Snapshots
Snapshots are an essential component of any disaster recovery strategy. In the fast-paced world of development, unexpected issues can arise—such as accidental overwrites of critical data or bugs in updates. While these scenarios can't always be avoided, their impact can be minimized or mitigated.
The Snapshot feature acts as your safety net, ensuring that your project can recover quickly and efficiently from potential disasters. Each snapshot is a snapshot of your module (Satellite, Mission Control, or Orbiter) at a specific point in time. Snapshots enable you to restore your module to its previous state, protecting your work and averting potential crises.
How It Works
You can manually create, restore, and delete snapshots for each module as needed. To do so, navigate to a module in the console and locate the features within the "Setup" tab.
Snapshots are also automatically created during the upgrade process, capturing a snapshot when upgrading to a new version. If preferred, you can opt out in the advanced options to skip creating a snapshot or prevent overwriting an existing one. However, given the sensitivity of such processes, we strongly recommend always having a snapshot available or at least ensuring a way to restore your data—for example, by being prepared to redeploy your application quickly.
Snapshots can also be downloaded and uploaded offline using the CLI, allowing you to store them externally and re-import them later if needed.
Limitations
Snapshots are stored on-chain, and the cost of a snapshot's memory consumption is charged to the module itself. This means they follow the lifecycle of your modules — if the module is deleted or runs out of cycles, its snapshot is also removed.
Each module is currently limited to one snapshot at a time. This approach offers a balance between flexibility and cost-efficiency, providing a reliable recovery point without unnecessary on-chain storage costs.
If the need for multiple snapshots arises in the future, support may be expanded. Reach out and let us know.
This is why snapshots should not be mistaken for backups. Unlike true backups, they do not provide historical retention, off-chain storage, or protection against accidental loss of control. For long-term data protection, external backups — such as secure cold storage for sensitive data — are recommended.
With the ability to download snapshots offline, you can create your own backup routine, for example, keeping copies in secure storage for long-term protection.
Frequency of Snapshots
Snapshots are automated during code upgrades, with the option to opt out. Alternatively, snapshots can be managed manually.
Advanced Use
In addition to standard recovery, snapshots can also be uploaded to reapply the code and state from one module to another. For example, you can download a snapshot from Satellite A and use it to replace Satellite B.
This should be used carefully though, as snapshots also include elements such as public access keys and user IDs. Applying one module's snapshot to another may cause unintended side effects.