---
layout: docs
page_title: Automate cluster snapshots
description: >-
  Automatically back up the data in your Vault cluster.
---

## Automate Vault cluster snapshots

@include 'alerts/enterprise-only.mdx'

You can configure Vault Enterprise to regularly save automated snapshots to
local or cloud storage.


## 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**.



## Step 1: Determine your snapshot settings 

Vault can write snapshots to local storage and cloud storage. For longterm
maintenance, we recommend saving your autosnapshot settings to a JSON file.

### Local storage example 

The following JSON file, `local-snapshot.json`, defines an automated snapshot
configuration that uses local storage with custom file and path prefixs. The
configuration also sets a 120 minute snapshot frequency, a retention window of 7
snapshots before deleting, and limits the amount of local storage consumed by
the snapshot files so Vault stops writing snapshot data if the combined file
size exceed 250 MB (262144000 bytes).

```json
{
  "storage_type": "local",
  "file_prefix": "localsnappy",
  "interval": "120m",
  "retain": "7",
  "local_max_space": "262144000",
  "path_prefix": "/opt/vault/"
}
```


### Cloud storage example 

The following JSON file, `aws-snapshot.json`, defines an automated snapshot
configuration that uses AWS S3 cloud storage, customizes AWS configuration
options (bucket name, the region, and required credentials), and protects the
snapshots with server side encryption.

```json
{
  "storage_type": "aws-s3",
  "file_prefix": "paris",
  "interval": "8h",
  "retain": 30,
  "local_max_space": 2621440000,
  "path_prefix": "primary",
  "aws_s3_bucket": "vault-snapshots",
  "aws_s3_region": "eu-west-3",
  "aws_access_key_id": "ASI...COFFEE",
  "aws_secret_access_key": "wJalr...COFFEEKEY",
  "aws_session_token": "IQoJb3JpZ2luX2IQ...COFFEE",
  "aws_s3_server_side_encryption": "true"
}
```



## Step 2: Apply the snapshot configuration

<Note>

For disaster recovery and performance replication environments, you must
configure automated snapshots separately for the primary and secondary clusters.

</Note>

<Tabs>

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

Run `vault write` with the
[`/sys/storage/raft/snapshot-auto`](/vault/api-docs/system/storage/raftautosnapshots#create-update-an-automated-snapshots-config)
path and your snapshot configuration to enable automated snapshots:

```shell-session
$ vault write                                                   \
    sys/storage/raft/snapshot-auto/config/<configuration_name>  \
    @<configuration_file>
```

For example, to configure automated snapshots with local storage in an
unreplicated envionrment:

<CodeBlockConfig hideClipboard>

```shell-session
$ vault write                                         \
    sys/storage/raft/snapshot-auto/config/local-snaps \
    @local-snapshot.json
```

</CodeBlockConfig>

Or, to configure automated snapshots with AWS storage for a primary cluster
located in Paris called `paris-primary`:

<CodeBlockConfig hideClipboard>

```shell-session
$ vault write                                           \
    sys/storage/raft/snapshot-auto/config/paris-primary \
    @aws-snapshot.json
```

</CodeBlockConfig>

</Tab>

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

Call the
[`/sys/storage/raft/snapshot-auto`](/vault/api-docs/system/storage/raftautosnapshots#create-update-an-automated-snapshots-config)
endpoint with your configuration file to enable automated snapshots:

```shell-session
$ curl                                          \
    --request POST                              \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ${VAULT_TOKEN}"    \
    --data @<configuration_file>                \
    ${VAULT_ADDR}/v1/sys/storage/raft/snapshot-auto/config/<configuration_name>
```

For example, to configure automated snapshots with local storage in an
unreplicated envionrment called `local-snaps`:


<CodeBlockConfig hideClipboard>

```shell-session
$ vault write                                         \
    sys/storage/raft/snapshot-auto/config/local-snaps \
    @local-snapshot.json
```

</CodeBlockConfig>

Or, to configure automated snapshots with AWS storage for a primary cluster
located in Paris called `paris-primary`:

<CodeBlockConfig hideClipboard>

```shell-session
$ curl                                       \
    --request POST                           \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ${VAULT_TOKEN}" \
    --data @aws-snapshot.json                \
    ${VAULT_ADDR}/v1/sys/storage/raft/snapshot-auto/config/paris-primary
```

</CodeBlockConfig>

</Tab>

</Tabs>