Backups and snapshots
Updated
Wolkra protects your cloud servers in two ways: automatic daily backups with 7 restore points for 20% of the server price, and on-demand snapshots that you take whenever you like and pay for per GB. Both are stored in Germany and managed from the console or the API.
Automatic backups
Turn on backups for a server and Wolkra takes a copy of its disk every day. The last 7 copies are kept as restore points, so you can go back up to a week. The oldest restore point is dropped when a new one is made, so you never have to clean up.
Backups are a good default for any server that holds data you care about. They cover the case you hope never happens: a bad update, a deleted directory, a broken database migration.
Price: 20% of the server's price. Backups are billed by the hour together with the server and capped at the monthly amount. If you turn them off, billing stops.
Snapshots
A snapshot is a copy of a server's disk at the moment you ask for it. Snapshots are not rotated: they stay until you delete them.
Use snapshots:
- Before risky changes, such as an OS upgrade or a major release
- As a golden image to create identical servers later
- To archive a server you are about to delete
- To move work from a small test server to a bigger production plan
You can create a new server directly from a snapshot. Pick the snapshot as the image when you create the server and it boots with everything that was on the disk.
Price: billed per GB of snapshot size per month, by the hour from your prepaid balance. Current prices are on the pricing page.
Backups and snapshots compared
| Backups | Snapshots | |
|---|---|---|
| Who starts them | Automatic, daily | You, on demand |
| How many | 7 restore points | As many as you keep |
| Retention | Rotates, oldest removed | Until you delete it |
| Price | 20% of the server price | Per GB per month |
| Restore | In place, or into a new server | In place, or into a new server |
How it works in the console
Enable backups on the server page or when you create the server. Each restore point shows its date and time.
Restore a backup from the same page. The server's disk is replaced with the selected restore point, so take a snapshot first if you might need the current state.
Take a snapshot from the server page with one click. Give it a name that tells you why you took it. Snapshots appear in their own list, where you can create servers from them or delete them.
Step-by-step instructions are in the backups and snapshots doc.
Automating with the API
The Wolkra API lets you enable backups, take snapshots and create servers from snapshots with a project-scoped token. A common pattern is to take a snapshot from a deployment script just before a release, then delete it a few days later when the release is stable.
A sensible backup plan
Provider backups are one layer. For data that matters, follow the 3-2-1 idea: several copies, on more than one medium, with one copy off the server. On Wolkra that can look like this:
- Daily backups on every production server.
- A snapshot before each upgrade or migration.
- Application-level dumps (for example a nightly database dump) stored on a volume or copied to a separate server.
The backup strategy guide goes into detail.
Limits to know
- Backups keep 7 daily restore points; for longer history, take snapshots or use your own tools.
- Restoring a backup in place replaces the server's current disk (it keeps its IPs); restore into a new server instead to keep the original untouched.
- For data on block storage volumes, keep your own copies as well, for example nightly dumps.
- Everything is stored in Frankfurt, Germany.
Related products
- Cloud servers that backups protect
- Block storage for data that should outlive a server
- Databases and WordPress hosting, where backups matter most
Turn on backups today
Backups take one click and cost a fifth of the server price. Sign up for Wolkra and protect your servers from day one.
Frequently asked questions
How much do automatic backups cost?
Daily backups cost 20% of the server price. For a server at €10 per month, backups add €2 per month, billed by the hour like the server.
How many restore points do backups keep?
Automatic backups keep 7 restore points, one per day. When a new backup is made, the oldest one is removed.
What is the difference between a backup and a snapshot?
Backups run on their own every day and rotate automatically. Snapshots are taken by you whenever you want, stay until you delete them and are billed per GB.
Can I create a new server from a snapshot?
Yes. A snapshot can be used as the image for a new server, which makes it easy to clone a configured machine or keep a golden image.
Should I keep my own backups as well?
For important data, yes. Daily backups are a strong first layer; add application-level copies such as database dumps so you have more than one way back.