Simple. Secure. Smart.
Before I could start steps of benchmarking, I tried AI Vibe Coding, and Visual Studio Code generated a piece of code.
On installing the plugin it did not work. But it created a rich source-code base. And I am keen on learning every line of code in it.
I will start with understanding this code base before I start working on benchmarking.
Before I start acquiring the skills needed to write the source-code, I would like to benchmark all the available WP backup plugins.
Yes, their Open Source licenses – their features – their codes and also their business models. As of now I only know that I can’t cannibalise on GNU GPL licensed source-codes and if I do – I also have to release my source code base in the pubic domain under the GNU GPL license.
I believe in Entrepreneurship and also in Blue Oceans. And also in disrupting the markets. Thats where I come from.
I am thinking deep, I am thinking high & I am trying to think better. I need to follow some school of thoughts for the next 50 days to be able to complete this project, this startup of mine.
I am highly motivated. One success leads to another and then yet another and then with the right persona I will enjoy my SNOW-BALL EFFECT. I will do more businesses and more monetisation. I will focus on my other dreams like E3CLS, Auregion, 123eBusiness and 123eCampus.
God is Great. I got one of my boomerang back. Lets see how much execution strength now I got.
Great project! A WordPress backup plugin sits at an interesting intersection of several disciplines. Here’s what you’ll need to master:
Core WordPress Development You’ll need solid familiarity with the WordPress Plugin API — hooks (actions/filters), the options API, cron jobs (wp-cron for scheduling), and the REST API if you plan a modern UI. Understanding WordPress’s file structure and database schema is essential since you’re backing up both.
PHP This is the backbone. You’ll need intermediate-to-advanced PHP skills including OOP (classes, interfaces, traits), error handling, streams, and working with large data efficiently. Memory management matters a lot in backup plugins since you’re processing potentially gigabytes of data.
Database Knowledge (MySQL) You need to know how to export a MySQL database programmatically — dumping tables, handling foreign keys, escaping data correctly. Libraries like MySQLDump-PHP exist, but understanding what’s happening underneath is important for debugging edge cases.
File System & Compression Working with PHP’s ZipArchive, PharData, or shelling out to tar/gzip where available. You’ll also need to handle file exclusions (cache folders, logs, etc.) and large file streaming to avoid memory exhaustion.
Security This is critical. Backup files contain everything — credentials, user data, all of it. You’ll need to understand encryption (AES-256 for backup files at rest), secure download mechanisms (never expose backup files in a public web-accessible directory), nonce verification for all admin actions, and capability checks (current_user_can).
Cloud Storage Integrations Most users want backups offsite. You’ll need to work with SDKs or REST APIs for destinations like Amazon S3, Google Drive, Dropbox, or SFTP. Understanding OAuth flows is necessary for services like Google Drive.
Scheduling & Background Processing WP-Cron is unreliable on low-traffic sites, so you should understand its limitations and offer alternatives like real server crons. For long-running backups, you’ll need chunked/batched processing — breaking the job into resumable steps so it doesn’t time out.
JavaScript & UI Even a simple plugin needs a decent settings page. Vanilla JS or React (WordPress now uses React for Gutenberg-era admin screens) for progress indicators, status updates, and configuration forms. REST API polling or WebSockets for real-time backup progress is a nice touch.
Testing & Reliability PHPUnit for unit testing your core logic, and end-to-end testing on various hosting environments (shared hosting, VPS, managed WordPress). Shared hosts are the hardest target — low max_execution_time, restricted shell access, limited memory.
DevOps Awareness Understanding how different hosting environments behave (cPanel, Kinsta, WP Engine, etc.) will help you build a plugin that works everywhere, not just in ideal conditions.
The rough priority order if you’re building this incrementally would be: WordPress Plugin API → PHP file/DB handling → Security → Scheduling → Cloud storage → UI polish.
Hello World,
I am Navin Dhanuka (Founder, CEO & CTO) of EasyFAST Backup.
EasyFAST Backup is meant for backup plugin of WordPress based Websites.
There are atleast 29 other WordPress backup plugins, and I use 1 of them for all my WordPress based websites. I tried almost 5-7 WP backup plugins for my needs and I settled for 1 of them. As the others were too poor and had many flaws.
The entire WordPress market is huge, more than 800 million installations.
I somehow believe this vertical of backup plugin has more potential than any other SaaS & Cloud Computing business that I can think of at this point of time.
800 million WordPress websites.
1% equals 8 million websites.
If I make a profit of even $10 of 1% of the market size, then it equals $80 million a year which would end as yearly recurring business profit for me.
And the total market size is $8 billion per year.
A backup is a dire necessity for every website.
So people have a need for my design and code.
So I will be in business.
And hence its worth my time.
Today I start my journey of EasyFAST Backup.
EFB is going to be Simple, Secure and Smart.
I am all in.