Why Backup Your Vultr VPS?
Data loss can happen to anyone—hardware failures, software bugs, or accidental deletions. Vultr provides multiple backup solutions to keep your data safe. In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know about protecting your VPS in 2026.
Automatic Backups vs Snapshots
Vultr offers two main backup solutions:
- Automatic Backups: Daily automated backups that run in the background. Easy to set up and forget.
- Snapshots: Manual point-in-time captures. More control over what gets saved.
How to Enable Automatic Backups
- Log in to your Vultr Control Panel
- Select your instance from the Servers list
- Click "Backups" in the left sidebar
- Toggle "Enable Automatic Backups" to ON
- Choose your backup schedule (daily recommended)
Cost: Automatic backups cost 20% of your instance price per month.
Creating Manual Snapshots
- Go to the Snapshots section in Control Panel
- Click "Add Snapshot"
- Enter a descriptive name (e.g., "web-server-before-update")
- Select your instance
- Click "Create Snapshot"
Pro tip: Create snapshots before any major system update or configuration change.
Restoring from Backup
When disaster strikes, restoring is straightforward:
- Go to Backups or Snapshots section
- Select the backup you want to restore
- Click "Restore"
- Choose to restore to existing or new instance
- Confirm and wait for restoration to complete
Best Practices
- Create snapshots before system updates
- Test restoration on a test instance periodically
- Keep at least 3 recent backups
- Offload critical data to external storage
- Document your backup strategy
Conclusion
Protecting your Vultr VPS with backups is essential. Whether you choose automatic backups for hands-off protection or snapshots for precise control, Vultr makes it easy. Start backing up today—your future self will thank you!