> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://zededa.mintlify.site/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. > ## Agent Instructions > Use the documentation index to find relevant pages, then read the linked Markdown before answering and cite the source URL. > Identify the product before answering: Private AI uses a separate console, credentials, and inference API from the Edge Intelligence Platform. Do not apply instructions from one product to the other. > Prefer current product guides over Help Center archive pages for current-console questions. Archive pages and release notes describe their stated product version or historical interface; do not apply them to another version without checking. > Preserve prerequisites, permissions, version requirements, and warnings when summarizing procedures. Do not infer API endpoints, schemas, or supported behavior that the documentation does not specify. # Application Snapshot Overview > Learn what application snapshots capture, how copy-on-write volume snapshots and rollback work, and snapshot limitations in Edge Infrastructure Services. ## Introduction Application snapshots let you capture the complete state of an application instance at a specific point in time and restore it if a subsequent update or configuration change causes problems. A snapshot records both the instance's configuration settings and the data on all attached volumes, giving you a consistent rollback point. Snapshots are particularly useful before applying Purge and Update operations, where clearing application data carries a risk of data loss. ### Prerequisites * You have the SysManager or SysAdmin role in your enterprise. See [Manage Roles](https://zededa.mintlify.site/new-ui/infrastructure-services/administration/manage-roles.md). * The target application instance is deployed and running on a node. * The hosting node is running EVE-OS (Edge Virtualization Engine) version 10.8.0 or later. * The application uses volumes based on ext4 or ZFS format. Container volumes and CSI volumes are not supported. * At least 20% of the node's persist partition is free. Snapshots cannot be created if storage is insufficient. ## What Snapshots Capture A snapshot captures two components of an application instance. **Configuration snapshot**: all application settings at the time the snapshot is taken, including CPU and memory allocations, network configurations, resource assignments, volume mappings, and cloud-init configuration. Edge Infrastructure Services stores this on both the cloud side and on the node. **Volume snapshot**: the complete state of all disk volumes attached to the application instance at the time of the snapshot. The volume snapshot ensures that data matches the configuration snapshot, providing a complete point-in-time backup. Snapshots always capture all attached volumes. You cannot snapshot individual volumes selectively. ## How It Works When you create a snapshot, EVE-OS uses a copy-on-write approach to record the current state of each attached volume. The snapshot itself starts very small (roughly 1–2% of volume size for metadata). As the application continues to run and data changes, the snapshot grows incrementally, storing only the differences between the current state and the snapshot. This means: * Storage impact starts low and grows over time. * A purgeable volume requires storing the full volume as a backup, because purge operations can replace the entire volume. A 100 GB purgeable volume requires up to 200 GB total storage (the original volume plus the snapshot copy). When you roll back to a snapshot, EVE-OS stops the application, restores volume data from the snapshot, reapplies the saved configuration, and restarts the application. The application goes briefly offline during this process. ## Limitations **One snapshot per instance.** Only one snapshot is retained per application instance. Creating a new snapshot while one already exists automatically deletes the older snapshot. **Single-use rollback.** Each snapshot can be used for rollback only once. After a rollback, the snapshot is consumed and cannot be used again. Create a new snapshot if you need another rollback point. **VM instances only.** Snapshots are designed for VM-based application instances. Edge Infrastructure Services may provide limited snapshot support for Container and Docker Compose instances, depending on their volume configuration. **All volumes included.** Every volume attached to the instance is captured. Selective per-volume snapshots are not supported. **Hardware resource dependency.** Rollback may not be possible if the node's hardware resources have changed significantly since the snapshot was taken. For example, if a network interface referenced in the snapshot has been removed or reassigned, the restore will fail. **No node-level snapshots.** Snapshots apply to individual application instances, not to entire nodes. ## Snapshot Statuses | Status | Meaning | | - | - | | Loading | Edge Infrastructure Services is retrieving the snapshot's current state. The Status cell shows a loading indicator and the creation date stays blank until the state is returned. | | Idle | The snapshot exists and is available for rollback. | | Creating | The snapshot is being created. | | Created | The snapshot was created successfully. | | Create Failed | The snapshot creation failed. Check node storage and logs. | | Rolling Back | A rollback is in progress. | | Active | The rollback completed and the snapshot was applied. | | Rollback Failed | The rollback failed. Review error details and node resources. | | Deleting | The snapshot is being deleted. | | Delete Failed | The deletion request failed. | Loading is a display state rather than a state that EVE-OS reports. Edge Infrastructure Services reads each snapshot's status and creation date individually, and refreshes the list every 30 seconds, so a snapshot that shows Loading resolves to its actual status without any action from you. Rollback and delete actions stay unavailable for that snapshot until the status resolves. ## Storage Considerations The storage impact of a snapshot grows over time as the application makes changes to its volumes: * Immediately after creation: approximately 1–2% of volume size (metadata only). * After ongoing operation: grows incrementally, proportional to the volume of changes written. * Purgeable volumes: up to 100% of the volume size, because the full volume must be preserved as a backup. Monitor available storage on the node's persist partition from the **Storage** tab on the node detail page. If a node runs low on storage, delete snapshots that are no longer needed. After a snapshot is deleted, the associated files are not immediately removed from the node's drives. Files are deleted during the next application deactivation (update, restart, or purge). To free storage immediately after deleting a snapshot, restart the application instance. ## Snapshots and Disaster Recovery Application snapshots support recovery from update failures, configuration errors, or unexpected application behavior. They are not a substitute for a full disaster recovery strategy. If your application stores business-critical data (for example, a database), use the backup and recovery capabilities that the application or its underlying storage system provides, in addition to snapshots. Snapshots are best used as a lightweight safety net for the deployment and update process, not as the primary data protection mechanism. ## Next Steps > [card] [Manage Application Snapshots](https://zededa.mintlify.site/new-ui/infrastructure-services/applications/manage-application-snapshots.md) > > Create, roll back, and delete snapshots. > [card] [Manage an Application Instance](https://zededa.mintlify.site/new-ui/infrastructure-services/applications/manage-an-application-instance.md) > > The full instance detail page and lifecycle actions. > [card] [Node Volumes Overview](https://zededa.mintlify.site/new-ui/infrastructure-services/node-volumes-overview.md) > > Understand how volumes relate to snapshot storage.