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BackVolume Snapshots with CSI
Snapshots are really handy: Create a snapshot of a volume so you can later revert to exactly that state or use it as a basis for creating a new volume. This now works directly from within Kubernetes – thanks to our CSI driver, which supports snapshots starting with version 4.0.0, enabling the use of tools like Velero for example.
Snapshots for persistent volumes in Kubernetes
Persistent volumes are essential in many Kubernetes setups: they are used to store data that needs to be retained permanently and should not be tied to the lifespan of a pod. Using our CSI driver, it is possible to automatically provision volumes in our cloud infrastructure based on "Persistent Volume Claims" and always attach them to the virtual server where they are currently needed by the corresponding pod.
With the recently released CSI driver 4.0.0 (which includes an additional sidecar component), you can now manage snapshots of your volumes not only manually via our web-based cloud control panel or via API, but also directly from your Kubernetes setup. To do this, the CSI driver uses the standard Kubernetes VolumeSnapshot API and interacts with the cloudscale API to manage your snapshots exactly as your setup requires.
Velero: one of countless use cases
The snapshot support in our CSI driver now makes it even easier for you to create point-in-time copies of persistent volumes in a Kubernetes cluster and restore them should a subsequent operation fail. You can also create new volumes based on snapshots; for example, you can clone a production data set for a test system or mount the new volume to selectively access individual prior data points.
In our engineering blog, Julian walks you through the process step by step, providing all the necessary configurations, to show you how to use Velero and our snapshot feature to save the state of a persistent volume and restore it later. Of course, you can expand on this example as needed and adapt it to your specific use case.
More than just details – please note
Please keep in mind – especially with Velero – that the term "backup" can be used in different ways. At cloudscale, we consider volume snapshots to be ideal for serving as a safety net, enabling a quick and easy rollback to a previous state during database migrations or system upgrades. However, since snapshots are based on "copy-on-write" and are stored in the same storage cluster as their original volume, we do not consider them to be a "backup". For optimal security, we recommend that you always keep a copy of your data at a different geographic location – and ideally on third-party infrastructure.
You will need Kubernetes version 1.28 or later, the Kubernetes Snapshot Controller, and the associated CRDs (which are already present in many setups). Otherwise, the basics are the same as what you are already familiar with from snapshots at cloudscale: Up to 10 snapshots can exist simultaneously per volume, and they are billed – down to the second for the time they exist – based on the volume's size at the time the snapshot was created (at half the per-gigabyte price of a standard NVMe SSD or bulk volume).
At cloudscale, we provide the right tools and interfaces to help you manage your Kubernetes deployments. Our CSI driver with snapshot support has been available as a beta version for some time now, and the feedback has been consistently positive. With the release of version 4.0.0, we now recommend that all customers upgrade; this way, you too can take full advantage of our volume snapshots directly from your Kubernetes setup – using Velero, for example.
Create snapshots using automatic release!
Your cloudscale team