> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.cloud.olakrutrim.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.cloud.olakrutrim.com/basics/core-infrastructure/storage/block-storage/snapshots.md).
# Snapshots
### What is a Snapshot?
A **Snapshot** is a point-in-time copy of a volume. Snapshots capture the current state of your data and are ideal for short-term backups, testing, or versioning. They can be used to restore the VM to a previous state or to create new volumes.
* Snapshots are stored in the same zone.
* Snapshots can be created:
* **Manually**
* **Automatically via Snapshot Policies**
***
### Creating a Snapshot (Manual or Policy)
**Manual Snapshot:**
1. Go to **Volumes** → three-dot menu → **Create Instant Snapshot**.
2. Enter:
* **Name**
* **Description**
* **Tags**
3. Click **Create**.
Or
1. Go to snapshots
2. Click on “Create Instant Snapshots”
3. Select the volume or VM for which you want to create a snapshot
4. Enter:
* **Name**
* **Description**
* **Tags**
5. Click **Create**.
**Policy-Based Snapshot:**
* You can create policy-based snapshots in two ways:
Approach 1:
* Go to snapshots
* Click on "Create Snapshot policies"
* Select either a VM snapshot to create a snapshot for a VM or a Volume snapshot for a volume
* Select the VM or volume
* Select the maximum number of snapshots that you want to create for the respective volume or VM
* Enter the policy name
* Enter the description
* Select appropriate values for the scheduler
* Click on "Create Policy"
* This will create a snapshot for the scheduler you have created
Approach 2:
* While you create your volume, you can add the snapshot policies, which will create a snapshot for the volume
***
### Snapshot Creation Logic
* The first snapshot created will be the **Primary (#1)**
* Additional snapshots: `#2`, `#3`, ..., up to the maximum limit.
* When the retention limit is hit:
* The oldest primary is rotated out.
* Newest becomes `#1`.
Currently, we don’t support incremental snapshots.
When you create a volume or a VM from a snapshot, since the snapshot is an instant snapshot, it will create the volume/VM from whatever existed in the volume when the snapshot was created
***
### Deleting a Snapshot
1. Navigate to **Snapshots**.
2. Click on the three dots
3. Click **Delete**.
***
### Billing and Pricing
Our snapshots are priced at **Rs 4.38 per GB Per Month**, one of the cheapest prices in the world.
Even though it’s priced at a Monthly rate, the billing happens every hour at a rate of Rs 0.006 per GB per hour. You will be charged for the total peak storage, for all the snapshots you have used in the hour. For example, if you have used 100 GB across all your snapshots during the hour, you will be charged 100\*0.006 = Rs 0.6.
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