> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.vavencloud.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Snapshot vs Backup: Which One Do You Need? - URL: https://blog.vavencloud.com/snapshot-vs-backup-which-do-you-need/ - Published: 2026-10-21T06:15:14.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-21T06:15:14.000Z - Author: Jerry Bopara - Tags: Security & Backups **Short answer:** a **snapshot** is a quick restore point stored on the server itself, best for undoing a bad change in minutes. A **backup** is a full copy stored somewhere else, best for disasters, deleted servers and nightly protection. Use a snapshot before you change something, and scheduled backups for everything that matters. People mix these two up, and the mix-up is expensive: a snapshot will not save you if the server is deleted. This guide explains the difference, when to use each, and how both work on VavenCloud. ## What is a snapshot? A snapshot is a point-in-time marker. It records the state of your server so you can go back to exactly that moment. It lives on the **same storage as the server**, which is why it is fast, and also why it has a weakness: if the server is deleted, its snapshots go with it. ## What is a backup? A backup is a full copy of your server (or database), stored **separately** from the server's own disk. On VavenCloud, backups are stored on Proxmox Backup Server. A backup survives the server being deleted, so you can recover from mistakes that a snapshot cannot undo. ![Table comparing a snapshot and a backup on VavenCloud: where each is stored, whether it survives deleting the server, how to restore, scheduling and best use](https://blog.vavencloud.com/content/images/2026/10/snapshot-vs-backup-table.png) Snapshot vs backup at a glance ## Snapshot vs backup: which one should you use? You usually need both. They answer different questions. ![Four situations and the right tool for each: snapshot before risky changes, snapshot rollback to undo, scheduled backup for nightly protection, new server from backup to recover](https://blog.vavencloud.com/content/images/2026/10/which-tool-use-cases.png) Match the situation to the tool - **Before an upgrade or migration:** take a snapshot, or a manual backup if the change is large. If it goes wrong, roll back. - **Every night, in production:** schedule backups so you always have recent copies stored away from the server. - **After deleting a server by mistake:** a snapshot is gone, but you can create a new server from a backup. - **To clone a server:** create a new server from a backup. **Example scenario (illustrative, not a customer story):** a developer is about to upgrade the framework of a live app. They take a snapshot first. The upgrade breaks the checkout page, so they use Stop & Rollback and are back to the working version in minutes. Weeks later a teammate deletes the wrong server. The snapshot is gone, but last night's scheduled backup lets them create a new server with the same data. ## How it works on VavenCloud **Snapshots** 1. Open the server's detail page and take a snapshot. 2. To go back, choose **Stop & Rollback**. The server is stopped, rolled back to the snapshot, and started again. 3. Delete snapshots you no longer need. **Backups** 1. Go to Snapshots & Backups and choose New Backup. 2. Pick the server or database. 3. Take a **manual backup** with a name and notes, or add a **schedule**: daily or weekly, at the time you choose, keeping the newest 1 to 30 copies. 4. To restore, put a backup back over the same server, or create a new server from it. Scheduled backups are an add-on. Manual backups and schedules work for databases too, in the Database section. ## Limits to know - **Snapshots are not backups.** They live on the server's storage and disappear if the server is deleted. - **Restoring over a server replaces its disks.** Anything written after the backup is lost. - **A new server from a backup uses a server credit**, because it creates a new server. - **Databases are restored through support.** You can take and schedule database backups yourself, but to restore one, open a support ticket. ## Five habits that make backups useful 1. Schedule daily backups for anything that matters, and keep enough copies to go back several days. 2. Take a snapshot before every risky change, then delete it once the change is proven. 3. Name manual backups clearly, for example "before-v2-upgrade". 4. Test a restore before you need one. 5. Keep copies of your app code and config outside the server too. [See cloud services](https://vavencloud.com/cloud-services?ref=blog.vavencloud.com) ## Real-life problems and how to avoid them Here are four problems that snapshots and backups are meant for. These are common situations, not customer stories. **"The update broke the app."** *What goes wrong:* A framework or package upgrade changed behaviour in production. *The fix:* Take a snapshot first. If it goes wrong, use Stop & Rollback and try again on a copy. **"Someone deleted the wrong server."** *What goes wrong:* Snapshots live on the server's storage, so they went with it. *The fix:* Keep scheduled backups. You can create a new server from a backup. **"We restored, and lost a day of data."** *What goes wrong:* Restoring over a server replaces its disks with the backup's contents, so anything newer is gone. *The fix:* Take a manual backup of the current state before you restore over a server, or restore into a new server instead. **"We never noticed the backups had stopped."** *What goes wrong:* Nobody checked the backup list, and nobody had tested a restore. *The fix:* Look at the list each week and test a restore on a spare server. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is a snapshot the same as a backup? No. A snapshot is a restore point stored on the server's own storage. A backup is a separate copy. Only the backup survives if the server is deleted. ### How often should I back up a server? Daily is a good starting point for most production servers. Choose how many copies to keep based on how far back you may need to go. ### How many backups can I keep? You can keep between 1 and 30\. The newest copies are kept and older scheduled copies are removed automatically. On a weekly schedule, the number means weeks. ### Do scheduled backups delete my manual backups? No. Only scheduled backups are pruned automatically. Manual backups stay until you delete them. ### Can I back up a database? Yes. You can take manual backups and set schedules for databases. To restore one, open a support ticket. **Not sure how to protect your setup?** Open a support ticket and tell us what you are running. Our team will help you choose. [Talk to our team](https://vavencloud.com/contact?ref=blog.vavencloud.com)