VPS snapshots: save and restore your entire server disk
Snapshots that save your whole server disk exactly as it is, once before an update
- Full disk image
- $0.009 per GB per month
- Restore and create new servers
A VPS snapshot is an image capturing your entire server disk exactly as it is at the moment you choose. The operating system, settings, programs and data all go into one image, priced by stored size at $0.009 per GB per month. Keep a snapshot before a big update, and if something goes wrong we roll back to that point with a single request.
Snapshot storage
Pay for the size you store
001$/ GB/mo
Monthly price per GB, renewing automatically on each renewal date
- Monthly price per GB 20GB to 2,000GB in 10GB steps
- All servers
- Requested through support at the moment you choose
- Kept until you delete it
- Restore to the same server Create a new server
If you want copies made automatically every day Automatic backups
When should I use VPS snapshots?
Use snapshots at moments when you want to be sure to keep the current state. Here are four common cases.
A safety net before updates and settings changes
Keep a snapshot before work whose outcome is hard to guarantee, such as upgrading the operating system version, changing web server settings or bulk plugin updates. If the work goes well, delete it; if something goes wrong, roll the whole server back to that point.
Cloning the same server several times
Save a fully installed and configured server as a snapshot, and on request we create identical new servers from that image. It greatly cuts setup time when adding web servers or putting several identical setups behind a load balancer.
Moving a server to another region
When creating a new server from a snapshot, tell us a different region and we move your current server as is to another city. Handy for moving your service closer to the countries with the most users or adding the same server in a second region.
Baseline images for development and testing
Keep a cleanly installed baseline server as a snapshot and return to the starting state after every test. Also a good fit for work that often needs the same starting point, such as training lab servers or customer demo servers.
How do snapshots, automatic backups and extra disks differ?
All three protect your data, but they are used at different moments. Use them together to cover both everyday safety and safety at critical moments.
Snapshots
Save the whole disk by request at the moment you choose
Best for
- Right before big updates and migrations
- When creating several servers with the same setup
- When moving a server to another region
- When keeping only chosen points in time for a long time
Automatic backups
Copies made automatically on a set schedule
Best for
- Websites and databases that change every day
- When you do not want to think about managing copies
- When you want it bundled into the server price as a percentage
- When finding accidentally deleted files from a few days ago
Extra disk
An NVMe block disk attached to your server
Best for
- When adding space for uploads and logs
- When keeping data apart from the operating system disk
- When you need space read and written directly inside the server
- When attaching as much as you need from 50GB
How do I create and restore VPS snapshots?
First, order snapshot storage to fit the size you need. Then, once your first payment is confirmed, tell us the target server and the time you want on the support page, and our team saves the whole disk at that moment as one image and tells you its creation date and size. For servers with constant writes, such as databases, pausing the service briefly or making it with the server off gives the cleanest image.
Restores are handled by our team when you request them on the support page once your first payment is confirmed, and there are two ways. Rolling back the same server replaces the disk with its contents at snapshot time, while the IP address and server name stay the same. Creating a new server leaves the current server as is and adds one more server with the snapshot contents, so you can compare the two side by side and move only the files you need.
Ask on the support page at any time once your first payment is confirmed and we tell you the dates and sizes of your stored snapshots, and images you no longer need are deleted right away on request. Snapshots are kept until you delete them. Delete a snapshot made right before an update once things are stable, and keep snapshots you use as base images for as long as you like. Ordering only the storage you need means you pay only for that size, which keeps costs easy to manage.
How are snapshot fees calculated?
Snapshot storage is $0.009 per GB per month. When ordering, choose a capacity from 20GB to 2,000GB in 10GB steps, and the capacity times the per-GB price is your monthly fee. Choosing a size equal to or slightly larger than your server disk, so the whole disk fits, is the right approach.
The fee is billed by invoice on each billing date and renews automatically once payment is confirmed. If payment is not made on the billing date, the storage pauses for a while, and once payment is completed it renews automatically again. If you have baseline images you will keep for a long time, check your invoice before the billing date.
Pay by invoice with cryptocurrency. The minimum payment is $25, and once payment is confirmed your server is created. When a refund is needed, it goes to your account credit and is applied automatically to your next invoice.
What are good habits for using snapshots?
The best habit is keeping a snapshot right before big work. For hard-to-undo work such as upgrading the operating system, upgrading database versions, making big web server config changes or installing new software, request a snapshot first. When the work finishes well and there are no problems for a few days, ask us to delete that snapshot and the storage frees up.
The second is giving them easy-to-recognize names. Include the date and the work in your request and we save it under that name, so later you know right away which snapshot to go back to. If several snapshots pile up for the same server, keep just one baseline image and one from right before your latest work and ask us to clean up the rest to keep storage tidy.
The third is splitting duties with automatic backups. Let automatic backups protect data that changes daily, and focus snapshots on critical moments and server cloning, and the two features fill each other's gaps. Keep one server made from a snapshot in a different region from your production server and you even have a copy split across regions.
How much do snapshots cost?
VPS snapshots are $0.009 per GB per month. Priced by stored capacity on the same basis regardless of server type.
