, you have to copy them all. What is the backup method you are using? If your only option is to copy them with (s)ftp transfer this can take a lot of time. But if you have ssh access to the system use zip or tar to pack all these files together, and copy just this single file. And often ISP´s offer faster backup methods in the control panel of the site.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_0 on 2017-04-18. Score: 1
  
  problem was to backup the joomla, civi site because of the huge number of files; so backup with ftp (httpdocs) and database sql with phpmyadmin took several hours
  
  so I tried akeeba free backup, extension for joomla; this works fine and fast on the server itself and I can downlad the akeeba .jpa file (70 MB) also very fast with ftp (downloading over browser is not recommended)
  
  did not try to restore because the site is being used
  
  now I will transfer the site to another subdomain with akeeba, fingers crossed...
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_4**: Thanks for posting this as an answer. It looks like it could be useful to others.  To make it even more helpful you could edit this to provide more details about what you did.  Try to word it so that someone can just read your answer without looking at any of the other answers.  If you can try to answer your original questions.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_0 on 2017-04-16. Score: -1
  
  thank you
  
  I backup the database with phpmyadmin and the files with ftp because then I have the correct versions for joomla and civi
  
  I have no ssh access and never changed the core files so I think of leaving out all unused themes and unused extensions
  thnx again
  
  
  ---
  
  