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Back up and Restore

Objective 5 Section Recap

The image is a slide titled "Back Up and Restore" with three objectives related to snapshots and datacenter restoration. It includes a difficulty level indicator and a pixelated design on the right side.

In this lesson, you practiced using the Consul snapshot agent and walked through the complete Consul snapshot lifecycle. Below is a concise review of the key topics:

Snapshot Contents

We captured critical state data in each snapshot, including:

Data TypeDescription
Key-Value EntriesAll KV pairs stored in the cluster
ACLsAccess control policies and tokens
Prepared QueriesReusable service discovery queries

Backup & Restore Workflows

You backed up and restored your datacenter state using two primary methods:

MethodBackup CommandRestore Command
Consul CLIconsul snapshot save backup.snapconsul snapshot restore backup.snap
HTTP APIPUT /v1/snapshotPUT /v1/snapshot/restore

Note

The CLI approach is ideal for quick local snapshots, while the HTTP API enables automation and integration with external tools.

Consul Snapshot Agent (Enterprise)

The Consul Enterprise snapshot agent adds automation for scheduling, retention policies, and remote storage support:

  • Automated snapshot rotations
  • Encryption at rest for backups
  • Integration with S3, GCS, and Azure Blob Storage

Warning

The snapshot agent is available only in Consul Enterprise. Ensure your license covers agent features before deploying.


With these tools in hand, you can confidently back up and restore your Consul cluster state at scale. Continue to the next module for advanced recovery strategies.

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Demo Using the Consul Snapshot Agent Enterprise