Vultr VPS Snapshots Quickstart Guide
Snapshots are an effective way to make a complete backup of your server. This tutorial explains how to use the snapshot feature with your VPS hosting at Vultr.
What is a Snapshot?
A server snapshot is a point-in-time image of the entire instance SSD for data disaster recovery. We do not stop the instance when taking a snapshot, and booting from a snapshot is similar to rebooting after a non-graceful restart. Modern file systems and databases handle this scenario well. Still, you may want to take additional measures to guarantee your data's consistent state when running very active and write-intensive database-type systems. For example, for MySQL, you can set a cron job to run mysqldump to separate directory on the local file system.
Are Snapshots Different than Backups?
A snapshot and a backup are both point-in-time images of the instance. Backups can also be converted into snapshots. The main differences:
- Snapshots are manual.
- Backups are automatic.
- Vultr keeps the two most recent backups. If you need to preserve a specific backup, you can convert it into a snapshot.
Physically, snapshots and backups are the same. The difference is automation and billing.
Create a Snapshot
- Log in to the customer portal.
- Click Products, then click the server to snapshot on the list.
- Click the Snapshots tab.
- Type a label for the snapshot and click the Take Snapshot button.
The snapshot will start. When the status changes from Pending to Available, the snapshot is complete.
Restore a Snapshot
You are not able to restore individual files from a snapshot directly. When restoring a snapshot, you restore the entire instance. You can restore a snapshot to a new instance and then retrieve individual files if needed.
To restore a snapshot, deploy a new instance.
Log in to the customer portal and click Deploy.
At the Server Type selection, select the Snapshot tab and pick your snapshot from the list. You can identify the snapshot from the description. Make sure that the instance size is equal or larger than the snapshot size. For example, if the snapshot was created from a 25 GB instance SSD, you could only restore to a 25 GB instance or larger.
Select your plan and optional features, then click Place Order.
Vultr will launch a new instance from your snapshot. You may need to make networking changes after restoring a snapshot. See the guide, Correcting Network Configuration After Snapshot Restore.
How to Delete Old Snapshots
Follow these steps to find, manage, and remove snapshots.
- Log in to the customer portal.
- Click Products, then Snapshots.
- Take note of the size and date of your snapshots to identify which ones to delete.
- Click the Remove Snapshot (trashcan) icon.
- A confirmation pop-up appears. Click the Remove Snapshot button.
When you delete a snapshot, the action is permanent. Vultr can not restore deleted snapshots. A snapshot is independent of the instance it was made from. Therefore, deleting the snapshot does not affect the other servers in your account.
Manage Snapshots via API
The Vultr API offers several endpoints to manage snapshots.
- Create a new snapshot for an instance.
- Create a new snapshot from a RAW image located at a URL.
- Get information about a snapshot.
- Get information about all snapshots in your account.
- Update the description for a snapshot.
- Restore an instance from a snapshot.
- Delete a snapshot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Snapshots Available for Bare Metal Server?
Snapshots are not available for Bare Metal recovery. Please install a third-party backup solution to enable Bare Metal restore.
What is the Charge for Snapshots?
Vultr charges $0.05/GB per month for the compressed size of your snapshots.
See our announcement: Vultr will begin charging for snapshot storage on October 1