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> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.ibee.co.in/docs/tools/backups/llms.txt.
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# VM backups

> Protect Cloud VMs with scheduled, automated backups of the root disk and attached volumes.

Backups are scheduled, automated recovery points for Cloud VMs. When enabled on a VM, IBEE captures the root disk and all attached persistent data volumes on a recurring schedule and retains the resulting **Backup Recovery Points** so you can restore a VM in place or roll forward to a new VM.

If you want a one-off recovery point you trigger manually, use [Snapshots](/docs/tools/snapshots) instead. Backups and snapshots use the same restore flow but differ in cadence: backups run on a schedule, snapshots run on demand.

## What's protected

Each backup recovery point captures:

* The **root disk** (always included).
* **All attached persistent data volumes** at the time the backup runs.

The captured topology, total **recovery storage** size, and creation timestamp are visible on each recovery point.

## Where to manage backups

Two surfaces in the IBEE Solutions portal:

| Surface                             | Use it for                                                                                                       |
| ----------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Cloud VMs → \<VM> → Backups tab** | Toggle Automated Backups on or off for a VM and pick its schedule. Browse and restore that VM's recovery points. |
| **Tools → Backups**                 | Workspace-wide catalog of backups across your VMs, with per-backup actions.                                      |

The **Backups** page (under **Tools → Backups**) lists backups page by page (**Previous** / **Next**) with these columns:

| Column                 | Description                                       |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **VM / Restore Point** | Source VM name and the restore point's timestamp. |
| **OS**                 | Source VM's operating system.                     |
| **Size**               | Backup footprint.                                 |
| **Date**               | When the backup was taken.                        |
| **Status**             | Backup state.                                     |

Each row's actions menu offers:

* **Convert to Snapshot** — turns the backup into a snapshot, which then appears under [Snapshots](/docs/tools/snapshots). A toast confirms *Conversion started*.
* **Delete Backup** — permanently deletes the backup after you confirm with **Delete**.

If no VMs in the organization have backups enabled, the page shows an empty state: **No Backups — Automatic backups are an optional service that creates daily snapshots of your VPS instance for a small additional fee. Enable backups on individual servers to see them here.** A **Manage Servers →** button takes you to **Cloud VMs** so you can pick a VM and turn on its schedule.

## Enable backups for a VM

Backups are configured per VM under **Backups → Automated Backups**. See [Enable backups](/docs/tools/backups/enable-backups) for the full schedule options.

Quick view of the schedule controls:

| Field                | Options                                                                        |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Schedule backups** | Daily · Weekly                                                                 |
| **On** (Weekly only) | Sunday · Monday · Tuesday · Wednesday · Thursday · Friday · Saturday           |
| **At**               | Hourly slots — `00:00`, `01:00`, … `23:00` — in your browser's local time zone |

Turning backups on starts with a **Daily** schedule at **12:00** in your local time zone. Changes save automatically — the **Saving…** indicator confirms the schedule is being persisted. Recovery points are kept for **7 days**.

## Recovery points

Once at least one backup has run, recovery points appear in the **Backup Recovery Points** list with:

* A timestamped name (for example `srp-20260509T162709Z`).
* Number of disks captured (Root + N data disks).
* Created date and time.
* Total recovery storage used.
* A **Details** view with topology and mount instructions, plus **Restore** and **Delete** actions.

Until the first backup runs, the panel reads "No backups available yet — backups will appear here once the schedule captures the VM storage set."

## Restore options

When you click **Restore** on a recovery point, three modes are offered (mirroring the snapshot restore flow):

| Mode                      | Effect                                                                        |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Replace Current VM**    | Roll back the existing VM's root disk and captured data disks in place.       |
| **Create New VM**         | Create a brand-new VM, with new live block volumes, from the recovery point.  |
| **Restore Selected Disk** | Roll back a single captured disk (root or one data volume) on the current VM. |

See [Restore from backup](/docs/tools/backups/restore-from-backup) for full restore steps.

## Pricing

Backup storage is billed separately from the VM. See [Backup pricing](/docs/tools/backups/backup-pricing) for the rate and example calculations.

## Backups vs. snapshots

|               | Backups                                         | Snapshots                                       |
| ------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| Cadence       | Daily or Weekly schedule                        | On demand                                       |
| Configuration | Toggle + schedule per VM                        | Click Create Snapshot                           |
| Capture mode  | Root + all attached data volumes                | Root only · All attached · Selective            |
| Restore modes | Replace · Create New VM · Restore Selected Disk | Replace · Create New VM · Restore Selected Disk |
| Best for      | Continuous protection, DR                       | Pre-deploy checkpoints, ad-hoc rollback         |

Most production VMs benefit from **both**: scheduled backups for routine protection, plus a manual snapshot before risky changes.

## Related pages

* [Enable backups](/docs/tools/backups/enable-backups)
* [Restore from backup](/docs/tools/backups/restore-from-backup)
* [Backup pricing](/docs/tools/backups/backup-pricing)
* [Snapshots](/docs/tools/snapshots)

> Protect Cloud VMs with scheduled, automated backups of the root disk and attached volumes.

## Docs

- [Enable backups](https://docs.ibee.co.in/docs/tools/backups/enable-backups.md): Turn on automated backups for a Cloud VM and choose a daily or weekly schedule.
- [Restore from backup](https://docs.ibee.co.in/docs/tools/backups/restore-from-backup.md): Recover a Cloud VM from an automated backup recovery point — in place, into a new VM, or one disk at a time.
- [Backup pricing](https://docs.ibee.co.in/docs/tools/backups/backup-pricing.md): How automated backup storage is billed, sized, and retained on IBEE Solutions.