Backup#

Protect your virtual machine (VM) data with one-time or scheduled backups in myDelska. This guide explains how backups work, how to create and restore them, where they are stored, and how backup storage is billed.

How do VM backups work?#

myDelska creates full, point-in-time backups of your VM disks while the VM is running.

Each backup:

• is a full, self-contained copy that can be restored independently;
• includes the system disk and any attached Extra Storage disk;
• is compacted before upload, so unallocated and zeroed disk space is not stored or billed;
• is stored separately from the VM’s production host and disk storage;
• can be restored as a new VM without overwriting the original.

Backups are crash-consistent, meaning they capture disk data without pausing applications or using a guest agent to ensure application-level consistency.

For databases and other transactional applications, we recommend configuring separate application-level backups to support database-consistent recovery. These backups should preferably be stored independently of the VM.

What types of backups can I create?#

myDelska supports two backup types, which can be used together:

• One-Time Backup — a single backup created manually whenever needed. Useful before operating system updates, application changes, or other potentially risky operations.
• Scheduled Backup — backups created automatically according to your configured schedule. You can choose the frequency (Daily, Weekly, or Monthly), backup time, timezone, and number of copies to retain.

Each backup is a complete copy of the VM’s disks, not an incremental backup. Every retained copy contributes to your backup storage usage.

Important: Backups run only while the VM is powered on. If a scheduled backup is triggered while the VM is stopped, the attempt is recorded as failed.

How to create a backup for my VM#

1. Open the Dashboard in myDelska.
2. Select the VM you want to back up.
3. Open the Backup tab.

The Backup page provides an overview of your backups:

• Last Backup — the most recent backup.
• Next Backup — the next scheduled backup.
• Stored — the total backup data currently stored.
• Scheduled Backups — manage automatic backup schedules.
• History — view backup records and available backups.

Open your instances in myDelska to set up backups.

Create a One-Time Backup#

1. Open your VM’s Backup tab.
2. Click Back up now.

The backup process will start, and its activity will be reflected in the History section.

Create a Scheduled Backup#

1. Open your VM’s Backup tab.
2. In the Scheduled Backups section, click Add Scheduled Backup.
3. Configure the schedule directly in the new row:
   • Name — enter a name for your backup schedule.
   • Schedule — select Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.
   • Day — choose the day when applicable.
   • Time — select the backup start time.
   • Timezone — choose the timezone.
   • Copies — specify how many backup copies to retain.
4. Click the checkmark icon to save the schedule.
5. Use the Status toggle to enable the schedule if it is inactive.

The system automatically manages retained copies according to the configured retention count.

Edit or Disable a Scheduled Backup#

To modify an existing schedule:

1. Find it in the Scheduled Backups section.
2. Update the settings directly in the schedule row.
3. Click the checkmark icon to save your changes.

Use the Status toggle to enable or disable a schedule without deleting its configuration. To remove a schedule, click the trash icon.

Important: Deleting a backup schedule also permanently deletes the backups created by that schedule.

Where can I see my backups?#

Open the Dashboard, select your VM, and navigate to the Backup tab.

The History section displays backup records, including completed and failed backup attempts. The overview above the schedule table shows the latest backup, the next scheduled backup, and the total amount of stored backup data.

How to restore a backup#

1. Open your VM in the Dashboard.
2. Navigate to the Backup tab.
3. In the History section, locate the backup you want to restore.
4. Click Restore for the selected backup.

The backup is restored as a new VM with the name prefix restored-*. Your original VM is not overwritten.

Please note:

• The restored VM counts toward your Workspace VM limit.
• If the backup includes an Extra Storage disk, it is recreated at the size recorded when the backup was taken.
• The restored Extra Storage disk is billed at the standard Extra Storage rate.

Backups can be restored even if the original VM is no longer functioning or its operating system is corrupted, provided the VM has not been deleted from myDelska. Restoring a backup creates a new VM without affecting the original.

