Cloud disk snapshots and server images are both used for data backup and recovery in cloud environments, but they serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics.
Cloud Disk Snapshots:
- A snapshot captures the state of a single cloud disk at a specific point in time.
- It is primarily used for backing up and restoring individual disks, such as system disks or data disks.
- Snapshots are incremental, meaning only the changed data since the last snapshot is stored, saving storage space.
- Example: If you have a database server and want to back up its data disk before performing an update, you can create a snapshot of that disk. If something goes wrong, you can restore the disk to the previous state using the snapshot.
Server Images:
- A server image is a complete copy of an entire server instance, including the operating system, installed applications, configurations, and all attached disks.
- It is used to quickly deploy new instances with the same environment, ensuring consistency across multiple servers.
- Images are typically full copies, though some platforms may optimize storage by deduplicating common layers.
- Example: If you have a web server configured with a specific OS, web server software, and application stack, you can create an image of it. Later, you can use this image to launch identical servers for scaling or disaster recovery.
In Tencent Cloud, cloud disk snapshots are managed via Cloud Block Storage (CBS) Snapshots, while server images are handled through Cloud Virtual Machine (CVM) Images. Both services provide reliable backup and deployment solutions for different use cases.