Saved images and snapshots

A saved image and a snapshot both capture a node at a point in time, but they solve different problems. A saved image is a reusable template: launch new nodes from it whenever you want a copy of that setup. A snapshot is a saved point for the node you took it from. Keep it around so that, if something goes wrong, you can build a node from that point again.

To choose, reach for a saved image when the goal is more nodes with this same setup. Reach for a snapshot when the goal is a safety net before you change something on this one node.

A saved image, for launching new nodes

Save an image from a node’s Actions menu, or from Save as Image on one of its snapshots. Either way, the finished image appears on the Saved Images page. Saving an image copies only the node’s root disk. If the setup you want to reuse depends on data in a volume, recreate or reattach that volume on each node you launch from the image. You are charged for the storage the image uses once it is ready.

Any node can save an image except a firewall or spot node. Once saved, the image is offered only on a plan in the same region, with the same operating system, version, and category. The plan’s root disk also has to be at least as big as the image itself.

Whether you can save an image while the node is running depends on the series:

Node series	When Save Image works
C3, M3, SDC3, GDC3, E1, E1WC	While the node is Running
All others, including GDC	Only after the node is Powered off

To save an image from a locked node, remove the lock first. For a node with an MS SQL license, contact support to save the image.

A snapshot, for keeping this node’s earlier state

To use a snapshot, choose Save as Image from its menu, then launch a node from that image.

A node’s Snapshots tab is where you schedule snapshots or set a lifecycle that clears out old ones automatically. A new snapshot’s name is pre-filled as snapshot- plus a random number; rename it with letters, digits, underscores, and hyphens.

Taking a snapshot also lets you snapshot one, several, or all of the node’s attached volumes at the same time. A single snapshot can cover the node’s disk and its extra storage together.

Creating a snapshot needs a node in the C3, M3, SDC3, GDC3, E1, or E1WC family, with the node unlocked and either Running or Powered off. You can lock a snapshot afterward to keep it from being deleted, by hand or by a lifecycle rule; a locked snapshot stays until you take its lock off. Deleting the node deletes all of its snapshots, locked ones too, so save any you want to keep as an image first.

Snapshots are charged for the storage they use; see E2E’s pricing page for the current rate. The price appears in the portal before you confirm.

See Save a node as an image and Create a snapshot of a node for the steps.