> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.xloud.tech/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create Instance Snapshots

> Capture running or stopped instances as reusable image snapshots for backup, cloning, and golden image workflows.

## Overview

Instance snapshots capture the entire disk state of a running or stopped instance as a new
image registered in the Xloud Image Service. Snapshots are used for backups, creating
golden images for new instance launches, and cloning instances across projects. The
snapshot is stored in the same format as the original boot image and can be launched
on any compute host.

<Note>
  **Prerequisites**

  * An active Xloud account with appropriate permissions
  * Access to the **Xloud Dashboard** or CLI configured with credentials
  * API credentials sourced (`source openrc.sh`)
</Note>

<Warning>
  Snapshotting a running instance captures disk state while the instance is live. For
  application consistency, quiesce the guest OS (flush writes, stop services, or pause the
  database) before initiating the snapshot to avoid capturing a partially-written state.
</Warning>

***

## Create a Snapshot

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dashboard" icon="gauge">
    <Steps titleSize="h3">
      <Step title="Locate the instance" icon="monitor">
        Navigate to **Compute > Instances**. Find the instance you want to snapshot.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Initiate the snapshot" icon="camera">
        In the instance row, open the **Actions** dropdown and select **Create Snapshot**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Name the snapshot" icon="tag">
        Enter a descriptive snapshot name using a consistent convention, e.g.:
        `<instance-name>-<date>` (e.g., `web-server-2026-03-18`)

        Click **Create Snapshot**. The instance continues running during snapshot creation.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Monitor completion" icon="activity">
        Navigate to **Compute > Images** to see the snapshot in progress.

        <Check>
          The snapshot appears with status **Active** when complete. It is immediately
          available for launching new instances.
        </Check>
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CLI" icon="terminal">
    <Steps titleSize="h3">
      <Step title="Authenticate" icon="key">
        Source your credentials file to authenticate with the Xloud platform:

        ```bash title="Load credentials" theme={null}
        source openrc.sh
        ```

        <Tip>
          Your administrator provides the RC (credentials) file for your project. See [CLI Setup](/cli-setup) for configuration details.
        </Tip>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Create the snapshot" icon="camera">
        ```bash title="Create instance snapshot" theme={null}
        openstack server image create \
          --name web-server-2026-03-18 \
          my-instance
        ```

        The command returns the new image ID. The snapshot is created asynchronously.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Wait for completion" icon="clock">
        ```bash title="Poll snapshot status" theme={null}
        openstack image show web-server-2026-03-18 -c status
        ```

        <Check>`status` shows `active` — the snapshot is ready to launch new instances.</Check>
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Snapshot for Consistency

For production workloads, follow this pre-snapshot checklist to ensure data consistency:

<Steps titleSize="h3">
  <Step title="Prepare the guest OS" icon="settings">
    SSH into the instance and run:

    ```bash title="Flush filesystem buffers (Linux)" theme={null}
    sync
    ```

    For database servers, flush and lock tables before snapshotting:

    ```bash title="MySQL/MariaDB: flush and lock" theme={null}
    mysql -u root -e "FLUSH TABLES WITH READ LOCK;"
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the snapshot" icon="camera">
    ```bash title="Create snapshot immediately after flush" theme={null}
    openstack server image create \
      --name db-primary-2026-03-18 \
      db-primary
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Release locks after snapshot initiates" icon="unlock">
    Once the snapshot command returns (the snapshot is queued in the backend), release any locks:

    ```bash title="MySQL/MariaDB: release lock" theme={null}
    mysql -u root -e "UNLOCK TABLES;"
    ```

    <Tip>
      The snapshot operation itself is fast (metadata only at initiation). The actual data
      copy happens in the background — you can release locks as soon as the CLI command returns.
    </Tip>
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Manage Snapshots

Snapshots are regular images stored in the Image Service. Manage them using the same
image commands:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash title="List snapshots" theme={null}
  openstack image list \
    --property image_type=snapshot
  ```

  ```bash title="Delete a snapshot" theme={null}
  openstack image delete web-server-2026-03-18
  ```

  ```bash title="Set snapshot visibility to shared" theme={null}
  openstack image set --shared web-server-2026-03-18
  ```
</CodeGroup>

***

## Launch from Snapshot

After a snapshot is active, launch new instances directly from it:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dashboard" icon="gauge">
    When creating a new instance, in **Step 1 (Base Config)**, select **Instance Snapshot**
    as the Start Source. The snapshot appears in the selection table.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CLI" icon="terminal">
    ```bash title="Launch instance from snapshot" theme={null}
    openstack server create \
      --image web-server-2026-03-18 \
      --flavor m1.medium \
      --network private \
      --key-name my-keypair \
      restored-web-server
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Image Properties" href="/services/images/image-properties" color="#197560">
    Add metadata and hardware requirements to your snapshots.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Share Images" href="/services/images/share-images" color="#197560">
    Share snapshots with other projects in your organization.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Upload an Image" href="/services/images/upload-image" color="#197560">
    Upload external OS images alongside your captured snapshots.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Troubleshooting" href="/services/images/troubleshooting" color="#197560">
    Resolve snapshot creation failures and status issues.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>