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Virtual servers

Snapshots

Take a copy of your server's disk before you change something, then roll back to it if the change goes wrong. Eight snapshots per server.

Last reviewed 2026-10-04

A snapshot is a copy of the whole disk at one moment in time. Take one before you upgrade something, and if it goes wrong you put the server back exactly as it was.

Open your server and click Snapshots.

Take one

  1. Click New snapshot.
  2. Put a name in Name. Letters, digits, hyphens and underscores, 3 to 40 characters, starting with a letter. Something like before-upgrade.
  3. Put a line in Note if you want a reminder of what it holds. Optional, up to 120 characters.
  4. Click Create snapshot.

It takes a moment. The server keeps running while it happens.

The limit

Each server holds 8 snapshots. The chip at the top of the card shows how many you are using. When you hit the limit, delete one to make room.

Roll back

  1. Find the snapshot in the list and click Roll back.
  2. Type the snapshot's name to confirm.
  3. Click Roll back now.

The disk returns to exactly how it was when that snapshot was taken. Everything written since then is discarded. The server is powered off during the rollback, then you start it again.

There is no undo. If you are not certain, take a fresh snapshot of the current state first, then roll back to the old one.

Delete

Click Delete on a row and confirm. The copy goes and the running server is untouched.

What a snapshot is not

It is only the disk. The memory of a running server is not captured, so a rollback is like the machine having been switched off at that moment rather than paused. The operating system may run a file system check on the next boot. That is normal.

It is not a backup. Snapshots live on the same storage as the server. They are removed when the server is reinstalled, and when the service is terminated. For a copy that survives the server going away, use the Automated daily backups add-on, or copy what matters off the server yourself.

It is not a substitute for care. Rolling back a database server to a snapshot taken mid-write can leave the database inconsistent. Stop the database first if you want a clean copy.

Good moments to take one

  • Before an operating system upgrade.
  • Before installing a control panel or anything that touches a lot of files.
  • Before a configuration change you are not sure about.
  • Right after you finish setting a server up the way you want it. That gives you a clean point to return to.

About the snapshot slot add-on

There is an add-on called Additional snapshot slot on the add-ons page. Ask us before you buy it. The limit of eight snapshots on a server is not raised by it today, so email [email protected] and we will tell you where that stands.