---
layout: docs
page_title: Save a Vault snapshot
description: >-
  Manually back up the data in your Vault cluster.
---

> [!IMPORTANT]  
> **Documentation Update:** Product documentation, which were located in this repository under `/website`, are now located in [`hashicorp/web-unified-docs`](https://github.com/hashicorp/web-unified-docs), colocated with all other product documentation. Contributions to this content should be done in the `web-unified-docs` repo, and not this one. Changes made to `/website` content in this repo will not be reflected on the developer.hashicorp.com website.

# Save a Vault snapshot

Manually back up data from your Vault cluster with a snapshot.

<Tip>

If you are taking snapshots as preparation for a Vault Enterprise upgrade,
review the
[Automate upgrades with Vault Enterprise](/vault/tutorials/raft/raft-upgrade-automation)
tutorial to learn how you can automate your upgrades with autopilot.

</Tip>


## Before you start

- **You must a working knowledge of how Vault saves data**.
- **You must have a valid Vault cluster configuration using integratd storage**.
- **You must know, and be able to contact your unseal/recovery key holders**.
- **You must have permission to access encrypted data in backed storage**.
- **You should have a secure location, away from your Vault cluster
  infrastructure, to save the snapshot file**.


## Save a single cluster snapshot

Take a snapshot of a single Vault cluster.


<Tabs>

<Tab heading="CLI" group="cli">

Use
[`vault operator raft snapshot save`](/vault/docs/commands/operator/raft#snapshot-save)
to take a snapshot from a Vault cluster. For example, to save a snapshot to the
local file `backup.snap`:

```shell-session
$ vault operator raft snapshot save backup.snap
```

</Tab>

<Tab heading="API" group="api">

Use the
[`sys/storage/raft/snapshot`](/vault/api-docs/system/storage/raft#take-a-snapshot-of-the-raft-cluster)
endpoint to take a snapshot from a Vault cluster. For example, to save a
snapshot to the local file `backup.snap`:

```shell-session
$ curl                                       \
   --request GET                             \
   --header "X-Vault-Token: ${VAULT_TOKEN}"  \
    ${VAULT_ADDR}/v1/sys/storage/raft/snapshot > backup.snap
```

</Tab>

</Tabs>



## Save a DR replication cluster snapshot

Take a snapshot of a cluster participating in disater recovery replication.

<Tabs>

<Tab heading="CLI" group="cli">

Use
[`vault operator raft snapshot save`](/vault/docs/commands/operator/raft#snapshot-save)
to take a snapshot from the primary cluster. For example, to save a snapshot to
the local file `primary.snap`:

```shell-session
$ vault operator raft snapshot save primary.snap
```

</Tab>

<Tab heading="API" group="api">

Use the
[`sys/storage/raft/snapshot`](/vault/api-docs/system/storage/raft#take-a-snapshot-of-the-raft-cluster)
endpoint to take a snapshot from the primary cluster. For example, to save a
snapshot to the local file `backup.snap`:

```shell-session
$ curl                                       \
   --request GET                             \
   --header "X-Vault-Token: ${VAULT_TOKEN}"  \
    ${VAULT_ADDR}/v1/sys/storage/raft/snapshot > primary.snap
```

</Tab>

</Tabs>



## Save a performance replication (PR) cluster snapshot

Take a manual snapshot of a cluster participating in performance replication.

<Tabs>

<Tab heading="CLI" group="cli">

Use
[`vault operator raft snapshot save`](/vault/docs/commands/operator/raft#snapshot-save)
to take separate snapshots from all cluster members supporting the performance
primary cluster and the performance secondary cluster.

First, take a snapshot on the primary cluster. For example, to save a snapshot
to the local file `primary.snap`:

```shell-session
$ vault operator raft snapshot save primary.snap
```

Next, take a snapshot on the secondary cluster. For example, to save a snapshot
to the local file `secondary.snap`:

```shell-session
$ vault operator raft snapshot save secondary.snap
```

</Tab>

<Tab heading="API" group="api">

Use the
[`sys/storage/raft/snapshot`](/vault/api-docs/system/storage/raft#take-a-snapshot-of-the-raft-cluster)
endpoint to take separate snapshots from all cluster members supporting the
performance primary cluster and the performance secondary cluster.

First, take a snapshot on the primary cluster. For example, to save a snapshot
to the local file `primary.snap`:

```shell-session
$ curl                                       \
   --request GET                             \
   --header "X-Vault-Token: ${VAULT_TOKEN}"  \
    ${VAULT_ADDR}/v1/sys/storage/raft/snapshot > primary.snap
```

Next, take a snapshot on the secondary cluster. For example, to save a snapshot
to the local file `secondary.snap`:

```shell-session
$ curl                                       \
   --request GET                             \
   --header "X-Vault-Token: ${VAULT_TOKEN}"  \
    ${VAULT_ADDR}/v1/sys/storage/raft/snapshot > secondary.snap
```

</Tab>

</Tabs>