To reduce snapshot storage costs, you can archive standard snapshots that you do not access frequently but must retain for a long time. This process converts them into archive snapshots.
For information about the differences between standard snapshots and archive snapshots, see Snapshot types.
Limits
Archive snapshots cannot be reverted to standard snapshots.
A standard snapshot must be retained for at least 14 days after it is created before it can be archived.
You cannot archive shared snapshots, snapshots managed by Alibaba Cloud services, snapshots in CloudBox, or snapshots that are in the process of being archived.
You cannot copy archive snapshots.
NoteYou can indirectly copy an archive snapshot. To do this, create a disk from the archive snapshot, attach the disk to an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance, and then create a snapshot of the disk.
Other limits are the same as those for standard snapshots.
Archive a snapshot
Use the console
Go to the ECS console - Snapshots page. In the upper-left corner of the page, select the region and resource group of the target resource.
On the Disk Snapshots tab, find the target snapshot. In the Actions column, choose
> Archive Snapshot.In the Archive Snapshot dialog box, set a retention period for the archive snapshot.
The total retention period of an archive snapshot is the sum of its storage duration as a standard snapshot (standard tier retention period) and its storage duration as an archive snapshot (archive tier retention period).
ImportantThe minimum archive tier retention period for an archive snapshot is 60 days (1,440 hours). If you delete an archive snapshot before the 60-day retention period ends, you are charged both archive snapshot storage fees and early deletion fees for the archive snapshot.
Standard Tier: This parameter cannot be modified. A standard snapshot must be retained for at least 14 days before it can be archived.
Archive Tier: Set this parameter as needed.
Custom Retention: Set a custom retention period. The minimum retention period is 60 days. If you manually delete the archive snapshot before the 60-day period expires, you are charged an early deletion fee. The archive snapshot is automatically deleted after the retention period expires.
Continuous Retention: The archive snapshot is permanently retained. When the maximum number of archive snapshots is reached, subsequent attempts to archive snapshots will fail.
Select I Am Aware Of The Minimum Retention Period For Archive Snapshots. I Understand That This Operation Cannot Be Canceled Or Reversed, And That The Snapshot Cannot Be Reverted To A Standard Snapshot After It Is Archived. and click OK. The system automatically starts an archive task. After the snapshot is archived, its type changes from Standard Snapshot to Archive Snapshot.
API
Call the ModifySnapshotCategory API operation to archive a snapshot.
The minimum archive tier retention period for an archive snapshot is 60 days (1,440 hours). If you delete an archive snapshot before the 60-day retention period ends, you are charged both archive snapshot storage fees and early deletion fees for the archive snapshot.
More information
Billing
Archive snapshot storage fees are charged based on the snapshot size and storage duration. For more information, see Snapshot billing.
Use an archive snapshot
You cannot copy archive snapshots. Other operations on archive snapshots are the same as those on standard snapshots.