Before your first live invoice, name the person who can recover the installation. A working login and a recent backup are useful, but neither proves that person can restore the database, stored documents and configuration when the server fails.
Pepper runs on your hosting. You can do the work yourself or hire a developer or hosting provider. The product purchase does not include server administration.
Give each job an owner
| Job | What that person checks |
|---|---|
| Hosting | Supported PHP and database, HTTPS, storage capacity and access |
| Scheduled work | Cron runs and due recurring invoices and reminders receive attention |
| Provider credentials, recipients and delivery failures | |
| Backups | Database and stored files have usable copies outside the live server |
| Updates | A compatible release works with the installation and any modifications |
| Recovery | The restore procedure works on a separate installation |
One person can own several jobs. The useful part is a clear handover: who has access, where the procedure lives and who can cover an absence.
Prove recovery with a separate copy
Follow the backup and restore manual. Restore into an isolated environment and check a sample invoice's issued original, an attached purchase receipt and the expected records. Keep that environment from sending customer email or running live billing schedules.
Use real checks against a sample you know. “The backup file downloaded” says less than “the restored purchase opens with its receipt”. The test should confirm that the records and files belong to the same recoverable installation.
Current portable exports need no database command-line tools. Older SQL recovery and server-engine update backups need process execution and matching database tools. Check your host’s support before relying on those paths. A supported newer release can import an older backup, apply its updates and verify the result before activation.
Treat delivery failures as operating work
An invoice can issue while its email fails. Read the delivery result on the existing record before trying again. Mail-server acceptance does not establish inbox delivery, and an unknown result needs review before a resend.
A cron interruption can leave recurring occurrences waiting. Review the schedule's next date and generated invoices after recovery. Catch-up behavior matters more than the presence of a green hosting status page.
Budget for updates and custom code
Pepper includes one year of updates and support. These renew automatically at $199/year unless you cancel. Cancel anytime to stop future charges; downloads, updates and support continue until the paid period ends. Your downloaded copy keeps working after that. Keeping an installation supported and maintained still takes work, including the PHP and database services around the application.
Test updates on a separate copy and preserve a recovery path. Modified files need a managed merge because the built-in updater refuses them. Product support covers the paid period. It covers bugs and built-in features that do not work as documented. Your technical partner handles custom code and hosting.
Check the update procedure with the person maintaining your installation. Agree who covers the hosting requirements and work outside product support.