Snapshots vs. Backups in the Cloud: AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud
Data protection is one of the most critical aspects of cloud infrastructure. Whether you’re hosting a small application or running enterprise-scale workloads, you need to safeguard against accidental deletions, hardware failures, ransomware, or misconfigurations.
Two common strategies are snapshots and backups. While they might sound similar, they serve different purposes and are implemented differently across cloud providers such as AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure.
Snapshots
A snapshot is a point-in-time copy of a disk or volume.
- Granularity: Typically at the disk/volume level.
- Speed: Faster to create than a full backup.
- Storage efficiency: Often incremental (only changes since the last snapshot are stored).
- Use case: Quick rollback, testing, or temporary protection during risky operations.
Cloud Examples
- AWS:
- EBS Snapshots store block-level data on S3.
- Incremental by default and can be copied across regions for disaster recovery.
- Azure:
- Managed Disk Snapshots are full copies of managed disks.
- Can be used to create new VMs or restore disks.
- Google Cloud:
- Persistent Disk Snapshots are incremental, global resources.
- Useful for cloning environments and protecting workloads.
Backups
A backup is a broader concept that ensures long-term data durability and recovery.
- Granularity: Can cover entire systems, databases, applications, or file-level data.
- Durability: Often stored in cheaper, long-term storage classes (e.g., S3 Glacier, Azure Backup Vault, Google Archive Storage).
- Retention policies: Supports compliance, archiving, and long-term storage requirements.
- Use case: Business continuity, disaster recovery, compliance, and ransomware protection.
Cloud Examples
- AWS:
- AWS Backup centralizes and automates backups across EBS, RDS, DynamoDB, EFS, FSx, and more.
- Supports policies, compliance, and lifecycle management (transition to cold storage).
- Azure:
- Azure Backup provides app-consistent, secure backups for VMs, SQL, file shares, and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
- Integrated with Recovery Services Vault for retention and policy enforcement.
- Google Cloud:
- Backup and DR Service automates backups for VMs, databases, and applications.
- Policy-driven with regional replication and rapid recovery options.
Snapshots vs. Backups: Key Differences
| Feature | Snapshots | Backups |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Disk/volume level | File, database, or system level |
| Speed | Fast creation, incremental | Slower (full or incremental sets) |
| Retention | Short-term or mid-term | Long-term, policy-based |
| Use case | Quick restore, testing, cloning | Disaster recovery, compliance |
| Cost efficiency | Higher for long-term retention | Optimized for long-term storage |
Choosing the Right Approach
- Use Snapshots when:
- You need a fast rollback point before making risky changes.
- You’re cloning environments for testing or scaling workloads.
- You want to capture incremental changes frequently.
- Use Backups when:
- You need long-term retention (months to years).
- Compliance or regulatory requirements demand durable storage.
- You must protect entire applications, not just disks.
- You want cross-region or cross-account disaster recovery.
Hybrid Approach
In practice, organizations often use both:
- Snapshots for short-term protection and operational agility.
- Backups for long-term durability, compliance, and disaster recovery.
For example:
- Take daily EBS snapshots for quick recovery.
- Schedule AWS Backup policies to store critical workloads in cold storage for years.
Conclusion
Snapshots and backups are complementary, not interchangeable. Snapshots provide speed and convenience, while backups ensure compliance, durability, and resilience.
Whether you’re on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, the key is to align your data protection strategy with your business requirements—balancing performance, cost, and compliance.