Virtual Machines
Manage Snapshots
Create and manage point-in-time snapshots for instances
Snapshots provide point-in-time copies of instance state for operational protection and short-term recovery workflows.
Snapshot scope
Snapshots are available in two places:
- Account-level: centralized visibility across instances
- Instance-level: resource-scoped snapshot inventory
Snapshot metadata
Snapshot records include:
- Name
- Optional description
- Status
- Size
- Creation timestamp
Snapshot operations
Supported operations in current DC2 UI:
- Create snapshot
- Delete snapshot
Creation requires:
- Snapshot name (required)
- Description (optional)
Deletion removes the snapshot record and associated retained point-in-time state.
Snapshot use cases
- Configuration backup: Capture instance state before making system changes or updates
- Template creation: Create snapshots of fully configured instances to launch identical instances later
- Development/testing: Snapshot a clean state before running tests, then discard for quick reset
- Disaster recovery: Create snapshots before maintenance windows to enable quick recovery if needed
- Version management: Keep snapshots at major software releases for rollback capability
Snapshot management tips
- Naming convention: Use descriptive names with timestamps (e.g.,
web-server-backup-2026-03-25) - Document purpose: Add descriptions to snapshots explaining why they were created
- Regular cleanup: Delete old snapshots you won't need to manage storage costs
- Frequency: Create snapshots before major changes, not continuously—they consume storage similar to instance disk size