---
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 automatically protects plugin data during updates:

* **Automatic snapshot:** Takes a database snapshot of plugin tables before every in-place update.
* **Safe rollbacks:** Reverts changes automatically if an update fails.
* **Isolated scope:** Covers only GST Manager tables, never touching core AcelleMail tables.

## Automatic snapshot before every update

Before an in-place update runs, GST Manager captures a database snapshot of its own tables. This snapshot ensures upgrades can be reversed cleanly.

View snapshots under **GST Manager → Plugin Settings → Integrity & Updates**:

* **Snapshots list:** Shows **Version**, **Taken**, and **Size** columns.
* **Download option:** Provides a **Download** button for manual retrieval.
* **Retention policy:** Keeps the **N most recent** snapshots and automatically purges older archives.

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

## Where snapshots are stored

Snapshots are written to `storage/app/gstmanager-backups/`:

* **Location:** Resides in `storage/`, which sits outside the web root on standard AcelleMail installations.
* **Apache protection:** GST Manager creates an `.htaccess` deny rule in the backup directory.
* **Backup scope:** Covers plugin tables only. Continue running standard AcelleMail database backups for full system safety.

::: warning Nginx web access rule
Snapshots contain sensitive plugin data such as your license key. If you run **nginx** (which ignores `.htaccess`), add a server-level configuration block to deny direct HTTP access to `storage/app/gstmanager-backups/`.
:::

## Rolling back

Rollback behavior depends on the scenario:

1. **Automatic failure rollback:** If an in-place update fails, GST Manager restores the pre-update snapshot automatically and remains on the previous working version.
2. **Manual recovery:** Download the snapshot SQL file from the **Integrity & Updates** tab using the **Download** button to inspect or restore data manually.

For complete update workflows, see [Updating](/gst-manager-acellemail/updating).

## 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)