In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of automating snapshot creation for your EC2 instances using AWS Lifecycle Manager. Snapshots are essential for data backup and recovery, and automating this process can save you time and ensure the safety of your data. This is crucial to make aws EC2 backup.
You might want to know how AWS create ec2 instance from snapshot
If you haven’t subscribed to our channel yet, please consider doing so, as it helps us create more content like this. Now, let’s dive into automating EC2 snapshots.
Prerequisites: Before we begin, make sure you have an AWS account and have already created an EC2 instance. If you’re new to EC2, you can check out our separate video on how to create an EC2 instance for step-by-step instructions.
Step 1: Verify Snapshot Status Start by logging into your AWS Management Console. Once you’re in, navigate to the EC2 Dashboard and find your EC2 instance. Click on “Snapshots” to verify that there are currently no snapshots associated with your instance.
Step 2: Access Lifecycle Manager Next, we’ll set up the Lifecycle Manager to automate snapshot creation. In the AWS Console, locate “Elastic Block Store” in the sidebar and click on “Lifecycle Manager.”
Step 3: Create a Snapshot Policy Inside the Lifecycle Manager, you’ll find options for creating snapshot policies. Click on “Create snapshot policy.” This is where the automation magic begins.
Step 4: Configure Policy Details Now, let’s configure the policy details:
- Target Resources: Decide whether you want to take snapshots of the entire instance or specific volumes. For this demonstration, we’ll select “Volume.”
- Target Resource Tags: Ensure you’ve tagged your EC2 instance with a name and value. In this example, we’ve used “automated snapshot demo.”
- Description: Provide a description for your policy, such as “Automated Snapshots Demo.”
- IM Role: If you don’t have an existing IM role, select the default option to create one with the necessary permissions.
- Tags (Optional): You can add tags to your snapshots for better organization.
- Policy Status: Enable the policy.
Click “Next” to proceed.
Step 5: Schedule Snapshot Creation Now, let’s set up the snapshot schedule. You can create multiple schedules if needed. For this example, we’ll create a daily snapshot.
- Name: Give your schedule a name, e.g., “Schedule 1.”
- Frequency: Choose how often you want snapshots to be taken. We’ll go with “Daily.”
- Frequency Interval: Set the interval for daily snapshots. You can select any duration that suits your needs, like every hour, four hours, or 12 hours. We’ll choose “Every 1 hour.”
- Start Time: Specify when the snapshot schedule should begin. For instance, we’ll start at “9 UTC.”
- Retention Type: Decide whether snapshots should be retained based on count (for a specific number of days) or age (after a specified number of days). For this demo, we’ll choose “Count” and set it to “1.”
You can add more schedules for different retention needs. Once configured, click “Review Policy.”
Step 6: Review and Create Review the policy summary to ensure everything is as intended. When you’re satisfied, click “Create Policy.”
Conclusion: Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up automated snapshot creation for your EC2 instance using AWS Lifecycle Manager. Now, your snapshots will be taken automatically based on the schedule you’ve defined, ensuring data safety and ease of management.