Creating a backup policy

If you do not have the Yandex Cloud CLI installed yet, install and initialize it.

By default, the CLI uses the folder specified when creating the profile. To change the default folder, use the yc config set folder-id <folder_ID> command. You can also set a different folder for any specific command using the --folder-name or --folder-id parameter.

1. See the description of the CLI command to create a backup policy:

   yc backup policy create --help
   

2. Specify the configuration of the backup policy you are creating as a data schema in JSON format.

   Sample configuration file

   {
     "compression": "NORMAL",
     "format": "AUTO",
     "multiVolumeSnapshottingEnabled": true,
     "preserveFileSecuritySettings": true,
     "reattempts": {
       "enabled": true,
       "interval": {
         "type": "SECONDS",
         "count": "30"
       },
       "maxAttempts": "30"
     },
     "silentModeEnabled": true,
     "splitting": {
       "size": "1099511627776"
     },
     "vmSnapshotReattempts": {
       "enabled": true,
       "interval": {
         "type": "MINUTES",
         "count": "5"
       },
       "maxAttempts": "3"
     },
     "vss": {
       "enabled": true,
       "provider": "TARGET_SYSTEM_DEFINED"
     },
     "archive": {
       "name": "'[Machine Name]-[Plan ID]-[Unique ID]A'"
     },
     "performanceWindow": {
     },
     "retention": {
       "rules": [
         {
           "maxCount": "10"
         }
       ],
       "beforeBackup": true
     },
     "scheduling": {
       "backupSets": [
         {
           "time": {
             "weekdays": [
               "MONDAY"
             ],
             "repeatAt": [
               {
                 "minute": "5"
               }
             ],
             "type": "WEEKLY"
           }
         }
       ],
       "enabled": true,
       "maxParallelBackups": "2",
       "randMaxDelay": {
         "type": "MINUTES",
         "count": "30"
       },
       "scheme": "ALWAYS_INCREMENTAL",
       "weeklyBackupDay": "MONDAY"
     },
     "cbt": "ENABLE_AND_USE",
     "fastBackupEnabled": true,
     "quiesceSnapshottingEnabled": true,
     "prePostCommands": [
       {
         "cmd": "/usr/bin/myapp",
         "args": "-d -rw",
         "enabled": true,
         "stopOnError": true,
         "type": "PRE_COMMAND",
         "wait": true,
         "workdir": "/etc/myapp/"
       }
     ]
   }
   

   Note

   The preserveFileSecuritySettings and quiesceSnapshottingEnabled parameters are no longer supported.

   Save the configuration to a .json file.

   The example describes a configuration for a backup policy that will create incremental VM or BareMetal server backups every Monday at 00:05 (UTC+0). Only the last 10 backups will be stored.

   See the full backup policy specification for details.

3. Create a backup policy:

   yc backup policy create \
     --name <policy_name> \
     --settings-from-file <path_to_configuration_file>
   

   Where:

   • --name: Name of the backup policy you are creating.
   • --settings-from-file: Path to the backup policy configuration file in JSON format.

   Result:

   id: cdgkoivuvtey********
   name: sample-backup-policy
   created_at: "2025-10-06T19:09:31Z"
   updated_at: "2025-10-06T19:09:31Z"
   enabled: true
   settings:
     compression: NORMAL
     format: AUTO
     multi_volume_snapshotting_enabled: true
     reattempts:
       enabled: true
       interval:
         type: SECONDS
         count: "30"
       max_attempts: "30"
     silent_mode_enabled: true
     splitting:
       size: "1099511627776"
     vm_snapshot_reattempts:
       enabled: true
       interval:
         type: MINUTES
         count: "5"
       max_attempts: "3"
     vss:
       enabled: true
       provider: TARGET_SYSTEM_DEFINED
     archive:
       name: '''[Machine Name]-[Plan ID]-[Unique ID]A'''
     performance_window: {}
     retention:
       rules:
         - max_count: "10"
       before_backup: true
     scheduling:
       backup_sets:
         - time:
             weekdays:
               - MONDAY
             repeat_at:
               - minute: "5"
             type: WEEKLY
           type: TYPE_AUTO
       enabled: true
       max_parallel_backups: "2"
       rand_max_delay:
         type: MINUTES
         count: "30"
       scheme: ALWAYS_INCREMENTAL
       weekly_backup_day: MONDAY
     cbt: ENABLE_AND_USE
     fast_backup_enabled: true
     file_filters: {}
     pre_post_commands:
       - cmd: /usr/bin/myapp
         args: -d -rw
         enabled: true
         stop_on_error: true
         type: PRE_COMMAND
         wait: true
         workdir: /etc/myapp/
   folder_id: b1gt6g8ht345********
   

   For more information about this command, see the CLI reference.

