Disk snapshots

Last update: April 16 2025

Disk snapshots

A snapshot is a snapshot of the state of a network disk, a copy of its file system.

With a snapshot, you can fix the state of the disk without disturbing it so that:

• clone the disk, which can be done create a new disk from a snapshot or restore data to a new disk. You can restore to disk immediately after creating a snapshot;
• clone the cloud server-- provision a new cloud server from the snapshot;
• change disk type — save the disk state with a snapshot and create the same disk but with a different type.

Principle of operation⁠

The size of the snapshot may exceed the actual amount of data and files on the disk. The snapshot size includes file system blocks and "dirty data" that appears when files are overwritten or deleted.

Snapshots can only be created for network drives. A maximum of five snapshots can be created for each disk.

A snapshot is not a backup of a cloud server network disk — it is stored on the same hardware, requires the primary storage to be available for any operation, and is deleted with the disk. If you want to commit the state of the disk and keep it for a long time, instead of a snapshot back up or disk image. If you want to configure automatic backup of a network drive, configure scheduled backups.

You can't download the snapshot, but you can download it disk imaging and image download.

To see alternative ways of backing up cloud servers, see the table below Backup methods.

Cost⁠

Snapshots are paid for by cloud platform payment models.

Paid for each GB of status snapshots AVAILABLE or RESTORING. Snapshots in other statuses are not paid.

The cost of a snapshot is equal to the cost of the network disk from which it is created, and depends on the disk type. The storage cost of the created snapshot does not change when the disk size changes.

note

For example, you have a network disk of type Base HDD of size 5 GB and the snapshot size is 1 GB.

A 5 GB disk costs 0.05 ₽ per hour. You pay the same price for a snapshot as for the original disk size (5 GB) — 0.05 ₽ per hour.

If you increase your disk to 7 GB, for example, the snapshot will continue to be charged as before.

Each disk snapshot is paid for, even if there are multiple snapshots.

note

For example, you have a 5 GB network disk. A 5 GB disk costs 0.05 ₽ per hour. You have created three snapshots, each costing 0.05 ₽ per hour, regardless of the size of the data on the disk. For three snapshots, you pay 0.15 ₽ per hour.

The actual size of the snapshot can be viewed in the control panel: from the top menu, press Products → Cloud servers → section Disks → disk page → tab Snapshots. The total volume of snapshots that are paid for can be viewed in the following section Cloud platform → Platform consumption → tab Present value.

The cost per GB of snapshots can be viewed at selectel.ru.

Create a snapshot⁠

A maximum of five snapshots can be created for each disk. To increase the limit, file a ticket.

Control panel

Snapshot can be created for network disks in statuses AVAILABLE and IN-USE. When a snapshot is created, the name is set automatically as snap-датасоздания_времясозданияfor example snap-14.05.21_14.43

1. in control panels from the top menu, press Products and select Cloud servers.
2. Go to the section Disks.
3. Open the disk page → tab Snapshots.
4. Click Create a snapshot.

OpenStack CLI

1. Open the OpenStack CLI.

2. Create a snapshot:

   openstack volume snapshot create --volume <volume> <snapshot_name>

   Specify:

   • <volume> — ID or disk name. The list can be viewed with openstack volume list
   • <snapshot_name> — the name of the snapshot.

Recover data from a snapshot⁠

You can create a new network disk from a snapshot. The disk will be a copy of the state that was on the original disk when the snapshot was created.

1. in control panels from the top menu, press Products and select Cloud servers.
2. Go to the section Disks.
3. Open the disk page → tab Snapshots.
4. On the menu of the snapshot, select Create a disk from a snapshot.
5. Optional: replace the boot disk from the cloud server to a restored or connect the recovered disk to the server as an extra.

Snapshot statuses⁠

1. in control panels from the top menu, press Products and select Cloud servers.

2. Go to the section Disks.

3. Open the disk page → tab Snapshots.

4. Look at the status in the snapshot row → column Status.

   CREATING	A snapshot is created
   AVAILABLE	The snapshot has been successfully created and data can be recovered from it. Snapshots in this status are paid for
   RESTORING	Snapshot data is restored to disk. Snapshots in this status are paid for
   ERROR	An error occurred while creating a snapshot
   ERROR-DELETING	An error occurred when deleting the snapshot
   DELETING	The snapshot is being deleted
   DELETED	Snapshot deleted

Delete the snapshot⁠

You can delete a snapshot by disk removal or separately.

Control panel

1. in control panels go to Cloud platform → Disks.
2. Open the disk page → tab Snapshots.
3. On the menu of the snapshot, select Delete.

OpenStack CLI

1. Open the OpenStack CLI.

2. Delete the snapshot:

   openstack volume snapshot delete <snapshot>

   Specify <snapshot> — ID or name of the snapshot. The list can be viewed with openstack volume snapshot list