# Configure and monitor scheduled backups

> Create a cron-style backup rule with a retention count, run it on demand, and confirm from the rule card that backups are succeeding.

Scheduled backups run automatically on a cron-style schedule and keep a rolling set of recent backup files, so a recent configuration exists to restore from without you having to remember to export one manually. Before you begin Access to Settings → Backups . A destination path to store backups, if you're not using the default location (not available in a High Availability deployment, which always uses the default location). A sense of how many recent backups you want retained. Create a backup rule Open Settings → Backups and select Add Backup Rule . Buttons creates a rule called New Backup Rule straight away and opens it in Edit Backup Rule , so each click adds another rule. Enter a Rule Name . Make sure the rule is switched to Enabled : a Disabled rule doesn't run. Set the secrets switch to Include secrets or Exclude secrets : this controls whether the connection secret vault is bundled into each backup this rule produces. Set the Cron Schedule : pick a frequency preset (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly) or build a custom schedule. A human-readable summary of the schedule is shown as you build it. Set the Backup Path , if you want somewhere other than the default location. Set a Backup Name Pattern : this supports date/time substitutions (year, month, day, hour, minute, second) so successive backups get distinct filenames. Set Number of Backups to Keep : a count from 1 to 100. Once a rule has produced more backups than this, the oldest are removed automatically. Retention is count-based only: there's no separate age-based expiry. Select Save . Run a backup immediately Open the rule with Edit and select Run Now , next to Rule Name , to trigger a backup right away, independent of its schedule: useful before a risky change, or to confirm a new rule actually works. Run Now uses the rule's saved settings, so select Save first after any change, including for a new rule. It's unavailable while the rule is Disabled . Monitor whether backups are succeeding Each rule's card shows its schedule summary, Last successful run (or Never ), how many files it's currently keeping, and (only if its most recent run failed) a Last run error message. The same error appears in a Last run failed box at the top of Edit Backup Rule . There's no separate per-run history log beyond this: a rule with no error shown and a recent Last successful run date is working; a file actually appearing in Previous Backups is itself confirmation that run succeeded. Remove a rule Select Remove on the rule's card and confirm. This deletes only the rule: backup files it already made stay in the backup folder, and you'd need to delete those yourself if you no longer want them. Restore from a backup Open the rule with Edit to see its backup files under Previous Backups , each with a restore icon. Restoring replaces all current configuration and restarts Buttons: see Restore a backup and verify it for the steps, what happens if a restore fails, and what to check before returning to service. If you get stuck What you see What to try A rule shows Last run error . Read the error message on the rule's card: check the backup path is reachable and writable, and that the schedule and retention settings are valid. Backups aren't appearing on schedule. Confirm the rule is enabled, not just created: a disabled rule won't run. You're not sure a rule actually works. Save the rule, select Run Now , and confirm a new file appears in Previous Backups . Run Now ignored the changes you just made, or is greyed out. Select Save first: Run Now uses the saved rule. It's also unavailable while the rule is Disabled . There's an extra rule called New Backup Rule . Each Add Backup Rule click creates a rule straight away. Remove the one you don't need. You want to verify a backup is restorable before you need it. There's no built-in test-restore: the only way to confirm is a real restore, which replaces current configuration. Plan accordingly, for example by testing against a non-production instance. Old backups aren't being cleaned up. Check Number of Backups to Keep : cleanup is count-based, so a high number keeps files around longer than you might expect. Where to go next Store and rotate connection secrets , for what happens to a secret-bound field when a backup excludes secrets. Export or import Buttons configuration , for manual, one-off exports outside the scheduled rules. Secure a Buttons deployment , for backup handling as part of a broader security baseline. Back up and recover a High Availability deployment , if you're running Buttons as an HA deployment.