We recommend checking that the restored VM starts successfully and that your applications and data are functioning correctly.

What happens to VM backups if I delete the VM?#

If you delete a VM, all its data and its backups are lost. VM backups cannot be exported, so save any data you still need before deleting the VM.

Where are backups physically stored?#

Backups are stored on dedicated backup infrastructure, separate from the hypervisor host and storage used by the VM. This means that a failure of the VM host or its disk storage does not affect the backups.

Backup storage location depends on where your VM is hosted:

• Riga: backups are stored within the same data center.
• Vilnius and Frankfurt: backups are transferred to a different Delska data center.

For workloads requiring protection against an entire data center outage, we recommend maintaining an additional independent copy of critical data.

What data is included in a backup?#

Each backup includes:

• the VM’s system disk;
• one attached Extra Storage disk, if configured.

Both disks are included in every backup.

Important: When a VM has two disks, they are backed up sequentially rather than at exactly the same moment. Applications requiring consistent data across multiple disks should use additional application-level backup procedures.

Are backups application-consistent?#

No. myDelska backups are crash-consistent.

The VM continues running while its disks are copied. No guest agent is used to freeze the file system or applications. Restoring a backup is similar to restarting a VM after an unexpected power failure. Applications may need to perform their normal recovery procedures.

Backing up databases, including PostgreSQL#

For PostgreSQL running in Docker, crash-consistent backups may allow database recovery through Write-Ahead Log (WAL) replay, provided that the required database files and WAL data are captured consistently.

For PostgreSQL workloads, we recommend:

• keeping the PostgreSQL data directory, including pg_wal, on the same disk;
• avoiding splitting PostgreSQL data across the system disk and Extra Storage disk;
• creating separate database-level backups using tools such as pg_dump, pg_basebackup, or WAL archiving;
• regularly testing database restoration.

VM-level backups do not guarantee application-consistent recovery. For critical databases, maintain independent database-level backups, preferably stored separately from the VM.

How much does backup storage cost?#

Backup storage is billed based on the actual stored backup data, not the VM’s allocated disk capacity.

Backup storage price: €0.00013 per GB per hour. See Billing Methods for how hourly charges work.

How is backup storage calculated?#

• Each backup image is compacted before upload. Unallocated and zeroed disk space is not stored or charged.
• The total billed storage includes all retained backup copies. Because each backup is a full, self-contained copy, every retained copy adds to the total storage usage.
• The billed storage amount is recalculated after every successful backup.

Backup pricing example#

Suppose you have:

• VM disk capacity: 80 GB;
• actual stored data per backup: approximately 12 GB;
• scheduled backups: Daily;
• retention: 7 copies.

Backup best practices#

• Choose a backup frequency that matches your needs. Daily backups with at least 7 retained copies are a useful starting point. For frequently changing or business-critical data, consider additional protection based on how much data you can afford to lose.
• Schedule backups during off-peak hours. Choose a time when your VM is running and application activity is lower, using the appropriate timezone.
• Check your backup history regularly. Verify that scheduled backups complete successfully. A configured schedule does not guarantee that every backup attempt will succeed.
• Create a one-time backup before major changes — such as OS upgrades, application migrations, or a VM plan upgrade.
• Test your restores. Periodically restore a backup and verify that the new restored-* VM boots successfully and your data and applications are functioning correctly. Delete the test VM when finished to avoid unnecessary charges.
• Use application-level backups for databases. For PostgreSQL, MySQL, and other transactional applications, configure separate database-aware backups to support consistent recovery.
• Keep an independent copy of critical data. VM backups are deleted together with the original VM and cannot be exported. Store important data, such as database dumps or application files, independently of the VM.
• Keep your Workspace payments up to date. Unpaid charges may lead to service restrictions and eventual deletion of VMs and their backups. See Troubleshooting for more information.

Next steps#

• Upgrade your VM plan
• Add extra disk storage
• Set monitoring alerts

Open in myDelska Platform#

Open a VM's Backup tab in myDelska directly.