newbie server admin questions

hey everyone,

i just launched my first proper saas app and it's super exciting! the front end is live, but i'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the backend stuff, especially managing cPanel for website maintenance. it's all new territory for me. i'm kinda new to server management in general.

i'm trying to handle all the server administration myself to keep costs down, but i keep running into issues. for example, i'm not sure if i'm setting up cron jobs correctly for backups or how to properly secure my wordpress installation. i'm really trying to get a handle on this whole server management thing.

i've spent hours watching youtube videos and reading guides on cPanel, but a lot of it feels like i'm just patching things up without truly understanding the core concepts. i'm worried i'll mess something up big time. it's a lot to learn about proper server management.

specifically, i'm struggling with a few things:

• how do you guys manage your cPanel backups? are the default settings good enough, or should i be doing something more robust?
• what are the absolute must-do security steps for cPanel and a wordpress site? i've installed a security plugin but feel like i'm missing something at the server level.
• any tips for optimizing performance directly from cPanel? i've tried enabling caching but my site still feels a bit sluggish sometimes.

i know this is probably basic stuff for many of you, but i'm a complete newbie to server administration. any advice or resources for someone starting out would be amazing. anyone faced this before?