How to give a freelancer an online store for revision without the risk of losing visitors and the store itself?

Question

CMS

Good afternoon!
(maybe my question is a stupid and lamer question, sorry just in case)
I own an online store and recently planned a redesign of the store's website, and it came to layout.
In this regard, I would like to ask you, dear community, how to organize work with a freelancer when maintaining an online store in order to achieve three simple goals:
1) do not expose the website / database data to the risk of theft
2) if possible, do not lose traffic during the work over the site (i.e. keep it in working condition)
3) get the necessary result from the freelancer and implement it on the site?
Is it generally acceptable to give a freelancer access to ftp, or are there better ways?
Is there any reason to worry about the safety of information? (the store does not yet bring profit, but efforts have already been invested decently in it)
How can you manage without concluding a contract?
PS: The shop platform is prestashop. If someone expresses a desire to do the work, write to [email protected]

Answer 1

The surest way is to make a copy of the site on a separate instance, wipe all important data or make a replacement, for example, rename all customers to Ivanov and change their emails to random ones.
You can’t steal the data, since it’s not reliable, you won’t lose visitors because the freelancer works on a test server, I think it’s not difficult for the admin to transfer the changes if the head is not out of the ass and git is used.

Answer 2

Why would a freelancer need access to a work site at all? Moreover, the engine is free and open. You should never make changes to the site immediately on the working site (with the exception of very minor edits).
If the site has a lot of changes in the engine and the freelancer really needs it, then: make a site backup + database backup. From the database file, extract all the personal data of users (just delete / replace lines). Then deploy this copy locally in Denver. Change the database and administrator passwords, give them to a freelancer. He makes all the edits. Then, with all the data ready, you update the site.

Answer 3

It is correct to do everything through git (gitolite / gitlab) with an intermediate test site with a copy of the combat base. This approach isolates the webmaster (after all, he is engaged in updating the design) from any interaction with the database in principle. And from interacting with the working site. After testing, the changes are simply rolled by the merge.

Answer 4

There is only one legal way - a civil law contract for the provision of services with a clause on liability in case of violation of its conditions. There are no more mutually beneficial options as such.

Answer 5

How will you not lose data from the site if it is directly engaged in its layout?
- Alternatively, there is cms, where layout can be done in the editor built into the admin panel.
- Another option is to give him templates, and let the engine pump itself.
- Do not give access to the domain registrar's admin panel.
- You can copy the site and database. Then clean the database and give it these files to shamanize.
well, implement it on the site according to his instructions.

Answer 6

Make a "test" version, which will not have customer data.
Find out from the freelancer what files you need to copy "for updating" and copy the files yourself.