VPS Backup and Restore — The 3-2-1 Pattern on a Root Server

What to back up on a VPS, where copies should live, how snapshots fit in, and the restore test that decides whether your scheme works.

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Decide what is state

On a typical server the irreplaceable state is small: databases, uploaded files, certificates, configs. The OS is reproducible; restore speed comes from automating its setup (a short Ansible/Cloud-init script beats a golden image you forget to update).

The pattern

• 3 copies: live data + on-box snapshot + off-box backup.
• 2 media: local NVMe snapshot for fast rollback; off-box copy on a different account/provider or cold storage.
• 1 tested restore: a calendar entry that actually restores into a scratch directory and diffs.

On NovaVPS

1. Snapshots are an add-on at checkout on VPS/Storage — good for pre-change safety, not a backup strategy by themselves.
2. For the off-box copy, a Storage VPS ($30/mo for 1 TB NVMe) as a Borg/Restic target keeps backups inside the same no-KYC rails.
3. Encrypt at the source (restic/Borg do this natively) — the backup target never needs your plaintext.