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

Introduction

• A snapshot is like a picture of your Cloud VPS at a specific point in time, containing everything on your server, including your operating system, applications, data, etc.
• Snapshots can be used, in particular, to…
  • … protect your Cloud VPS in case of a problem: if you encounter a problem with your Cloud VPS, you can restore a snapshot to return to a previous state.
  • … test changes without risk: before making significant changes to your Cloud VPS, you can create a snapshot so that you can revert if necessary.
• You benefit from one free snapshot to back up your entire server in a dedicated space; if needed, it is possible to order additional space or delete a snapshot to create a new one.
• Two types of backup are possible:
  1. Snapshot of the data: allows you to create an image of the volume that contains your data (not available for Windows distributions).
  2. Snapshot of the operating system: allows you to create an image of the volume that contains your operating system. This type of backup involves a brief interruption of a few minutes for 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 Cloud VPS and to be able to revert in case of a problem.
• It is obviously possible to restore the Cloud VPS to its previous state using the snapshot created earlier.

Create a snapshot

To do this:

1. Click here to access the management of your product in the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the product in question.
3. Click on Snapshot in the left-hand menu.
4. Click on the blue Create a snapshot button:
   
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

To do this:

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

Order additional snapshots

To do 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-hand menu.
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 currently in progress.