MySql database
mysqldump -u user_name -p database > /path/database.sql;
File management
rm -rf /path/* mv /path/* . zip -r /path/file.zip /path unzip file.zip service apache2 stop service apache2 start service apache2 restart sudo chown -R www-data:group user_name
I tend to save the files in the user folder.
/home/pawel
Then I go ahead and download the compressed files and the database using sftp. I normally use Cyberduck or FileZilla client. Of course, the best way would be to create server image backup, however, it’s not always possible.