If you’re managing a website, it’s a top priority to ensure your data is protected against accidents, updates gone wrong, and cyberattacks. You need a way to save your information, but should you use a backup or a snapshot?
These two methods both involve copying your data, but they work differently and serve distinct purposes. Understanding when to use each can make a big difference in keeping your website secure and recoverable.
What are File Backups?
A file backup is a copy of your data. When a backup is started, it creates copies of your files, including files pertaining to your website and mailboxes.
These copies are traditionally kept in a different location than the original content, thus making them ideal for disaster recovery.
Our website backups are stored off server. However, some backups, such as website and database dumps, remain on server. These backups can also be downloaded and stored on a local machine manually using FTP/SFTP or SSH.
Backups are a process that could take minutes, hours, or days to complete, depending on the data. This means that the data at the end of the backup may not be consistent with the data at the time when the backup started.
Backups are designed to be stored for long periods of time and, if they are stored off server, they can be used to restore servers after server failure.
Pros and Cons of Backups
Here are some defining traits that make file backups a reliable choice for data protection:
- Stored off-server or on a different drive
- Include website files, emails, databases, and system configurations
- Designed for long-term storage
- Ideal for disaster recovery
- Time-consuming to create
What is a Snapshot?
Snapshots are an instantaneous "picture" of your server's file system at a certain period of time. This picture captures the entire file system as it was when the snapshot is taken. When a snapshot is used to restore the server, the server will revert to exactly how it was at the time of the snapshot.
Server snapshots are designed for short term storage. When space runs out, new snapshots eventually overwrite older ones. Because of this, snapshots are usually only good if you want to revert to a recent version of your server.
Pros and Cons of Snapshots
Below are some of the primary traits that make snapshots a practical solution for short-term data recovery:
- Stored locally on the same drive or server
- Instantaneous to create
- Good for quick recovery from recent changes
- Automatically overwritten when space is limited
- Best used for short-term version control
4 Types of Snapshots
- Manual Snapshots: Taken manually before making changes.
- Automated Snapshots: Scheduled by your hosting provider for regular recovery points.
- Application-Level Snapshots: Capture app-specific data such as database states.
- System-Level Snapshots: Capture the entire server environment, including OS and configurations.
The Difference Between Snapshots vs Backups
People often refer to backups as snapshots, but they have two distinct functions. Here's a quick breakdown of the differences between backups and snapshots.
| Backups | Snapshots |
| Could be stored in another location, the same server, or even the same drive | Stored in the same location as the original data |
| May have differences based on when the backup started and ended | A "picture" of your server at a period of time |
| Long Term | Short Term |
| File system | Files, software, and settings |
| Long time to copy data | Quick to copy data |
Can I Use Both Snapshots and Backups?
Yes! At Pair Networks, our shared hosting accounts come equipped with a combination of snapshots and backups for layered data protection.
Here’s how we do it:
- We first take a snapshot of the server, capturing a freeze-frame of your files.
- Then we create a backup from that server snapshot and store it on a remote server.
This approach ensures both the speed and accuracy of snapshots, and the long-term safety of backups.
Depending on your hosting package, the availability and configuration of backups and snapshots may vary. For details, contact our support team or check out our knowledge base articles: