How to automate DigitalOcean Server and Volume Snapshots

The following guide will help you, step by step, automate your DigitalOcean droplet and volume snapshots. The steps are very easy and will only involve minimal effort.

Afterwards, you will be able to take snapshots, automatically on your own terms, whether you need to take them daily, weekly, every couple of hours or on-demand using our API. You will also have the option to choose the number of snapshots to keep on your provider to save snapshot storage cost.

Table of Contents

Now, let's get started!

Prerequisites

• Create a SimpleBackups account
• Create a DigitalOcean account

Step 1: Create a SimpleBackups Account

Create or login to your SimpleBackups account, then head to the snapshot creation section.

Step 2: Connect DigitalOcean to SimpleBackups

In this step, we will connect DigitalOcean to SimpleBackups simply using the authorization flow (just login to DigitalOcean and authorize SimpleBackups), that will allow us to automate DigitalOcean snapshots from SimpleBackups dashboard.

Go to the snapshot creation section and click Connect a new provider as shown.

Select DigitalOcean from the Provider dropdown list, enter a name for your DigitalOcean account, then click Connect DigitalOcean.

Step 2a: Authorize SimpleBackups to Connect to DigitalOcean

You will be redirected to login screen of DigitalOcean.

✅ Make sure you are logged in to the DigitalOcean account you would like to connect

✅ Make sure you leave the checkbox next to your account email address checked

✅ Click Authorize application to complete the connection step

Step 3: Create a DigitalOcean snapshot backup job

In this step, and after connecting our DigitalOcean account, we will simply create the snapshot backup job and select the needed server or volume.

Step 3a: Choose your DigitalOcean account

From the list, choose the DigitalOcean account you need to take its snapshots. You may add as many DigitalOcean accounts as you need under your SimpleBackups account.

Step 3b: Choose DigitalOcean server or volume resource

You could either choose a server under the Resource Type or choose a volume. The Resource dropdown will be populated by all the DigitalOcean resources accessible under your DigitalOcean account / project.

Step 3c: Set the retention you need

The Retetion is a number of snapshots we will keep, anything more than this number will be pruned/rotated automatically for you.

Step 3d: Save the snapshot backup job

Finally, give your snapshot backup job a friendly name, then click Create Snapshot.

Congratulations, you now have an automated DigitalOcean snapshot backup.

Run it once manually (using the "Run" snapshot button from the snapshots list) and you'll trigger your first snapshot backup!