With Terraform, you can quickly create a cloud infrastructure in Yandex Cloud and manage it using configuration files. These files store the infrastructure description written in HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL). If you change the configuration files, Terraform automatically detects which part of your configuration is already deployed, and what should be added or removed.

Terraform is distributed under the Business Source License. The Yandex Cloud provider for Terraform is distributed under the MPL-2.0 license.

For more information about the provider resources, see the relevant documentation on the Terraform website or its mirror.

If you do not have Terraform yet, install it and configure the Yandex Cloud provider.

To create a backup policy:

1. In the Terraform configuration file, describe the backup policy parameters:

   resource "yandex_backup_policy" "my_policy" {
       archive_name                      = "[Machine Name]-[Plan ID]-[Unique ID]a"
       cbt                               = "USE_IF_ENABLED"
       compression                       = "NORMAL"
       fast_backup_enabled               = true
       format                            = "AUTO"
       multi_volume_snapshotting_enabled = true
       name                              = "<backup_policy_name>"
       performance_window_enabled        = true
       sector_by_sector                  = true
       run_later                         = true
       validation_enabled                = true
       lvm_snapshotting_enabled          = true
       silent_mode_enabled               = true
       splitting_bytes                   = "9223372036854775807"
       vss_provider                      = "NATIVE"
   
       reattempts {
           enabled      = true
           interval     = "1m"
           max_attempts = 10
       }
   
       retention {
           after_backup = false
   
           rules {
               max_age       = "365d"
               repeat_period = []
           }
       }
   
       scheduling {
           enabled              = false
           max_parallel_backups = 0
           random_max_delay     = "30m"
           scheme               = "ALWAYS_INCREMENTAL"
           weekly_backup_day    = "MONDAY"
   
           backup_sets {
               execute_by_time {
                   type                      = "MONTHLY"
                   include_last_day_of_month = true
                   monthdays                 = []
                   months                    = [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]
                   repeat_at                 = ["04:10"]
                   repeat_every              = "30m"
                   weekdays                  = []
               }
           }
       }
   
       vm_snapshot_reattempts {
           enabled      = true
           interval     = "1m"
           max_attempts = 10
       }
   }
   

   Where:

   • archive_name: Names of generated archives. This is an optional parameter. The parameter variables include:

     • Machine Name: VM or BareMetal server name.
     • Plan ID: Plan ID.
     • Unique ID: Unique ID.

     Make sure the last character in the generated archive name is not a variable.

   • cbt: Configuration for tracking backup contents. This is an optional parameter. The possible values include:

     • CHANGED_BLOCK_TRACKING_UNSPECIFIED: Not specified.
     • USE_IF_ENABLED: Use if enabled.
     • ENABLE_AND_USE: Enable and use.
     • DO_NOT_USE: Do not use.

     The default value is DO_NOT_USE.

   • compression: Backup compression ratio. This is an optional parameter. The possible values include:

     • NORMAL: Standard compression ratio.
     • HIGH: High compression ratio.
     • MAX: Maximum compression ratio.
     • OFF: Disabled.

     The default value is NORMAL.

   • fast_backup_enabled: Fast backup for tracking changes to files. When enabled, file changes are detected by the file size and its timestamp. When disabled, files are checked for changes by comparing their contents to backed up files. It can either be true or false.

   • format: Backup format. This is an optional parameter. The possible values include:

     • VERSION_11: Deprecated format, not recommended.
     • VERSION_12: Recommended format for high-speed backup and recovery.
     • AUTO: Automatic format selection. The default option is VERSION_12, unless you are creating incremental backups for the images created in other versions.

   • multi_volume_snapshotting_enabled: Creating backups for multiple volumes at the same time. This is an optional parameter. It can either be true or false.

   • name: Name of the backup policy.

   • performance_window_enabled: Time windows to limit backup performance. This is an optional parameter. It can either be true or false. The default value is false.

   • sector_by_sector: Sector-by-sector backup. Backs up all disk or volume sectors, including empty areas and unallocated space. If no compression level is selected, the backup size will be equal to the disk size. This mode is used automatically for disks with unsupported file systems. You cannot recover app data from a backup like that. It can either be true or false. The default value is false.

   • run_later: If the VM was Stopped during a scheduled backup, all skipped backup jobs will be executed after the VM starts. It can either be true or false. The default value is false.

