Snapshots are an effective way to make a complete backup of your server. This tutorial explains how to use the snapshot feature on Vultr.
A server snapshot is a point-in-time image of the entire instance SSD. 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, with MySQL, you can set a cron job to run mysqldump to separate directory on the local file system.
A snapshot and a backup are both point-in-time images of the instance. Backups can also be converted into snapshots. The main differences:
The snapshot will start. When the status changes from Pending to Available, the snapshot is complete.
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. 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.
A new instance will be launched based on your snapshot. Once it boots, it will be ready for use. You may need to make networking changes after restoring a snapshot. See the guide, Correcting Network Configuration After Snapshot Restore.
Deleting a snapshot is permanent. Deleted snapshots cannot be restored. This process does not delete the instance, it only deletes the individual snapshot.
To remove a snapshot:
The Vultr API offers several endpoints to manage snapshots.
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