Snapshots and backups look similar in the panel, but they protect you from different problems. This guide shows when to use each one and how to set your own backup schedule.
1. The difference in one minute
A snapshot saves the state of your disk at one moment. You take it right before a risky change, and you delete it after the change works. A backup runs on a schedule and is kept based on your settings. It protects you from problems you find later, like a bad update you notice after a week, or a database someone deleted.
2. Take a snapshot before risky changes
Before an OS upgrade, a kernel change, or a big config change: open your service in the client area, go to Snapshots under Service management, and click Create Snapshot. Name it after the change you are about to make, so you always know what is inside it.
Powering down first is recommended
Snapshots work on a running server, but we recommend powering down first to keep the data consistent. This matters most for databases: a snapshot taken in the middle of writes can save the database in a broken state. For a small config change, a live snapshot is fine.
Keep the snapshot until you are sure the change works, then delete it with the trash icon. A snapshot only shows one old moment, so it gets outdated fast. Do not use snapshots as backups.
3. Roll back to a snapshot
If the change went wrong, open the Snapshots list, click the revert icon on the snapshot row, and confirm. The status shows Processing while the disk is restored, and Available when it is done. Be aware of what a revert means: the whole disk goes back to the snapshot moment, and everything you changed after that moment is lost.
Your plan also has limits on snapshots: a maximum number and a maximum total size. The panel shows both, and when you reach a limit, you cannot create new snapshots until you delete an old one.
4. Turn on scheduled backups
Backups run on a schedule you choose. Open your service, click Log In To Panel under Service actions, pick your server, and open the Backups tab. Turn the toggle on, then open Schedule settings. Pick Monthly, Weekly, or Daily, set the days and time, and choose how many backups to keep (Unlimited or a fixed limit). The card shows when the next backup will run.
5. Manual backups and how limits work
You can also create a backup by hand, for example before a migration. Use Backups on your service page or in the control panel. Your plan has a limit on stored backups, and the panel shows it. Scheduled and manual backups count together. When a new backup goes over the limit, the oldest one is deleted automatically. So if a backup you care about is the oldest one in the list, it will be deleted next.
6. Restore a backup
To restore, click the restore icon on the backup row and confirm. As the panel warns, a restore overwrites all data currently stored on the server with the data from the backup, and this cannot be undone. The backup list shows the progress while a backup is created, and the finished backup is much smaller than the disk because only used space is stored.
The control panel behind Log In To Panel has one extra option on the same restore button: Create new Virtual Server from backup. That builds a separate new server from the backup and leaves the current server untouched, which is the safer choice when you want to inspect old data without losing the current state.
7. What neither one replaces
Snapshots and backups both live inside our platform. For data you cannot afford to lose, also keep one copy outside, on your own computer or with another provider:
$ mysqldump -u root -p --all-databases | gzip > backup.sql.gz$ scp [email protected]:backup.sql.gz .
The 3-2-1 rule
Keep three copies of important data, on two different systems, with one copy in another place. The live server, a panel backup, and a regular dump to your own machine cover all three.
Quick reference
| Question | Snapshot | Backup |
|---|---|---|
| Protects against | The change you are about to make | Problems you find later |
| Created | By hand, before risky work | On your schedule, or by hand |
| Where | Snapshots on your service page | Backups tab, Log In To Panel for scheduling |
| Roll back | Revert icon, confirm | Restore icon, confirm; overwrites the server |
| Retention | Delete it yourself when done | Kept per your schedule settings |
| Best practice | Power down first | Set a schedule and let it run |
Where to go next
Set a backup schedule now; it takes one minute. Take a snapshot before every upgrade. Keep an off-site copy of anything you cannot replace, and automate that off-site copy with restic.