First App.
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EXTRA LESSONWhen your app needs online data

Back up your data and watch free limits

GitHub saves your code. It does not automatically save the live records people enter into your app.

In Cloudflare or Supabase12 min read & do
By the end of this lesson

Check free allowances, take a data backup and practise restoring it somewhere safe.

Let’s do this

  1. 1
    In your AI helper

    Know which things need their own copy

    Keep source history on GitHub. Back up the live database separately, and back up uploaded files if you added them. A website rollback only restores website code. Keep private exports away from public folders and Git repositories.

  2. 2
    In Cloudflare

    If you chose D1, export and check recovery

    D1 Free currently offers seven days of Time Travel recovery. Have the AI guide you through exporting the intended remote database and storing the export securely. Restore a sample export into a separate test database and read back a known row before trusting the process.

    Cloudflare D1: import and export (opens a new tab)
  3. 3
    In Supabase

    If you chose Supabase, make your own free-plan backup

    Do not assume paid backup features are available on Free. Follow the official backup guidance for a manual database export, keep it securely and practise a restore into a test project or local setup. Database exports do not automatically include uploaded storage files or every external setting.

    Supabase: database backups (opens a new tab)
  4. 4
    In the provider dashboard

    Check the free-plan dashboards

    In Cloudflare, look at Workers requests and D1 row reads, writes and storage. A query can read many rows for one request. In Supabase, check project size, bandwidth, active users and whether the project has paused. Ask the AI to reduce unnecessary repeated requests before upgrading.

    Cloudflare D1: pricing (opens a new tab)
  5. 5
    In the provider dashboard

    Plan for the limit, not just the first day

    Workers Free currently allows 100,000 server requests per day; D1 has separate daily and storage limits. Supabase Free can pause quiet projects after a week. Choose a deliberate paid plan only when the job needs it. On paid plans, alerts may warn rather than stop spending, so ask which controls actually cap use.

    Cloudflare Workers: pricing (opens a new tab)
  6. 6
    In your AI helper

    Save a short routine you can follow

    Update your existing project README with the backup method, safe restore target, where to check usage and how to handle a failed deployment. Keep credentials out. Choose a backup frequency based on how much lost work you could tolerate and take a fresh backup before data changes.

A message for your AI helper

For my first website, separate the code, database and uploaded-file backup needs. Use the provider we actually chose. Check its current free limits, pause rules, backup features and paid-plan minimums from official sources. Help me export the correct live database securely and practise restoration into a separate test target. Never reset production or commit a private export. Show where to check usage and whether spending alerts truly cap costs. Update the existing README with a short backup, recovery and usage-check routine.

Make this message fit your idea.

What you should see

You have a usable data backup, have restored sample data to a safe place, and know where to check the allowance before it becomes a problem.

If you get stuck

Go at your own pace. There is no test to pass.

Checked 7 September 2026. Screens can change; the official guides below have the latest steps.

Cloudflare D1: Time Travel recoveryCloudflare D1: import and exportCloudflare D1: pricingCloudflare D1: storage and recovery limitsCloudflare Workers: pricingSupabase: database backupsSupabase: plans and free limits