Cloud Backup feature comparison of Different ECS backup editions - Cloud Backup

This topic describes the backup options and use cases for ECS instances and compares the features of each option.

Backup options

Cloud Backup provides three backup options for ECS instances: ECS File Backup Essential Edition, ECS Backup Essential Edition, and standard ECS backup. They are designed to meet various backup and recovery needs across different use cases.

ECS File Backup Essential Edition: Supports basic backup for files on ECS instances. This option is suitable for the file backup needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and developers.
ECS Backup Essential Edition: A subscription plan that supports basic backup for files, self-managed databases (MySQL/Oracle/SQL Server), and entire instance images on ECS instances. This option meets the basic data protection and compliance needs of small and medium-sized customers and developers.
Standard ECS backup provides independent features, such as ECS File Backup, ECS Database Backup, SAP HANA Backup, and ECS Instance Backup, and offers a range of enterprise-grade capabilities for use cases that require features such as customized backup policies, geo-redundancy, or automatic data archiving.

Feature comparison of different backup options

Important

Under the same conditions, such as bandwidth, CPU, memory, and data volume, the backup speed of standard ECS backup or ECS Backup Essential Edition is typically faster than that of ECS File Backup Essential Edition. For more information, see Backup and recovery speeds.

Item	Standard ECS backup	ECS Backup Essential Edition	ECS File Backup Essential Edition
Billable items	Different backup use cases involve different billable items, such as backup software fees and backup storage usage. For more information, see Billing methods and billable items.	You are charged based on the number of ECS instances, regardless of the backup storage usage. If the amount of data to be backed up exceeds 500 GB, the backup stops. No pay-as-you-go fees are generated. (If you use ECS instance backup, ECS charges you for snapshots.)	You are charged based on the total capacity of the block storage attached to the backed-up ECS instance, regardless of the actual amount of file data on the ECS instance. You receive a long-term free quota of 100 GiB. For more information, see Free quota for ECS File Backup Essential Edition.
Billing method	Pay-as-you-go or resource plans	For subscription instances only	Pay-as-you-go or resource plans
Requirements for source data volumes	Unlimited	The total size of the ECS files and databases to be backed up must be less than 500 GB. The disk size is not limited.	Unlimited
Features	Backup for ECS files, self-managed databases on ECS, ECS instances, SAP HANA, and more. You can select specific files, folders, or databases on an ECS instance for backup. Supports four levels of database backup: full, incremental, log, and real-time. Supports a series of enterprise-grade capabilities, such as cross-region backup, cross-account backup, automatic archiving, KMS encryption, immutable backup, and backup point virus detection.	Backup and recovery for ECS files, self-managed databases on ECS, and ECS instances. You can select specific files or databases on an ECS instance for backup. Database backup type cannot be changed. Enterprise-grade features are not supported.	Backup and recovery for ECS files. Does not support selecting specific files or folders. Instead, all user-created folders on the instance are backed up by default. For more information, see Usage notes. Enterprise-grade features are not supported.
Backup policy	Supports custom backup policies. You can customize the backup frequency (to minutes for some data sources) and retention period (for any length of time, with configurable special retention policies and automatic data archiving).	A fixed policy is used. Data is backed up once a day and retained for 30 days. Custom policies are not supported.	A fixed policy is used. Data is backed up once a day and retained for 30 days. Custom policies are not supported.

Recommended use cases

Select a backup option as needed. If your business involves all three types of backup use cases, use a combination of the three backup options. To avoid redundancy, select only one option for the same data source.

For ECS file backup, choose only one of the following options: ECS File Backup Essential Edition, file backup in ECS Backup Essential Edition, or ECS File Backup in the standard ECS backup features.
For ECS database backup, choose only one of the following options: database backup in ECS Backup Essential Edition or ECS Database Backup in the standard ECS backup features.
For ECS instance backup, choose only one of the following options: instance backup in ECS Backup Essential Edition or instance backup in the standard ECS backup features.

Edition	Recommended backup use case	Backup data source	Notes
ECS File Backup Essential Edition	Easy to get started, configuration-free, and O&M-free file backup. A fixed policy of one backup per day with a 30-day retention period is acceptable.	General files, such as documents, images, and logs.	All three backup editions use AES-256 encryption by default, and among these, only the standard ECS backup feature lets you encrypt with Alibaba Cloud KMS. All three backup editions use zone-redundant backup vaults to enhance the availability of your backup data. For the supported regions, see Vault Types.
ECS Backup Essential Edition	Both files and databases on an ECS instance need to be backed up. The amount of data to be backed up does not exceed 500 GB. A fixed policy of one backup per day with a 30-day retention period is acceptable.	Files, databases (MySQL/SQL Server/Oracle), and ECS instances (based on disk snapshots).
Standard ECS backup	Comprehensive enterprise-grade data protection. Flexible and customizable backup policies are required. Enterprise-grade features are needed to meet business, compliance, and centralized O&M requirements.	Files, databases (MySQL/SQL Server/Oracle), ECS instances (based on disk snapshots), and SAP HANA.