elasticsearch/docs/reference/snapshot-restore/index.asciidoc

[[snapshot-restore]]
= Snapshot and restore

[partintro]
--

// tag::snapshot-intro[]
A _snapshot_ is a backup taken from a running {es} cluster.
You can take snapshots of an entire cluster, including all its data streams and
indices. You can also take snapshots of only specific data streams or indices in
the cluster.

You must
<<snapshots-register-repository, register a snapshot repository>>
before you can <<snapshots-take-snapshot, create snapshots>>.

Snapshots can be stored in either local or remote repositories.
Remote repositories can reside on Amazon S3, HDFS, Microsoft Azure,
Google Cloud Storage,
and other platforms supported by a {plugins}/repository.html[repository plugin].
// end::snapshot-intro[]

{es} takes snapshots incrementally: the snapshotting process only copies data
to the repository that was not already copied there by an earlier snapshot,
avoiding unnecessary duplication of work or storage space. This means you can
safely take snapshots very frequently with minimal overhead. This
incrementality only applies within a single repository because no data is
shared between repositories. Snapshots are also logically independent from each
other, even within a single repository: deleting a snapshot does not affect the
integrity of any other snapshot.

// tag::restore-intro[]
You can <<snapshots-restore-snapshot,restore snapshots>> to a running cluster, which includes all data streams and indices in the snapshot
by default.
However, you can choose to restore only the cluster state or specific data
streams or indices from a snapshot.
// end::restore-intro[]

You can use
<<getting-started-snapshot-lifecycle-management, {slm}>>
to automatically take and manage snapshots.

// tag::backup-warning[]
WARNING: **The only reliable and supported way to back up a cluster is by
taking a snapshot**. You cannot back up an {es} cluster by making copies of the
data directories of its nodes. There are no supported methods to restore any
data from a filesystem-level backup. If you try to restore a cluster from such
a backup, it may fail with reports of corruption or missing files or other data
inconsistencies, or it may appear to have succeeded having silently lost some
of your data.
// end::backup-warning[]

A copy of the data directories of a cluster's nodes does not work as a backup
because it is not a consistent representation of their contents at a single
point in time. You cannot fix this by shutting down nodes while making the
copies, nor by taking atomic filesystem-level snapshots, because {es} has
consistency requirements that span the whole cluster. You must use the built-in
snapshot functionality for cluster backups.

[discrete]
[[snapshot-restore-version-compatibility]]
=== Version compatibility

IMPORTANT: Version compatibility refers to the underlying Lucene index
compatibility. Follow the <<setup-upgrade,Upgrade documentation>>
when migrating between versions.

A snapshot contains a copy of the on-disk data structures that comprise an
index or a data stream's backing indices. This means that snapshots can only be restored to versions of
{es} that can read the indices.

The following table indicates snapshot compatibility between versions. The first column denotes the base version that you can restore snapshots from.

// tag::snapshot-compatibility-matrix[]
[cols="6"]
|===
| 5+^h| Cluster version
^h| Snapshot version ^| 2.x ^| 5.x ^| 6.x ^| 7.x ^| 8.x
^| *1.x* -> ^|{yes-icon} ^|{no-icon}  ^|{no-icon}  ^|{no-icon}  ^|{no-icon}
^| *2.x* -> ^|{yes-icon} ^|{yes-icon} ^|{no-icon}  ^|{no-icon}  ^|{no-icon}
^| *5.x* -> ^|{no-icon}  ^|{yes-icon} ^|{yes-icon} ^|{no-icon}  ^|{no-icon}
^| *6.x* -> ^|{no-icon}  ^|{no-icon}  ^|{yes-icon} ^|{yes-icon} ^|{no-icon}
^| *7.x* -> ^|{no-icon}  ^|{no-icon}  ^|{no-icon}  ^|{yes-icon} ^|{yes-icon}
|===
// end::snapshot-compatibility-matrix[]

The following conditions apply for restoring snapshots and indices across versions:

* *Snapshots*: You cannot restore snapshots from later {es} versions into a cluster running an earlier {es} version. For example, you cannot restore a snapshot taken in 7.6.0 to a cluster running 7.5.0.
* *Indices*: You cannot restore indices into a cluster running a version of {es} that is more than _one major version_ newer than the version of {es} used to snapshot the indices. For example, you cannot restore indices from a snapshot taken in 5.0 to a cluster running 7.0.
+
[NOTE]
====
The one caveat is that snapshots taken by {es} 2.0 can be restored in clusters running {es} 5.0.
====

Each snapshot can contain indices created in various versions of {es}. This
includes backing indices created for data streams. When restoring a snapshot, it
must be possible to restore all of these indices into the target cluster. If any
indices in a snapshot were created in an incompatible version, you will not be
able restore the snapshot.

IMPORTANT: When backing up your data prior to an upgrade, keep in mind that you
won't be able to restore snapshots after you upgrade if they contain indices
created in a version that's incompatible with the upgrade version.

If you end up in a situation where you need to restore a snapshot of a data stream or index
that is incompatible with the version of the cluster you are currently running,
you can restore it on the latest compatible version and use
<<reindex-from-remote,reindex-from-remote>> to rebuild the data stream or index on the current
version. Reindexing from remote is only possible if the original data stream or index has
source enabled. Retrieving and reindexing the data can take significantly
longer than simply restoring a snapshot. If you have a large amount of data, we
recommend testing the reindex from remote process with a subset of your data to
understand the time requirements before proceeding.

--

include::register-repository.asciidoc[]
include::take-snapshot.asciidoc[]
include::restore-snapshot.asciidoc[]
include::monitor-snapshot-restore.asciidoc[]
include::delete-snapshot.asciidoc[]
include::../slm/index.asciidoc[]
include::../searchable-snapshots/index.asciidoc[]