What Is It?
Images & Snapshots enable VM cloning and point-in-time recovery. Create custom images from VMs, take snapshots of Block Storage volumes, and restore to previous states. Snapshots are full, non-incremental copies stored in HDD quota, while images serve as templates for VM provisioning with support for Live Vertical Scaling (LVS) and UEFI or virtual CD-ROMs for application installation.
Quick Facts
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Snapshot Type | Full copy (not incremental) |
| Storage | Consumes HDD quota (full volume size, regardless of data used) |
| Scope | Data center location-specific, usable across VDCs in same location |
| Source | Any provisioned Block Storage (HDD, SSD, or DAS NVMe) |
| Image Types | Public (IONOS-provided), Private (uploaded via FTP) |
| UEFI Support | Snapshots and images can be UEFI-compatible |
| Live Vertical Scaling | Supported by all images (Windows: CPU cores only) |
| Cloud-Init | Supported for automated provisioning scripts |
Image Types
| Type | Boot Mode | Availability | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Images | BIOS/UEFI (automatic) | IONOS-provided | LVS enabled, OS type included, UEFI-compatible (Windows), BIOS/UEFI (Linux) |
| Private Images | MBR only (UEFI after conversion) | User-uploaded via FTP | Must be UEFI-bootable before upload for UEFI data centers (If you need to boot from them) |
What You Can Do
Create Snapshots
Take point-in-time copies of any Block Storage volume. Snapshot uses entire volume size (100 GB volume creates 100 GB snapshot, even if only 10 GB used). Snapshots are full, independent copies, not incremental.
Note: Requires sufficient HDD quota before creation. Quota check performed automatically.
Share and Control Access
Share snapshots with groups and individual users via Security tab. Configure visibility options (Visible to Groups, Visible to Users). Enable 2-Factor Protection to restrict access to users with 2FA enabled.
Edit Snapshot Metadata
Update editable fields including Name, Description, OS Type, Live Vertical Scaling settings (CPU, RAM, hot-plug NIC/VirtIO), and UEFI support flag. Changes saved via Meta Data tab.
Upload Private Images
Upload custom images via FTP (MBR-boot images only). Private images must be UEFI-bootable before upload if targeting UEFI-enabled data centers. Convert existing images to UEFI-compatible after upload.
Reuse Across VDCs
Use snapshots in any Virtual Data Center within the same data center location. Snapshots cannot be used across different geographic locations.
Cloud-Init Integration
Inject user-data scripts or cloud-config at provisioning time. Images with Cloud-Init enabled support automated configuration during VM startup.
Manage Lifecycle
Create snapshots (requires Create Snapshots privilege), view via Snapshots tab, update metadata as needed, and delete when no longer required. Deleted snapshots cannot be restored.
Note: Authentication settings specified during snapshot creation are stored with the snapshot and not altered by IONOS. Edit snapshot to change authentication before reuse.
Best For
| Scenario | Why It Fits |
|---|---|
| Fast VM cloning | Quick rollout of multiple VMs with identical configuration from single snapshot |
| Disaster recovery | Recovery point for rollback, stored independently of source volume |
| Development/testing | Create baseline snapshots before changes, restore if needed |
| Template management | Custom images for standardized deployments across teams |
| Migration to UEFI | Transition private images to UEFI for modern data center compatibility |
Key Considerations
Billing & Costs
- Main billing: Per GB of snapshot storage (approximately 0.04 EUR/GB, same as HDD)
- Storage consumption: Full volume size, not actual data used
- No retention limits: Snapshots persist until manually deleted (ongoing cost)
Limitations
- Snapshots are full copies, not incremental (each snapshot consumes full volume size)
- Limited to data center location where created (cannot move across regions)
- Sufficient HDD quota required before snapshot creation
- Private image upload supports MBR-boot only (UEFI requires conversion)
- UEFI-enabled data centers require UEFI-bootable images
- Authentication settings stored with snapshot, require manual edit to change
- Deleted snapshots cannot be restored
- Windows LVS supports CPU core scaling only (not full LVS)
Management Options
- Data Center Designer (DCD)
- Snapshots tab for viewing and management
- Security tab for sharing and access control
- Meta Data tab for editing snapshot properties
- FTP upload for private images
- Cloud API and SDKs