I have been using DigitalOcean for a few months now and I keep seeing both “snapshots” and “backups” mentioned. I enabled automatic backups on my Droplet but I am not sure if that is enough, or if I should also be taking manual snapshots.
What is the actual difference between the two? When should I use one over the other? And is there anything I should know about restoring from either of them?
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Hi there,
Backups are automatic and scheduled by DigitalOcean. You enable them on a Droplet and DigitalOcean takes them on a regular schedule, either weekly or daily depending on your plan. They are stored and managed for you, cost a percentage of your Droplet price, and are kept for a fixed retention period. The downside is you have no control over the exact timing and you cannot trigger one manually.
Snapshots are manual and on-demand. You take them yourself whenever you want, they are kept until you delete them, and they cost $0.06/GB per month. You can also take a snapshot of a powered-off Droplet to get a cleaner, more consistent image.
The key practical differences:
Backups are for ongoing protection against accidental data loss or needing to roll back. They run automatically so you do not have to think about them.
Snapshots are better for specific moments, before a major deployment, before upgrading your OS, before trying something risky. Think of them as a save point.
For restoring, both work similarly. You restore by creating a new Droplet from the backup or snapshot. Neither restores in place, so factor that into your recovery plan.
For a production setup, using both makes sense. Keep automatic backups enabled as your safety net, and take a manual snapshot before any significant change. That combination gives you solid coverage without much extra effort.
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