This guide explains how to back up a VPS Cloud in the form of a snapshot.

Introduction

• A snapshot is like a photo of your VPS Cloud at a given moment in time, containing everything on your server, including your operating system, applications, data, etc.
• Snapshots can be used notably for…
  • … protect your VPS Cloud in case of an issue: if you encounter a problem with your VPS Cloud, you can restore a snapshot to revert to a previous state.
  • … test changes without risk: before making significant changes to your VPS Cloud, you can create a snapshot to be able to go back if necessary.
• You benefit from a free snapshot to back up your entire server in a dedicated space. If needed, you can order additional space or delete a snapshot to create a new one.
• Two types of backup are possible:
  1. Data snapshot: allows you to create an image of the volume containing your data (not available for Windows distributions).
  2. **Operating system** snapshot: allows you to create an image of the volume containing your operating system. This type of backup involves a brief interruption of your applications and websites.
• It is recommended to create snapshots regularly, for example once a week or once a month; this will allow you to have a history of your VPS Cloud and to be able to go back in case of a problem.
• It is obviously possible to restore the state of the VPS Cloud thanks to the previously created snapshot.

Create a snapshot

For this:

1. Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the product in question.
3. Click on Snapshot in the left sidebar.
4. Click on the blue button Create a snapshot:
   
5. Choose the type of snapshot to create (data or operating system).
6. Click on the blue button to start creating the snapshot:
   
7. An email is sent when the snapshot is generated.

Delete a snapshot

For this:

1. Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the product in question.
3. Click on Snapshot in the left sidebar.
4. Click on the action menu ⋮ to the right of the relevant item in the displayed table.
5. Click on Delete:
   

Order additional snapshots

For this:

1. Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the product in question.
3. Click on Snapshot in the left sidebar.
4. Click on the shopping cart icon:
   
5. Follow the instructions to complete the order.

It is not possible to order an additional snapshot if a snapshot is in progress.