You can script backups with the HubSpot Application Programming Interface, API, but you will own coverage, maintenance and restores. A managed HubSpot backup service, such as backHUB, provides governed backups with selective, bulk and point in time restore plus change tracking. Use DIY for narrow, low risk needs. Use a managed service for production grade recovery and auditability.
What is the short answer to DIY API scripts versus a managed HubSpot backup service?
DIY API scripts give you full control, however they come with ongoing engineering effort, manual recovery steps and gaps across assets, configuration and relationships. A managed service captures HubSpot data, assets and settings with context, then restores your portal to a specific timestamp, aligned to your Recovery Point Objective, RPO, and Recovery Time Objective, RTO. Use DIY for small, low risk tasks. Use a managed service when uptime, integrity and audit evidence matter.
Who is this for and what will you learn by comparing both paths?
This guide is for growth leaders who need a board ready position on continuity, for IT and operations owners who must meet policy and audit standards, and for functional managers who need fast fixes without heavy manual work. You will learn how DIY scripts actually run, where they fall short during incidents, what a managed service adds, and how to decide which path fits your risk and resourcing.
How do DIY scripts using the HubSpot API work in practice?
DIY scripts call HubSpot APIs on a schedule, handle pagination and rate limits, and save results into your chosen storage with your own retention and encryption. You might use a software development kit, SDK, to simplify calls and add change detection for incremental copies. This approach can suit narrow scopes, for example nightly exports of Contacts and Deals into a data lake, because you control cadence and storage. You must also design and maintain error handling, logging, alerts, key rotation, and you must update code as endpoints or schemas evolve.
Why are DIY scripts not sufficient for production grade HubSpot recovery?
DIY scripts struggle most at restore time. Recreating a working environment from files requires manual re imports, mapping and verification. This is slow in an incident and risks duplicate records, broken associations and configuration mismatches. Coverage is often partial beyond core objects, so workflows, pipelines, property definitions, lists, permissions, themes, modules and HubDB tables are missed. Achieving and evidencing RPO and RTO targets is difficult because you rely on bespoke logs and varied operator steps. Dependency on a small team creates continuity risk when people change roles.
How does a managed HubSpot backup service change recovery outcomes?
A managed service captures HubSpot data, assets and settings together with relationships and configuration so your portal can return to a known timestamp. You can run a targeted restore to fix a single record, a bulk restore to correct an object segment, or a wider recovery when configuration and assets need to move back in step. Role based access control, RBAC, and approvals limit who can act. Change tracking records who changed what and when, and recovery records produce an evidence pack that audit teams recognise. In practice, this shortens time to stability and reduces manual rework.
What are the practical differences in coverage, restore depth, speed, governance and effort?
Coverage with DIY is variable and tends to be strong for core objects but weak for relationships, settings and assets. Coverage with a managed service includes HubSpot aware objects, assets and settings with linked context. Restore depth with DIY usually means export and manual re import, while a managed service offers selective, bulk and portal scope point in time restore that respects relationships. Speed is typically slower with DIY due to mapping and checking, whereas a managed service is designed to reduce recovery steps. Governance is uneven with DIY because evidence varies by incident, while a managed service provides consistent logs and approvals. Effort with DIY includes engineering, testing and on call support, while a managed service moves that load to a subscription with a defined Service Level Agreement, SLA.
Which option should you choose for common scenarios, and can you combine them?
Choose DIY when scope is small, change volume is low and you accept manual recovery, for example periodic exports for analytics or an occasional restoration of a small record set. Choose a managed service when you have defined RPO and RTO targets, when incidents can span data, assets and settings, and when you need a consistent, auditable path back to a known state. Many teams combine both, using DIY exports for analytics while relying on a managed, HubSpot aware restore when live operations are affected.
How do typical incidents play out with DIY scripts and with a managed service?
If an integration loop corrupts values across Contacts and Deals, DIY recovery means exporting data, reconciling changes and re importing with extensive checks. A managed service restores the affected objects and relationships to the moment before the incident, then you resume the integration after a short reconciliation. If a workflow is deleted or misconfigured, DIY scripts rarely capture full logic, so you rebuild by hand and chase down side effects. A managed service restores workflow configuration and reverts impacted records to the last known good state. If a bulk property update overwrites fields across objects, DIY relies on CSVs and mapping, which risks incomplete fixes. A managed service performs a targeted or bulk restore to the chosen timestamp. If a theme or module change breaks layouts, DIY coverage of assets and settings is often incomplete. A managed service restores assets and related configuration with a clear trail of what changed.
What security, governance and compliance controls should be in place?
You should restrict backup and restore actions with RBAC and use least privilege keys for any API access. You should rotate credentials and manage secrets securely. You should retain change logs and recovery records with timestamps, owners, scope and outcomes so you can show control during audits. You should align retention and storage with policy and the General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR, and you should keep references to your Data Processing Agreement, DPA. You should encrypt data in transit and at rest and document how sensitive fields are handled. These controls support both DIY and managed approaches, though a managed service will provide many of them out of the box.
What should you implement this quarter to reduce risk without adding friction?
You should confirm, in writing, what your DIY exports actually cover, including custom objects, associations and settings, and you should run a small restore exercise in a non production portal to time the process. You should agree RPO and RTO with business owners and record them in your continuity plan. You should configure a managed service to capture data, assets and settings on a cadence that meets those targets, and you should assign requester, executor, validator and approver roles with dual approval for production restores. You should run a point in time restore drill and keep an evidence pack with logs, approvals, screenshots and timings. These actions will improve recovery speed and clarity while keeping day to day work efficient.
FAQs
Can I back up HubSpot with the API and achieve point in time restore?
You can approximate point in time restore by capturing frequent snapshots and building reliable replays, however it is complex to maintain and slow to use during incidents. A managed service is designed to restore to a timestamp quickly while preserving relationships and configuration.
Which HubSpot assets and settings are hardest to capture with DIY scripts?
DIY coverage is often weak for workflows, lists, pipelines, property definitions, permissions, themes, modules and HubDB tables. These gaps make it difficult to restore behaviour and reporting without manual rebuilds and extensive checks.
If we already export data nightly, why do we need a managed backup?
Nightly exports help with analysis and basic recovery, however they rarely meet defined RPO or RTO, and they do not provide governed, HubSpot aware restore paths for assets and settings. A managed service addresses those gaps and shortens recovery.
Can I restore a single record or object without affecting others?
Yes. A managed service supports targeted restores so you can correct one record or a defined set without changing unrelated data or settings. This limits disruption and reduces validation work for live users.
How do we evidence recovery controls for an audit?
You should keep change logs, approvals, restore records and post incident reviews in a tamper evident location. Your evidence pack should show timestamps, owners, scope, validation steps and results so external reviewers can follow the chain of custody.
What happens when HubSpot changes an API or a rate limit?
DIY scripts require maintenance, testing and sometimes re design. A managed service absorbs these changes within the service so your team does not carry the operational burden.
