Two different mechanisms are available for CloudVM virtual servers: snapshots and backups. They serve different purposes, and it is important not to treat one as a substitute for the other.
Snapshot
A snapshot captures the state of the virtual machine at a particular moment in time. It is not a full copy of the server: a snapshot depends on the original virtual machine and records only the differences from its current state, which is why it is created almost instantly.
Snapshots are intended for rolling back — before installing updates, changing configuration or any other operation you might want to undo.
When you restore from a snapshot, the current state of the server is discarded, along with any snapshots taken after the one you are restoring to. This cannot be undone, so make sure you are restoring to the state you actually want.
Two snapshots are included in the price of a CloudVM virtual server. Snapshots are kept for up to one month; after that we may remove them, so a snapshot should not be relied on as long-term storage.
A snapshot is not a backup. It lives alongside the virtual machine on the same storage system and depends on it: if the virtual machine is deleted, its snapshots go with it. Snapshots protect you against your own mistakes, not against the loss of the server itself.
Backup
A backup is a complete, compressed copy of the virtual machine. Unlike a snapshot, it does not depend on the current state of the server and allows the machine to be restored in full.
Backups are not included in the price of the server. The backup option is offered whenever you order a virtual server, and you choose how many backup copies you want to keep.
Each backup copy costs 10% of the price of the virtual server. Two copies therefore cost 20%, three copies 30%, and so on. The amount is added to the regular price of your server.
If you did not select the option when ordering and would like to add it to an existing server, open a ticket from your client area.
Which should I use?
- Before a risky change — take a snapshot. It is quick, costs nothing extra and lets you go straight back if something breaks.
- To protect data — use backups. This is what will help you if the server is lost, rather than merely misconfigured.
- For genuinely important data — keep an additional copy outside our infrastructure as well. Any single storage location is a single point of failure, whoever operates it.
If you need help restoring a server, open a ticket from your client area.
