Copy a snapshot to back up data in the same region or across regions and change its encryption status-Elastic Compute Service(ECS)-阿里云帮助中心

Prerequisites

To create an encrypted copy of a snapshot, you must first activate Key Management Service (KMS).
You cannot copy archived snapshots.

Copying snapshots is ideal for the following scenarios:

DevOps

You can copy a snapshot to quickly launch services or migrate business systems to a new region. This helps reduce operational costs and improve availability.
Data backup in the same region and across regions

To meet compliance requirements or improve business reliability, you can copy a snapshot to another region to restore services in the event of a disaster. This helps lower your Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO).

You can copy snapshots using two methods: standard copy and encrypted copy. The following table describes the differences.

Copy type	Use case	Security	Procedure
standard copy	Create a cross-region copy of an unencrypted snapshot for off-site backup or to create a disk from the copy in a different region.	The content of an unencrypted snapshot can be accessed directly.	Standard copy
encrypted copy	Encrypt an unencrypted snapshot by creating an encrypted copy in the same region. Change the encryption key of an encrypted snapshot by creating a copy in the same region. Create an encrypted cross-region copy of an unencrypted snapshot for encrypted off-site backup or to create a disk from the copy in a different region. Create a cross-region copy of an encrypted snapshot for off-site backup or to create a disk from the copy in a different region. You can also change the encryption key during this process.	Encrypted snapshots can be accessed only with the corresponding key, protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access and improving data privacy.	Encrypted copy

Important

Read this section carefully to understand the billing details and avoid unexpected fees.

The following table describes the billing scenarios for copying a snapshot of the same disk. Copy types that are not listed are not supported.

Copy type	Destination region	Snapshot size	Fees
Standard copy of an unencrypted snapshot	Cross-region	The first copy to a destination region is a full copy based on the full snapshot size. Subsequent copies to the same destination region are incremental and contain only the changed data.	Snapshot storage fee Data transfer fee
Encrypted copy of an unencrypted snapshot	Same-region	The first copy is a full copy based on the full disk capacity. Subsequent copies are incremental. If you change the encryption key, a new full copy based on the full disk capacity is created. After that, subsequent copies are incremental.	Snapshot storage fee KMS encryption fee
Encrypted copy of an unencrypted snapshot	Cross-region	The process is the same as for same-region copies.	Snapshot storage fee Data transfer fee KMS encryption fee
Encrypted copy of an encrypted snapshot	Same-region	The first copy is a full copy based on the full snapshot size. Subsequent copies are incremental. If you change the encryption key, a new full copy based on the full snapshot size is created. After that, subsequent copies are incremental.	Snapshot storage fee KMS encryption fee
Encrypted copy of an encrypted snapshot	Cross-region	The process is the same as for same-region copies.	Snapshot storage fee Data transfer fee KMS encryption fee

Snapshot storage fee

After a snapshot is copied to the destination region, a snapshot storage fee is incurred. For more information about the calculation formulas, see Snapshot billing.
Data transfer fee

This fee is calculated by using the following formula:
- Unit price for snapshot copy: Go to the ECS pricing page. On the Snapshot Service Prices tab, you can view the unit price for each region.
- Snapshot size: The unit is GB. For information about how to view the snapshot size, see View the size of a snapshot.
  
  Important
  When you create the first encrypted copy of an unencrypted snapshot, the snapshot size in the formula refers to the disk capacity.
KMS encryption fee

Alibaba Cloud KMS provides a default service key free of charge for server-side encryption by cloud services. No key fees are incurred when you use the default key. In other cases, see KMS Billing for more information.

The retention period and tags of the source snapshot are not copied.

By default, snapshots copied in the ECS console are retained permanently. You can call the CopySnapshot API operation to specify a retention period for the copied snapshot.
The copied snapshot has a new ID and cannot be used to roll back the source disk.
Copied snapshots do not support the instant access feature.
A standard snapshot can only be copied as a standard snapshot.

Go to ECS console - Snapshots.
In the top navigation bar, select the region and resource group of the resource that you want to manage.
On the Disk Snapshots tab, find the snapshot that you want to copy. In the Operation column, choose > Copy Snapshot.

In the Copy Snapshot dialog box, configure the parameters based on the copy type.

Parameter		Description
Snapshot Name		Enter a name for the new snapshot.
Destination Region		Select the destination region for the snapshot. A standard copy can be created only in a different region.
Copy Type		Select Copy.
(Optional) Advanced Configurations	Description	Enter a description. We recommend including the snapshot's purpose and environment for easier management.
	Tag	Add tags to the new snapshot for easier management. Note The tags that are bound to the source snapshot are not copied.

Parameter		Description
Snapshot Name		Enter a name for the new snapshot.
Destination Region		Select the destination region for the snapshot. An encrypted copy can be created in the same region or in a different region. You cannot create an encrypted copy in China (Nanjing - Local Region).
Copy Type		Select Copy and Encrypt. A snapshot created from an encrypted disk is an encrypted snapshot. For an encrypted snapshot, you can select only Copy and Encrypt.
Encryption Key		From the drop-down list, select an encryption key. You can select a service key (a key that is automatically created and managed by the ECS service, with the alias `alias/acs/ecs`) or a customer master key (CMK) (a key that you import or create in KMS and over which you have full control). For more information, see Overview of KMS integration with other cloud services.
(Optional) Advanced Settings	Description	Enter a description. We recommend including the snapshot's purpose and environment for easier management.
	Tag	Add tags to the new snapshot for easier management. The tags that are bound to the source snapshot are not copied.

After you confirm the settings, click OK to start copying the snapshot.
(Optional) Switch to the destination region to view the new snapshot's information.
- When the Progress column shows Progressing, the snapshot is being copied. To cancel the copy, go to the destination region, find the snapshot, and then click Delete Snapshot in the Actions column. This deletes the snapshot that is being copied.
- When the Progress column shows Available, the snapshot has been successfully copied.
  - Hover over Snapshot Copy in the Snapshot Source column to view the source snapshot ID.
  - Go to the snapshot details page. In the Encrypted/Unencrypted section, you can view whether the snapshot is encrypted and the encryption key used.