Create backups of cloud server network volumes

Last update: May 30 2026

You can create a manual backup or configure automatic scheduled backups.

Learn more about full and incremental backups in the network volume Backups.

Backups do not have an automatic integrity or functionality check. We recommend that you periodically restore from backups to verify that the restoration works correctly.

Create a manual backup

1. In the Control panel, from the top menu, click Products and select Cloud Servers.
2. Go to the Volumes.
3. In the menu for the volume, select Create backup.
4. Click Create backup.

Configure scheduled backups

Backup settings for a volume can be defined in a backup plan:

• which volumes to apply the plan to — for which volumes backups will be created according to this plan;
• type of backups to be created — full or incremental;
• schedule — when volume backups will be created;
• how many of the latest full backups to keep — learn more about backup storage.

A single backup plan can be applied to one volume or several at once — you do not need to configure backup schedules for each volume separately. Any number of plans can be applied to a single volume.

You can add plans that will be applied to the volume.

If you need to change backup settings, you can edit the plan or disable the plan.

Create plan

1. In the Control panel, from the top menu, click Products and select Cloud Servers.

2. Go to the Backups.

3. Open the Plans tab.

4. Click Create plan.

5. Enter the plan name.

6. Select the location where the volume is located.

7. Select the volumes the plan will apply to.

8. Select the backup type: full or incremental.

9. If you have chosen a full backup, specify how to configure the schedule.

   By days of the week

   To schedule backup creation by days of the week, select the required days and enter the time in the HH:MM format in your time zone when backups will be created.

   Via cron expression

   To configure backup creation via a cron expression, enter the cron expression in UTC +0.

   A cron expression consists of five values in order — they set the specific times when backups will be created:

   • minutes — from 0 to 59;
   • hours — from 0 to 24;
   • days of the month — from 1 to 31;
   • month — from 1 to 12;
   • days of the week — from 1 to 7.

   Any value can be replaced with the * symbol — it represents every possible value.

   For example, the entry 0 0,12 * * 1,5 will create backups on Mondays and Fridays at 00:00 and 12:00.

   You can use online editors to create cron expressions — for example, crontab guru.

10. If you have chosen an incremental backup, enter the time in the HH:MM format in your time zone when backups will be created daily.

    The first created backup is a full backup; then, it is created exactly one week later and subsequently once a week. On the other days, incremental backups are created.

11. Select which backups to store — all of them or the latest ones.

12. If you have chosen to store the latest backups, specify how many of the latest full backups to keep. The minimum number of stored full backups is:

    • for full backups — one;
    • for incremental backups — two. Incremental backups are stored in chains of seven backups — one full backup and six subsequent incremental backups. For example, if the plan settings specify storing three full backups, the three latest backup chains will be kept.

    There is no limit to the number of backups that can be created under one plan.

13. Click Create plan.

Edit plan

The backup type in a plan cannot be changed.

1. In the Control panel, from the top menu, click Products and select Cloud Servers.
2. Go to the Backups.
3. Open the Plans tab.
4. In the menu for the plan, select Edit settings.
5. Optional: change the volumes to which the plan is applied. Disabling a plan for a volume does not delete the backups created for it.
6. Optional: change the backup creation schedule.
7. Optional: change the backup storage settings.
8. Optional: if you are storing the latest backups, change the number of stored backups. If you reduce this number, previous backups that do not meet the new limit will be deleted after new backups are automatically created. For example, if you set the storage to four instead of seven, after creating one new backup, the first four backups will be deleted (leaving one new backup and three previous ones).
9. Click Save.

Add plan to volume

You can add any number of existing or new plans to a volume to create backups.

1. In the Control panel, from the top menu, click Products and select Cloud Servers.
2. Go to the Volumes.
3. In the menu for the volume, select Configure backup plan.
4. Select plans or create a new one.
5. Click Add plan.

Disable plan from volume

You can disable a plan from a specific volume — backups will stop being created for it. Previously created backups will be saved. You can enable the plan later.

If a plan is enabled for multiple volumes and you disable the plan from one of them, the plan will continue to work for the remaining volumes.

1. In the Control panel, from the top menu, click Products and select Cloud Servers.
2. Go to the Volumes.
3. Open the volume page → Backup plans tab.
4. In the menu for the plan, select Disable plan.
5. Click Disable plan.