Only the size you store
Choose from 20GB at $0.009 per GB per month, and canceling storage you no longer need lowers the fee accordingly. Match it small for small servers and large for large ones.
The same basis for every server
Standard SSD, high-performance NVMe, dedicated CPU and high-memory VPS all keep snapshots at the same per-GB price. Even with several servers, the math is clear at a glance.
Automatic renewal by invoice
The monthly fee is billed by invoice on each billing date. Even long-term snapshots such as baseline images carry on month after month as long as payment is confirmed.
HELPER VPS in numbers
Choose from 40 regions, 12 operating systems and 10 one-click apps in one account, and pay right away. The numbers below are based on what is on sale now.
40
Data center regions
12
Operating systems
10
One-click apps
$0.01
Starting price of this product (monthly)
Which operating systems and app servers can I snapshot?
Snapshots capture the whole disk as is, regardless of operating system. Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, CentOS Stream and FreeBSD servers, as well as Docker, WordPress, LEMP and Node.js one-click app servers, are all saved the same way.
Why choose HELPER VPS snapshots
The whole disk at once
The operating system, config files, installed programs and data go into one image. With no need to gather files one by one, the whole server is kept exactly as it was at that moment.
Requested at the moment you choose
No waiting for a set time: request one when you need it and our team creates it. Choose the exact moments you must keep, such as right before an update or a migration.
Restore to the same server
Ask to roll back to the same server and only the disk contents return to that point, with the IP address and server name unchanged. No need to redo domain and firewall settings.
Create new servers from snapshots
We create another identical server from your saved image. No setup time when adding web servers with the same setup or spinning up a separate test server.
Move to another region
Tell us another location among 40 cities and we create a new server there, moving your current server as is to another city.
Kept until you delete it
Snapshots stay until you ask us to delete them. Keep long-term snapshots such as baseline images with no worry about time limits.
Capacity in 10GB steps
Choose from 20GB to 2,000GB in 10GB steps to fit your server disk exactly. Choose only what you need, keeping the price lean.
Together with automatic backups
You can add snapshots to servers with automatic backups turned on too. Automatic backups handle daily copies and snapshots handle images of critical moments, protecting your data in two layers.
Managed together with one account
Pay for servers, add-ons and snapshots from the same account. Create up to 10 servers in one account and manage snapshots alongside them.
VPS snapshots FAQ
Answers on snapshot pricing, how to create them and restores
How much do snapshots cost?
Snapshot storage is $0.009 per GB per month. Choose a capacity from 20GB to 2,000GB in 10GB steps, and the monthly fee is set by the capacity you choose. The fee is billed by invoice on each billing date and renews automatically once payment is confirmed.
What is a snapshot?
A snapshot is an image saving your entire server disk exactly as it is at a single moment. It holds the operating system, settings, programs and data, so later you can roll the server back to that point or create a new server with the same contents.
How are snapshots different from automatic backups?
Automatic backups keep copies on their own on a set schedule, while snapshots are created on request at the moment you choose. Automatic backups handle everyday safety, and snapshots handle safety right before big work and server cloning. Using both together gives you the most protection.
How long are snapshots kept?
They are kept until you ask us to delete them. The storage fee renews on each billing date, and when you no longer need the storage, request cancellation on the support page once your first payment is confirmed and no further fees are charged.
How much capacity should I choose?
A snapshot holds your entire server disk, so choose a capacity equal to or slightly larger than your server disk. For servers with an extra disk attached, include that disk's size too.
Does restoring change my IP address?
Roll back to the same server and the IP address and server name stay the same; only the disk contents return to the snapshot point. Create a new server from a snapshot and the new server gets a new IP address.
Can I create a server from a snapshot in another region?
When asking us to create a new server from a snapshot, just tell us the location you want among 40 cities. Handy for moving your current server to another country or placing the same server in a second region.
Can I create a snapshot with the server running?
Yes, you can create one while it is running. For servers with constant writes, such as databases, briefly stopping the service or creating it with the server off gives the cleanest image, with all data consistent.
Which payment methods do you use?
Pay by invoice with cryptocurrency. The minimum payment is $25, and once payment is confirmed your server is created. Refunds go to your account credit and are applied automatically to your next invoice.
What happens to snapshots if payment is not made?
If payment is not made on the billing date, the storage pauses for a while, and once payment is completed it renews automatically again. If you have snapshots to keep long term, check your invoice before the billing date.
Snapshot guides
Guides worth reading alongside snapshots
- Your first loginThe steps to log in as root to a server newly created from a snapshot and change the password.
- Learn about automatic backupsThe schedule, pricing and restore method for automatic backups, which pair well with snapshots.
- Create and add an SSH keyHow to add an SSH key to connect securely without a password to restored and new servers.
Prices shown are per GB per month in US dollars, billed by invoice on each billing date. The first month is charged when you order, and we let you know once our team finishes the setup. After that it renews automatically at the same price on each billing date.
Minimum term: 1 month | Cancellation: request on the support page once your first payment is confirmed | Unpaid invoice: paused, then renews automatically when payment is completed | The remaining period of cancelled storage is not refunded. Refunds are made to your account credit and applied automatically to your next invoice.