Hands-On with EBS Snapshots in AWS

Creating an EBS Snapshot

To create a snapshot of an EBS volume, follow these steps:

1. Select the EBS Volume (e.g., a 2 GB GP2 EBS volume).
2. Navigate to Actions → Create Snapshot.
3. Add a Description (e.g., DemoSnapshots).
4. Click Create Snapshot.

After creation, go to Snapshots in the left-hand menu to see the newly created snapshot. Once completed, it will show as 100% available.

Copying an EBS Snapshot to Another Region

EBS Snapshots can be copied across AWS regions for Disaster Recovery.

1. Right-click the snapshot and select Copy Snapshot.
2. Choose a Destination Region.
3. Click Copy to replicate the snapshot.

This ensures that data is backed up in a separate AWS region, protecting against regional failures.

Restoring an EBS Volume from a Snapshot

Snapshots allow you to create a new volume, even in a different Availability Zone (AZ).

1. Select the Snapshot → Actions → Create Volume from Snapshot.
2. Choose the Size (e.g., 2 GB GP2).