Recovery

Provider snapshot or off-site backup?

Use snapshots for a nearby rollback point and an independent backup for recovery when the deployment host or provider boundary is unavailable.

Best fit

Provider snapshot

A rollback checkpoint before a planned host or deployment change.

  • • Usually shares a provider or host boundary.
  • • May not provide application-consistent database recovery on its own.
  • • Retention and restore access should be verified.

Best fit

Independent backup destination

Recovering application state after a host, account, or site-level incident.

  • • Needs separate storage, retention, credentials, and restore testing.
  • • Database and file state must be planned together.
  • • Restore time becomes an operational requirement.

Decision rule

Keep both roles visible. A snapshot helps reverse a recent change; an independent copy supports recovery outside the primary host boundary.

Build the deployment blueprint

Sources and scope

Last reviewed 2026-07-13. This page separates the decision it supports from the facts that still require a platform or model-specific check.

Applies to

Persistent-state planning for single-host Docker workloads.

Does not cover

A provider-specific backup product evaluation or guaranteed recovery objectives.

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