VPS Snapshots and Backups

Snapshots and backups both protect your VPS from disaster, but they work differently and serve different purposes. Understanding when to use each one can save you a lot of downtime.

Snapshots vs. backups

• A snapshot is an instant, point-in-time image of your entire disk, taken on demand — ideal right before a risky change like a kernel upgrade or major config edit
• A backup is a scheduled, automated copy stored separately from your VPS's disk, taken daily or weekly depending on your plan
• Snapshots are best for quick short-term rollback; backups are for longer-term disaster recovery

Taking a manual snapshot

From the client area, go to your VPS service and open the Snapshots tab. Click Take Snapshot — this takes anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes depending on disk size, and your server stays online throughout. You can keep multiple snapshots, though we recommend deleting older ones once you've confirmed a change is stable, since snapshots do count against your allocated disk quota.

Restoring from a snapshot

Select the snapshot you want from the list and click Restore. This reverts the entire disk to that exact point in time, including all files, installed software and configuration — anything changed after the snapshot was taken will be lost, so it's worth taking a fresh snapshot before restoring an older one, just in case.

Scheduled backups

• Available as an add-on on VPS and VDS plans — check your plan's inclusions or add it from the client area
• Backups are stored on separate infrastructure, so a server-level failure won't take your backup with it
• Retention is typically 7-14 days depending on your backup plan — older backups roll off automatically
• Full server restores from a backup can be requested via support ticket

Our recommendation

Enable scheduled backups for anything running production data, and get in the habit of taking a manual snapshot before any major change — software installs, OS updates, or config edits. Together they cover both everyday accidents and rare catastrophic failures.