Skip to main content

Cloud server network volume snapshots

A snapshot is an instant image of a network volume's state, a copy of its file system.

You can use a snapshot to capture the state of a disk without interrupting its operation, in order to:

  • clone a disk — to do this, you can create a new disk from a snapshot or restore data to a new disk. You can restore to a disk immediately after creating a snapshot;
  • clone a cloud server — create a new cloud server from a snapshot;
  • change the disk type — save the state of a disk using a snapshot and create an identical disk, but with a different type.

Access to snapshots is controlled by a role model. For more details, see the instructions Manage access to cloud server network volumes and snapshots.

How it works

The size of a snapshot can exceed the actual volume of data and files on the disk. The snapshot size includes file system blocks and "dirty data" that appears when files are overwritten or deleted.

Snapshots can only be created for network volumes. A maximum of five snapshots can be created for each disk.

A snapshot is not a backup of a cloud server network volume — it is stored on the same hardware, requires the primary storage to be available for any operation, and is deleted along with the disk. If you need to capture the state of a disk and store it for a long period, create a backup or create a disk image instead of a snapshot. If you want to configure automatic backup of a network volume, configure scheduled backups.

A snapshot cannot be downloaded, but you can create a disk image and download the image.

You can view alternative ways to back up cloud servers in the Backup methods table.

Pricing

Snapshots are billed according to the cloud platform payment model.

Every GB of snapshots in AVAILABLE or RESTORING status is billed. Snapshots in other statuses are not billed.

The cost of a snapshot is equal to the cost of the network volume from which it was created and depends on the disk type. The storage cost of a created snapshot does not change when the disk size is changed.

Every disk snapshot is billed, even if there are multiple snapshots.

You can view the actual size of a snapshot in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Cloud Servers → Disks section → disk page → Snapshots tab. The total volume of billable snapshots can also be viewed in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Cloud Servers → Platform consumption → Current cost.

You can view the cost per GB of snapshots at servercore.com.

Create a snapshot

For each disk, you can create no more than five snapshots. To increase the limit, create a ticket.

A snapshot can be created for network volumes in AVAILABLE and IN-USE statuses. When creating a snapshot, the name is set automatically as snap-creationdate_creationtime, for example snap-14.05.21_14.43

  1. In the control panel, in the top menu, click Products and select Cloud Servers.
  2. Go to the Disks section.
  3. Open the disk page → Snapshots tab.
  4. Click Create snapshot.

Restore data from a snapshot

You can create a new network volume from a snapshot. The disk will be a copy of the state that was on the original disk at the moment the snapshot was created.

  1. In the control panel, in the top menu, click Products and select Cloud Servers.
  2. Go to the Disks section.
  3. Open the disk page → Snapshots tab.
  4. In the menu for the snapshot, select Create disk from snapshot.
  5. Optional: replace the boot disk of the cloud server with the restored one or attach the restored disk to the server as an additional volume.

Snapshot statuses

  1. In the control panel, in the top menu, click Products and select Cloud Servers.

  2. Go to the Disks section.

  3. Open the disk page → Snapshots tab.

  4. View the status in the snapshot row → Status column.

    CREATINGThe snapshot is being created
    AVAILABLEThe snapshot has been successfully created; you can restore data from it. Snapshots in this status are billable
    RESTORINGSnapshot data is being restored to the disk. Snapshots in this status are billable
    ERRORAn error occurred during snapshot creation
    ERROR-DELETINGAn error occurred during snapshot deletion
    DELETINGThe snapshot is being deleted
    DELETEDThe snapshot has been deleted

Delete a snapshot

You can delete a snapshot when deleting a disk or separately.

  1. In the control panel, in the top menu, click Products and select Cloud Servers.
  2. Go to the Disks section.
  3. Open the disk page → Snapshots tab.
  4. In the menu for the snapshot, select Delete.