PHP script to create a ZIP archive of the entire website, excluding the script itself and the backup folder. ⚠️ Delete after use!

create_backup.php

<?php
/**
 * ⚠️ IMPORTANT! SECURITY WARNING! ⚠️
 * DELETE THIS FILE FROM THE SERVER AFTER USE!
 * Leaving this script on the server poses a security risk,
 * as attackers can use it to create archives
 * containing sensitive data from your website.
 */

// Check if ZipArchive class is available
if (!class_exists('ZipArchive')) {
    die('Error: ZipArchive class is not available. Make sure the zip extension is enabled in PHP.');
}

// Get the current date for the file name
$currentDate = date('Y-m-d');
$backupFileName = "backup_{$currentDate}.zip";

// Create backup directory if it does not exist
$backupDir = 'backup';
if (!is_dir($backupDir)) {
    if (!mkdir($backupDir, 0755, true)) {
        die('Error: Unable to create the backup directory');
    }
}

// Full path to the archive
$backupPath = $backupDir . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . $backupFileName;

// Get the current script name to exclude it
$currentScript = basename(__FILE__);

// Create a new ZIP archive
$zip = new ZipArchive();
$result = $zip->open($backupPath, ZipArchive::CREATE | ZipArchive::OVERWRITE);

if ($result !== TRUE) {
    die("Error creating archive: {$result}");
}

/**
 * Recursive function to add files to the archive
 */
function addFilesToZip($zip, $dir, $baseDir, $excludeFiles = []) {
    $files = scandir($dir);
    
    foreach ($files as $file) {
        if ($file === '.' || $file === '..') {
            continue;
        }
        
        $filePath = $dir . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . $file;
        $relativePath = str_replace($baseDir . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR, '', $filePath);
        
        // Exclude specified files and the backup folder
        if (in_array($file, $excludeFiles) || $file === 'backup') {
            continue;
        }
        
        if (is_dir($filePath)) {
            // Add folder to the archive
            $zip->addEmptyDir($relativePath);
            // Recursively add the folder contents
            addFilesToZip($zip, $filePath, $baseDir, $excludeFiles);
        } else {
            // Add file to the archive
            $zip->addFile($filePath, $relativePath);
        }
    }
}

// Get the current directory
$currentDir = dirname(__FILE__);

// Files to exclude from the archive
$excludeFiles = [$currentScript, $backupFileName];

try {
    // Add files to the archive
    addFilesToZip($zip, $currentDir, $currentDir, $excludeFiles);
    
    // Close the archive
    $closeResult = $zip->close();
    
    if ($closeResult) {
        $archiveSize = filesize($backupPath);
        $archiveSizeMB = round($archiveSize / 1024 / 1024, 2);
        
        echo "<h2>✅ Archive created successfully!</h2>";
        echo "<p><strong>File name:</strong> {$backupFileName}</p>";
        echo "<p><strong>Location:</strong> {$backupPath}</p>";
        echo "<p><strong>Archive size:</strong> {$archiveSizeMB} MB</p>";
        echo "<p><strong>Number of files:</strong> {$zip->numFiles}</p>";
        echo "<hr>";
        echo "<p style='color: red; font-weight: bold;'>⚠️ DO NOT FORGET TO DELETE THIS SCRIPT FROM THE SERVER!</p>";
    } else {
        echo "<h2>❌ Error closing the archive</h2>";
    }
    
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo "<h2>❌ An error occurred:</h2>";
    echo "<p>" . htmlspecialchars($e->getMessage()) . "</p>";
}
?>

PHP Backup Script

This PHP script creates a ZIP archive of all files and folders in the website directory, excluding:

• the script itself
• the backup folder (where the archive will be stored)

The archive is automatically saved in the backup folder with a name in the format:

backup_YYYY-MM-DD.zip

Usage

1. Upload the script to your website root directory.
2. Open it in your browser (e.g., https://example.com/backup.php).
3. Wait for the confirmation message indicating the archive has been created.
4. ⚠️ IMPORTANT: Delete this file from the server immediately after use!

Requirements

• PHP with the zip extension enabled (ZipArchive class available).
• Write permissions for the backup directory (it will be created automatically if missing).

Warning

Leaving this script on the server poses a serious security risk, as it can be used to create an archive containing sensitive data from your website.