   • validation_enabled: Checks the possibility of recovering data from the new backup. During the check, a checksum is calculated for each section available for recovery. The check may take a long time because it scans all recoverable data. It can either be true or false. The default value is false.

   • lvm_snapshotting_enabled: Uses LVM to create a volume snapshot. If the snapshot cannot be created using LVM, it will be created using the Cloud Backup agent. It can either be true or false. The default value is false.

   • silent_mode_enabled: Silent mode that assumes minimum interaction with users. This is an optional parameter. It can either be true or false. The default value is true.

   • splitting_bytes: Defines the size for splitting backups. This is an optional parameter. The default value is 9223372036854775807.

   • vss_provider: VSS settings. This is an optional parameter. It can either be NATIVE or TARGET_SYSTEM_DEFINED. The default value is NATIVE.

   • reattempts: Defines repeat attempts in case the backup operation fails:

     • enabled: Retry creating a backup if non-critical errors occur (e.g., when failing to connect to a target disk). This is an optional parameter. It can either be true or false. The default value is true.
     • interval: Interval between retries. This is an optional parameter. The default value is 5m.
     • max_attempts: Maximum number of retry attempts. If reached, the operation is considered failed. This is an optional parameter. The default value is 5.

   • retention: Backup retention options:

     • after_backup: Apply backup retention rules after the backup is completed. It can either be true or false.

     • rules: Backup retention rules:

       • max_age: Delete backups whose age exceeds max_age.
       • max_count: Delete backups if their number exceeds max_count.
       • repeat_period: Period for applying the rules.

       The max_age and max_count attributes are mutually exclusive, i.e., the use of one makes it impossible to use the other.

   • scheduling: Backup scheduling options:

     • enabled: Enable backup scheduling. This is an optional parameter. It can either be true or false. The default value is true.

     • max_parallel_backups: Maximum number of concurrent backups. This is an optional parameter. The default value is 0 (unlimited).

     • random_max_delay: Sets a random delay between concurrent jobs. This is an optional parameter. The default value is 30m.

     • scheme: Backup schedule scheme. This is an optional parameter. The possible values include:

       • ALWAYS_INCREMENTAL: Always incremental.
       • ALWAYS_FULL: Always full.
       • WEEKLY_FULL_DAILY_INCREMENTAL: Create an incremental backup every day and a full one weekly.
       • WEEKLY_INCREMENTAL: Create an incremental backup every week.

       The default value is ALWAYS_INCREMENTAL.

     • weekly_backup_day: Day of the week when the weekly backup is run. This is an optional parameter. The default value is MONDAY.

     • backup_sets: List of schedules with backup sets:

       • execute_by_time: Settings for backups at a specific time:
         • include_last_day_of_month: Running backups on the last day of each month. This is an optional parameter. It can either be true or false. The default value is false.
         • monthdays: List of days to to which the schedule applies. This is an optional parameter. It can be used for the MONTHLY format.
         • months: List of months to which the schedules applies. This is an optional parameter.
         • repeat_at: List of time values in HH:MM (24-hour) format to which the schedule applies. This is an optional parameter.
         • repeat_every: Frequency for repeat backups. This is an optional parameter.
         • type: Schedule type. The possible values are HOURLY, DAILY, WEEKLY, and MONTHLY.
         • weekdays: List of days of the week to which the schedule applies. It can be used for the WEEKLY format.

   • vm_snapshot_reattempts: Backup retries in case of failures:

     • enabled: Retry a backup if any errors occur. This is an optional parameter. It can either be true or false. The default value is true.
     • interval: Interval between retries. This is an optional parameter. The default value is 5m.
     • max_attempts: Maximum number of retry attempts. If reached, the operation is considered failed. This is an optional parameter. The default value is 5.

   Note

   The preserveFileSecuritySettings and quiesceSnapshottingEnabled parameters are no longer supported.

   For more information about yandex_backup_policy properties, see the relevant provider documentation.

2. Create the resources:

   1. In the terminal, go to the directory where you edited the configuration file.

   2. Make sure the configuration file is correct using this command:

      terraform validate
      

      If the configuration is correct, you will get this message:

      Success! The configuration is valid.
      

   3. Run this command:

      terraform plan
      

      You will see a detailed list of resources. No changes will be made at this step. If the configuration contains any errors, Terraform will show them.

   4. Apply the changes:

      terraform apply
      

   5. Type yes and press Enter to confirm the changes.

   Terraform will create all the required resources. You can check the new resources using the management console or this CLI command:

   yc backup policy list
   

To create a backup policy, use the create REST API method for the Policy resource or the PolicyService/Create gRPC API call.