back up data within the same region or across regions and change the snapshot encryption status by copying a snapshot - Elastic Compute Service

You can copy snapshots within the same region or across regions to flexibly and reliably back up data. Additionally, the Copy and Encrypt feature allows you to encrypt snapshot copies for enhanced data security. This topic explains how to copy a snapshot within the same region or to another region.

Prerequisites

A snapshot has been created. For more information, see Create a Snapshot.
Key Management Service (KMS) must be activated before copying a snapshot to create an encrypted snapshot copy. For more information, see Activate Key Management Service.

Scenarios

Snapshot replication is suitable for scenarios including the following:

DevOps scenarios

Copying snapshots can initiate or migrate business systems to new regions, reducing operational costs and enhancing data availability.
Inter-region or cross-region backup scenarios

Replicating snapshots across regions supports compliance audits and boosts business reliability. In a disaster, systems can be restored using snapshot copies from another region, minimizing recovery time and data loss.

The table below describes the differences between copy scenarios and copy and encryption scenarios:

Copy Type	Scenarios	Security	Procedure
Copy scenarios	Unencrypted snapshots are copied across regions to back up data or create disks based on the unencrypted snapshot copies in the destination regions.	Unencrypted snapshots can be accessed directly.	Copy scenarios
Copy and encryption scenarios	Unencrypted snapshots are copied within the same region to create encrypted snapshot copies. The encrypted snapshot copies that reside in the same region as the source snapshots can use different encryption keys. Unencrypted snapshots are copied to different regions to create the encrypted snapshot copies. You can use the encrypted snapshot copies to back up data or create disks in the destination regions. The encrypted snapshot copies that reside in different regions from the source snapshots can use different encryption keys.	You can access encrypted snapshots only by using encryption keys. This can prevent the sensitive snapshot data from unauthorized access. Encrypted snapshots provide a higher level of security. This ensures better protection for data privacy and security.	Copy and encryption scenarios

Notes

Please consider the following points when copying snapshots:

Note	Description
Replication fee	In the destination region, you are charged for snapshot replication traffic and snapshot storage. For more information, see Snapshot Billing. Note The first time a snapshot of a disk is copied, the snapshot copy is a full copy that contains all data stored on the disk. All subsequent snapshot copies of the disk in the same region are incremental copies, and each incremental copy contains only the data that has changed since the previous copy. Snapshots are billed based on the snapshot size. Incremental copies can significantly reduce the sizes of snapshots to be copied. If you select the Copy and Encrypt feature, you are charged for the encryption keys that are used by the encrypted snapshots. For more information, see KMS Billing.
Replication efficiency	You can copy a snapshot faster than an image and use snapshot replication to bypass capacity constraints. If you need to copy an image that is larger than 2 TiB, we recommend that you first copy the snapshot to the destination region and then create an image from the snapshot copy in the destination region. Copy snapshot: the procedure described in this topic. Create image: For more information, see Create a Custom Image from a Snapshot.
Limits	The retention period and tags of the source snapshot cannot be copied together to the snapshot copy. Note The retention period of snapshots that are copied in the ECS console is permanent. You can specify the retention period of snapshots that are copied by calling the CopySnapshot API operation. The snapshot ID of the snapshot copy is different from that of the source snapshot. Therefore, the snapshot copy cannot be used to roll back the disk. Snapshot replication does not support Snapshot Fast Availability.

Procedure

Log on to the ECS console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose Storage & Snapshots > Snapshots.
In the top navigation bar, select the region and resource group to which the resource belongs.
Find the target snapshot, and in the Operation column, select > Copy Snapshot.

In the Copy Snapshot dialog box, set the parameters according to the copy type.

Copy scenarios

Parameter		Description
Snapshot Name		Enter a name for the new snapshot.
Destination Region		Select a destination region. The region must be different from the region where the source snapshot resides.
Snapshot Copy Type		Select Copy Scenarios.
(Optional) Advanced Configuration	Description	Enter a description for the new snapshot. We recommend that you enter information such as the purpose and environment of the new snapshot to facilitate subsequent management.
	Tag	Add tags to the new snapshot. The tags help facilitate subsequent management of the new snapshot. Note The tags of the source snapshot cannot be copied together to the snapshot copy.

Copy and encryption scenarios

Parameter		Description
Snapshot Name		Enter a name for the new snapshot.
Destination Region		Select a destination region. The selected region can be the region of the source snapshot or a different region.
Snapshot Copy Type		Select Copy And Encryption Scenarios. Note If the disk is encrypted, the snapshots that are created from the disk are also encrypted. You can only select Copy And Encryption Scenarios.
Encryption Key		You can select the service key of the destination region or a customer master key (CMK) that is created in KMS from the drop-down list. Note For more information about ECS encryption keys, see Encryption Key. Restrictions on the region and permissions of the customer master key are described in Limits.
(Optional) Advanced Configuration	Description	Enter a description for the new snapshot. We recommend that you enter information such as the purpose and environment of the new snapshot to facilitate subsequent management.
	Tag	Add tags to the new snapshot. The tags help facilitate subsequent management of the new snapshot. Note The tags of the source snapshot cannot be copied together to the snapshot copy.

After verifying the information, click OK to initiate the snapshot replication.
Note
During replication, the Progress status of the snapshot in the destination region will show In Progress. You can cancel the replication in the destination region by deleting the snapshot in progress.
1. Locate the snapshot in progress in the destination region.
2. In the Actions column of the snapshot, click Delete Snapshot.
(Optional) To view the new snapshot, switch to the destination region.
- When the Progress status at ① changes to Active, the replication is complete.
- Hover over the Snapshot Source column at ② to view the ID of the Copied Snapshot from the original snapshot.
- Check the Encrypted column at ③ to see if the snapshot is encrypted and the encryption key used.