Overview

A snapshot captures the complete state of a virtual machine at a specific point in time, including all disk contents and the VM configuration. Snapshots are stored alongside the VM and can be used to revert the machine to a previous state in seconds.

Snapshots are ideal as a safety net before performing risky operations such as software upgrades, configuration changes, or OS patches. They are not intended as a long-term backup solution — for scheduled backups and offsite replication, see the Backups & DR section.

Creating a Snapshot

To create a snapshot of a virtual machine:

1. Navigate to the VM detail page by selecting the device from Virtual Datacenter > All Devices.
2. Open the Snapshots tab.
3. Click Create a new Snapshot.
4. Enter a name for the snapshot (e.g., "Before kernel upgrade" or "Clean install baseline").
5. Optionally enter a description to provide additional context.
6. Click Create Snapshot to begin the snapshot process.

Snapshot creation time depends on the size of the VM's disks. The VM remains accessible during the snapshot process.

Viewing Snapshots

All snapshots for a VM are listed in the Snapshots tab on the VM detail page. Snapshots are displayed in a hierarchical tree structure showing parent-child relationships. Each entry displays:

• Snapshot Name — The label you assigned when creating the snapshot. The current active snapshot is highlighted with a "You are here" indicator.
• Description — The optional description text provided during creation.
• Created At — The date and time the snapshot was taken.
• Size (MB) — The storage consumed by the snapshot in megabytes.

Restoring a Snapshot

To restore a VM to a previous snapshot:

1. Navigate to the VM's Snapshots tab.
2. Locate the target snapshot in the list.
3. Click Restore next to the snapshot.
4. In the confirmation dialog, check the acknowledgement checkbox confirming that all disk data since the snapshot will be permanently deleted.
5. Click Restore Snapshot to proceed.

Restore operations typically complete within a few seconds. The VM must be restarted manually after the restore is finished.

Cloning a Device from a Snapshot

You can create a new virtual machine by cloning from an existing snapshot. This feature is available for Linux and ISO-based devices only.

1. Navigate to the VM detail page and open the Snapshots tab.
2. Locate the snapshot you want to clone from and click the clone icon. A popover confirms the action: "Clone device from a snapshot".
3. In the Clone device from a snapshot modal, fill in the following fields:
   • Organization — Select the target organization (this field is only shown for reseller tenants).
   • Device name — Enter a name for the new device.
   • Hostname — Enter the hostname for the new device.
   • Create from snapshot — Select the snapshot to use. The dropdown lists "Current device state" along with all available snapshots (showing name and date).
   • NIC network selection — Choose a network and configure IP fields for each network interface.
   • Deploy device without network — Optionally check this box to create the device without any network interface (Linux devices only).
4. Click Clone to create the new device.

Deleting a Snapshot

Snapshots consume storage space. Delete snapshots you no longer need to free up resources:

1. Navigate to the VM's Snapshots tab.
2. Click the delete icon (trash) next to the snapshot you want to remove.
3. Check the confirmation checkbox acknowledging that the deletion is irreversible.
4. Choose whether to delete only the selected snapshot or the snapshot and all its children.
5. Click Save changes to proceed.

Deleting a snapshot does not affect the current state of the VM. Only the stored snapshot data is removed. Note that snapshot deletion takes time and depends on the snapshot size.

Best Practices

• Snapshot before changes — Always create a snapshot before applying OS updates, software upgrades, or configuration changes. This gives you a fast rollback path.
• Use descriptive names — Name your snapshots with the date and context (e.g., "2024-03-15 Pre-migration") so you can quickly identify the right one to revert to.
• Limit snapshot count — Each snapshot consumes storage proportional to the changes since the last snapshot. Avoid accumulating many snapshots over time, as they can significantly increase storage costs.
• Do not use as primary backup — Snapshots are stored on the same infrastructure as the VM. For disaster recovery, configure scheduled backups that replicate data to a separate location.
• Clean up regularly — Review your snapshots periodically and delete those that are no longer needed. A weekly review cadence is recommended for active workloads.