Open the Snapshots page in my.cubepath.com.

A snapshot is a permanent copy of a VPS disk. Unlike a backup, it doesn't expire, it isn't deleted when you destroy the server, and you can deploy it as new servers in any location.

Snapshots vs backups

BackupSnapshot
TakenDaily at the hour you choose, or by handBy hand, whenever you want
Kept1 to 7 days, at most 10 copiesUntil you delete it
If you destroy the serverDeleted with itKept
RestoreOver the same server, replacing its dataAs new servers, the source is untouched
WhereSame server onlyAny location, on a plan with at least the same disk
Needs backups enabledYesNo
Price+20% on the server's monthly price$0.03 per GB stored per month

Use backups for day-to-day protection against mistakes and bad deploys: they run on their own and clean up after themselves. Use snapshots for anything you want to keep or reuse:

  • A copy before a risky migration or an OS upgrade that you may need beyond 7 days.
  • A server you are about to destroy but might want back.
  • A golden image to deploy identical servers from.
  • Moving a server to another location or to a different plan, including another instance family such as Dedicated CPU when your account has access to it.

Create a snapshot

There are two ways to get one.

From the server, with the server running or stopped:

  1. 1
    Open Snapshots
    Click Snapshots in the sidebar of my.cubepath.com.
  2. 2
    Create snapshot
    Click Create snapshot and choose the server.
  3. 3
    Confirm
    The copy is taken with the server running, without stopping it. It takes from a few minutes to longer, depending on the size of the disk.

From a backup: open the server, go to the Backups tab and click Convert to snapshot on a completed backup. The backup is not touched and keeps its own retention.

Deploy a server from a snapshot

Click Deploy on an available snapshot and choose the location, plan and project, as with any new server. The new server boots with the snapshot's disk and its own new IP addresses. On Linux images with cloud-init, the network, hostname and SSH keys are reconfigured for the new server; images without cloud-init keep the source server's network settings and credentials.

  • Any location works. Deploying in a location other than the snapshot's own takes longer, because the copy travels there first.
  • The plan's disk must be at least as large as the snapshot's disk.
  • Up to 3 servers can be deployed from the same snapshot at the same time.
  • Linux and Windows snapshots are supported. On Windows, set a password for the Administrator user.
  • A snapshot of a suspended server can't be deployed until the suspension is lifted.

Statuses

StatusMeaning
PendingQueued, waiting to start
ConvertingThe copy is being made
AvailableReady to deploy
FailedThe copy didn't finish. It costs nothing; create a new one
DeletingBeing removed; billing has already stopped

Manage snapshots

From the list you can rename a snapshot, move it to another project or delete it. Deleting a snapshot is permanent and stops its billing at once; servers already deployed from it are not affected. You can't delete a snapshot while it is being created or while a server is being deployed from it.

Pricing

Snapshots cost $0.03 per GB stored per month, billed by the hour from your balance, from the moment the snapshot is available until you delete it. You pay for the space the copy actually takes, compressed and without empty blocks, which is usually well below the size of the disk, and never more than the disk itself. A snapshot of a 40 GB disk costs at most $1.20 per month.

Limits

Each organization can keep up to 10 snapshots and 500 GB of snapshots by default. The quota counts the full disk size of each snapshot, not the smaller stored size you are billed for. The Quota tile on the Snapshots page shows your current usage. If you need more, open a ticket.