Elon Musk admits X 'may fail' after glitch deletes Twitter photos

[Bernardo de La Paz]

31. Always backup and archive files, with a copy off-site, preferably not in the cloud

Cloud is fine for active stuff, and can be a second backup / archive, but it is out of your control and may disappear at any time. Twitter/X is an example of a cloud storage.

The basic rule is three copies of every file: #1 on device, #2 on backup at hand in the building, #3 offsite, such as in a safe-deposit box or in safekeeping with a friend or family member miles away. Every couple of months after backing up on #2, swap #2 with #3 and refresh #3.

If your house burns down you lose #1 and #2, but have #3, if number 3 is far enough away not to be caught up in the same wild-fire.

Archiving is a separate issue from backup. The purpose of an archive is to have a permanent copy of files because if you accidentally delete a file or a file gets damaged, after a while it will be missing from the backups or they will all have a damaged copy of the file. With an archive, you have a good chance of restoring the file.

Every few years, make two complete copies of all files that can be found and put one off-site. Never update the archive, like you refresh the backups.