What is a Snapshot?
A snapshot is a point-in-time copy of your entire server — OS, files, databases, everything. It's like hitting "save" in a video game before a boss fight.
When to Take Snapshots
| Situation | Priority |
|---|---|
| Before OS upgrades | Essential |
| Before major config changes | Essential |
| Before installing new software | Recommended |
| Before database migrations | Recommended |
| Regular weekly checkpoint | Nice to have |
How Snapshots Work on Kazepute
- Go to your server page in the portal
- Click Snapshots
- Click Create Snapshot
- Wait 30-60 seconds for completion
Warning Snapshots capture disk state at a moment in time. For database consistency, stop writes or run a snapshot-safe backup command before creating one.
Snapshots vs Backups
| Feature | Snapshot | Backup |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Instant (seconds) | Slow (minutes-hours) |
| Granularity | Entire server | Selective files/databases |
| Storage | Same host infrastructure | Can be offsite |
| Restoration | Full server restore | File-level restore |
| Best for | Quick rollback | Long-term archival |
Restoring from a Snapshot
- Go to Snapshots on your server page
- Select the snapshot you want
- Click Restore
Danger Restoring a snapshot replaces your entire server state. Any changes made after the snapshot was taken will be lost. Always create a new snapshot before restoring an older one.
Best Practices
- Name snapshots descriptively:
before-php-upgrade-2026-03-15 - Delete old snapshots you no longer need (they consume storage)
- Don't rely solely on snapshots — use file-level backups too
- Create a snapshot before every significant change, no exceptions