Boring backups are the good kind
A useful backup routine should be uneventful. It runs without ceremony, reports failures clearly, and produces copies that can be restored without reconstructing six months of context.
Keep the shape simple
For a small service, start with three things: the application data, the configuration that explains it, and a short recovery note. Store one local copy for speed and one copy elsewhere for accidents.
Test the other direction
A successful upload proves only that bytes moved. Once a month, restore a sample into a temporary directory and open it. Record the command and the time it took. Recovery is the product; backup is merely the process.