Setup & operation
What is a snapshot and how is it different from a backup?
A snapshot is a point-in-time copy of your instance's disk, taken instantly and stored on the same infrastructure. A backup is a copy stored elsewhere. Snapshots protect against your own mistakes; backups protect against infrastructure failure. You need both, and three snapshots are included free on every plan.
Snapshots are instant and taken without pausing the instance, which makes them ideal before an upgrade, a configuration change or an experiment. Restoring is a two-minute operation.
They are not a disaster-recovery strategy. If the underlying storage is lost, the snapshots go with it. Our nightly encrypted backup add-on writes to a second jurisdiction, which is the property that actually matters.
See also: Snapshot
7 answers in Setup & operation
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