In this guide · 8 sections
- 01Snapshots vs file and database backups at a glance
- 02What provider snapshots cover and what they miss
- 03Database dumps and file backups: the second half
- 04Snapshot and backup prices (October 2026)
- 05A simple backup plan for one business server
- 06Test restores, not just backups
- 07Do it yourself or get help?
- 08Frequently asked questions
Short answer
Use provider snapshots or backups to roll back the whole server quickly, and separate database dumps and file backups stored off-site (another provider or account, ideally immutable) to survive account compromise, ransomware or deletion. Test a restore of both at least quarterly.
Snapshots vs file and database backups at a glance
The two kinds of backup solve different problems. The comparison below is the short version.
Provider snapshot or backup
Fast rollback- Whole-disk image: OS, apps, files and database together
- One click to restore or clone the server
- Usually stored in the same provider account
- Restoring rolls back everything, not just one file
Best for: Undoing a failed update or rebuilding the server quickly.
File and database backups
Off-site safety net- Database dumps and copies of uploads, configs and code
- Stored with a different provider or account
- Restore a single table, folder or day
- Can be made immutable so they cannot be deleted for a set period
Best for: Ransomware, account takeover, deletion and data corruption.
What provider snapshots cover and what they miss
DigitalOcean's backup features page says it takes a snapshot of the live system to create a crash-consistent, point-in-time image. Crash-consistent means the disk is copied as if the power had been pulled at that moment. Most of the time that is fine, but a database in the middle of writing may need recovery after restore, and occasionally loses the last transactions.
| Situation | Snapshot helps? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Plugin or OS update breaks the site | Yes | Roll back the whole server to before the update |
| Server needs moving or cloning | Yes | Create a new server from the image |
| One customer record deleted by mistake | Awkward | Restoring rolls back all other changes since the snapshot |
| Hosting account hacked or closed | No | Snapshots in that account can be deleted with it |
| Ransomware encrypts the server and was dormant for weeks | Maybe | Only if you keep snapshots older than the infection |
| Provider region outage | Limited | Snapshots may sit in the same region unless copied elsewhere |
Database dumps and file backups: the second half
File and database backups are taken from inside the server, by a scheduled job, and sent elsewhere. They are smaller, more targeted and easier to restore in part.
- Database dumps: use the database's own export tool (for example mysqldump or pg_dump) so the copy is consistent. Run at least daily; hourly for busy online stores or booking systems.
- Uploaded files and media: images, documents and invoices customers or staff upload. Back up daily, keeping deleted files for a while.
- Configuration and secrets: web server config, environment files and certificates, stored encrypted.
- Application code: should already be in a Git repository; if not, add it to the backup.
- Off-site and immutable storage: an object storage bucket at another provider, with versioning or object lock so backups cannot be overwritten or deleted for a set period.
How often depends on how much data you can afford to lose and how fast you need to be back. Our guide to RTO and RPO explained helps set those targets in plain terms.
Snapshot and backup prices (October 2026)
Provider snapshots are cheap for a small server. Prices below are in US dollars, approximate, as of October 2026.
| Provider | Option | Price |
|---|---|---|
| DigitalOcean | Weekly backups (basic plan) | 20% of the Droplet's monthly cost |
| DigitalOcean | Daily backups (basic plan) | 30% of the Droplet's monthly cost |
| DigitalOcean | Manual snapshots | US$0.06 per GB per month |
| AWS Lightsail | Instance and disk snapshots (manual and automatic) | US$0.05 per GB per month |
DigitalOcean's backups pricing page also lists usage-based plans charged per GiB of restorable size, and its snapshots pricing page notes that snapshots are kept until you delete them, so old ones keep costing money. AWS Lightsail pricing applies the same rate to manual and automatic snapshots. Off-site object storage for database dumps of a small business typically adds only a few dollars a month.
A simple backup plan for one business server
This schedule suits a typical small business VPS running a website, online store or internal app.
Turn on provider backups
Daily if the server changes often, weekly if it rarely does. This is your fast rollback.
Take a manual snapshot before every big change
Before OS upgrades, major plugin updates or migrations. Delete it a week or two later once all is well.
Schedule database dumps
Daily at minimum, compressed and encrypted, sent straight to off-site storage.
Back up uploads and config files
Daily, to the same off-site location, with versioning so deleted files can be recovered.
Make the off-site copy hard to delete
Use a separate account with its own MFA, give the server write-only access, and turn on object lock or versioning.
Set retention
For example, 30 daily copies and 12 monthly copies. Check any legal retention needs for invoices or records.
Alert on failure
Have each backup job email or message you when it fails, not only when it succeeds.
Test restores, not just backups
Backups fail quietly: a full disk, an expired key, a changed password. The only proof is a restore. Our guide to restoring a website from backup walks through doing it safely.
Restore test checklist
Do it yourself or get help?
Turning on provider backups takes a minute and every server should have them. The off-site database and file backups, immutable storage and restore tests are where most small businesses fall short, usually because nobody owns the job.
IT Sorted is a Singapore-based team of developers with over 10 years of experience. Our Backup & Ransomware Recovery (S$290) sets up daily off-site website backups and Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace backup with a retention plan and a tested restore. Server Protection Care (S$149 per server a month) applies monthly updates, checks backups are still running and does a monthly restore test from the off-site backup, with proof. Storage and hosting fees are paid by you.
Frequently asked questions
It is one kind of backup, but not a complete plan. A snapshot copies the whole disk at a point in time and is ideal for rolling back a failed update. It usually sits in the same provider account, so it may not survive an account compromise or closure, and restoring it rolls back everything rather than one file or record.
At least daily for most small business sites, and hourly or more often for online stores, booking systems or apps where orders arrive all day. The right frequency depends on how much data you can afford to re-enter after a failure. Use the database's own dump tool so each copy is consistent.
A crash-consistent backup captures the disk exactly as it was at one instant, like pulling the power. Files are complete as of that moment, but applications such as databases may have been mid-write. They normally recover on restart, though the last transactions can be lost. Database dumps avoid this.
As of October 2026, DigitalOcean charges US$0.06 per GB per month for Droplet snapshots, and its basic automatic backups add 20 percent of the Droplet price for weekly or 30 percent for daily. AWS Lightsail charges US$0.05 per GB per month for manual and automatic snapshots. Prices exclude GST.
An immutable backup cannot be changed or deleted for a set period, even by an administrator. Object storage services offer this through object lock or retention settings. It protects against ransomware and attackers who gain access to your accounts, because they cannot delete or encrypt the protected copies before the retention period ends.