Are snapshots incremental?
Here is how the incremental logic works across the different storage types:
For your server's hard drives, OCI is highly efficient. When you create a backup:
First Backup: This is a "Full" backup. OCI copies every block of data currently in use to Object Storage.
Subsequent Backups: These are Incremental by default. OCI identifies only the specific data blocks that have changed since your last successful backup (using a process called Changed Block Tracking).
Cost Efficiency: You only pay for the storage of the changed blocks. If you have a 1 TB volume but only change 5 GB of data, your next incremental backup only adds 5 GB to your storage bill.
Restoration: Even though they are incremental, OCI treats every backup as a "synthetic full." You can restore from any point-in-time backup directly without having to manually "chain" older backups together.
File Storage (NFS) uses a Copy-on-Write mechanism, which is the ultimate form of incremental storage.
Instant Creation: When you take a snapshot of a file system, it takes zero additional space and happens in milliseconds.
Incremental Growth: The snapshot only begins to consume space as you change or delete files in the "live" file system. If you change a 100 MB file, the snapshot "holds onto" the original 100 MB blocks.
Visibility: These snapshots are accessible via a hidden .snapshot folder in your root directory, allowing users to perform their own "incremental" restores of specific files.
While not called a "snapshot," Object Versioning provides the same incremental benefit.
Instead of overwriting a file, OCI keeps the old version.
Only the "delta" (the new version of the object) is added to your storage.
| Feature | Block Volume Backup | File Storage Snapshot |
| Method | Changed Block Tracking | Copy-on-Write |
| Initial Size | Size of data on disk | 0 GB |
| Growth | Incremental (Changes only) | Incremental (Changes/Deletes) |
| Storage Location | Object Storage (Off-host) | Same as File System |
| Best For | Disaster Recovery / Long-term | Quick rollbacks / User error |
In addition to incremental backups, OCI now supports Instant Clones. This allows you to create a brand-new, writable 1 TB volume from a snapshot in seconds. Like snapshots, the clone is incremental; it only starts "costing" you money for storage as you write new data to the clone that differs from the original.
To make the most of incremental backups, you should use OCI's Gold, Silver, or Bronze backup policies.
A Gold Policy, for example, handles the scheduling for you: it might take a daily incremental, keep it for 7 days, and then roll those into a weekly or monthly "summary" backup. This ensures you have high-frequency recovery points without exploding your storage costs.