Updating, backing up, moving

You can update Éclair CMS in five minutes, and the update never touches your content: it lives in folders that updates leave intact. This guide also explains how to back up your site in one click, restore it and move it to another host or domain, without losing a single page or your search rankings.

How do you back up your site?

In Security › Backup, click Download a backup. You get a ZIP archive that contains two folders:

For security, the AI assistant’s API keys, its conversation history, sessions and login counters are excluded from the archive. If your host lacks the zip extension, simply copy the data/ and media/ folders via FTP.

If you logged in more than 15 minutes ago, Éclair asks for your password again before creating the archive.

How do you restore a backup?

1. Unzip the archive on your computer: it contains data/, media/ and a LISEZ-MOI.txt file (French for “read me”).
2. Via FTP, replace your installation’s data/ and media/ folders with the ones from the archive.
3. Log in, then go to Settings › Advanced › Clear cache.
4. If you use the AI assistant, paste your API keys again in Settings › AI assistant: they aren’t part of backups.

How do you update Éclair CMS to a new version?

First check the changelog to see what’s changing, then download the new archive from the Download page.

1. Make a backup from Security › Backup.
2. Via FTP, delete your site’s app/ and assets/ folders.
3. Upload the ones from the new version, along with index.php and .htaccess.
4. Don’t touch data/ (content, settings, accounts) or media/ (images).
5. In the admin, click Settings › Advanced › Clear cache.

Deleting before uploading avoids leaving behind old files that are no longer needed, which the integrity check would flag. To finish, run Security › File integrity › Scan now: everything should be green.

How do you move to another host?

1. Download a backup, then copy the whole site folder via FTP, hidden .htaccess files included.
2. Upload it to your new host, in the domain’s public folder. Check that PHP is version 8.1 or later (8.3 recommended).
3. Point your domain to the new hosting, then wait for DNS propagation (from a few minutes to a few hours).
4. Log in and click Security › Verify the site address.

There’s no database to export or reimport: that’s one of the big advantages of a flat-file CMS.

How do you change your domain name?

After copying the site, change the address in Settings › General › Official site URL, then verify it on the Security page. Internal links adapt automatically, even if the site is installed in a subfolder. The sitemap, canonical URLs and llms.txt use the new address right away.

If the old domain stays active, redirect it to the new one with a 301 at your host: your visitors and your rankings will follow. Also remember to report the change of address in Google Search Console, as explained in Google’s guide to site moves.

Can you store the data outside the public folder?

Yes, if your host allows it. First move the data/ folder to the location you chose, then copy the eclair-config.exemple.php file as eclair-config.php, next to index.php, and enter the new path:

<?php
defined('ECLAIR') || exit;

// Data stored outside the public folder.
define('ECLAIR_DATA', '/home/myaccount/eclair-data');

Your data is already protected twice inside the public folder. This option adds a third barrier: it’s no longer even in the site’s directory tree.

Do you need to clear the cache after every change?

No. The static cache clears itself on every change made in the admin, and at the scheduled time for a scheduled post. Only clear it by hand after an update or after changing files via FTP, in Settings › Advanced › Clear cache. The Rebuild the index and clear the cache button on the Security page also repairs the content index if needed.