Retention

Control how many backup copies are kept, and when older ones are rotated out.

iWhat is backup retention?

Retention is the number of backup copies you want to keep. Once that number is reached, each new backup removes the oldest one.

Retention is set per schedule, not per backup. A backup with a daily and a monthly schedule has two independent retention values, and each rotates on its own.

How retention works

Every time a backup completes, SimpleBackups counts the copies already stored for that schedule. If the count exceeds the retention value, the oldest files are deleted.

Retention accepts a number from 0 to 10080:

• 0 — rotation disabled. Nothing is ever deleted automatically. The dashboard shows this as Rotation disabled.
• Any other number — the number of copies to keep.

!Rotation disabled requires Lite or higher

Setting retention to 0 is available from the Lite plan up. On Basic, retention must be a positive number, so backups always rotate. See Subscriptions.

Bear in mind that disabling rotation means storage grows without bound. Only use it when something else — a bucket lifecycle policy, or a compliance requirement — governs deletion.

What happens to old backups when I delete a schedule?

When you delete a schedule, SimpleBackups doesn't delete the backup files that schedule already created — those files stay in your storage. Retention rotation only runs for schedules that still exist, though, so backups tied to a deleted schedule stop rotating automatically and can build up in your storage over time.

If SimpleBackups detects backups like this, it shows a banner on the backup's overview page that lets you purge them. Purging removes the affected files from your storage and updates your backup history to reflect the deletion.

!This action is irreversible

Purging backups left behind by a deleted schedule permanently removes them from your storage. Only purge them if you no longer need the backups the deleted schedule created.

Choosing a retention value

Always set a retention value unless you have a specific reason not to. Without one, storage costs grow indefinitely.

The right value depends on the project. When creating a backup, ask: "how far back in time do I need to be able to go if something goes wrong?" Then set retention to cover that window at the frequency you are running.

+Combine schedules for range and granularity

Rather than picking one compromise value, use multi-scheduling to cover several horizons on the same backup: a daily schedule keeping 7 copies plus a monthly schedule keeping 12. You get day-level granularity for the last week and a year of monthly recovery points, without storing a year of daily backups.

Can I delete individual backup files?

There is no per-run delete button in the dashboard. Retention is the mechanism for removing backup files — lower the retention value and older copies are rotated out as new ones are created.

Two related actions are available:

• Purge — deletes all of a backup's files. Available for backups stored on SimpleStorage, from the backup's actions menu.
• Purge deleted schedule runs — when you remove a schedule from a backup, the runs it produced are left behind. This clears them out.

For backups in your own storage, you can always delete files directly with your provider's console or CLI. SimpleBackups will not recreate them.

iNote

Snapshots behave differently — individual snapshot runs can be deleted from the dashboard.

SchedulingSet when backups run, and attach several schedules with independent retention.›Backup storageChoose where each backup is stored, including mirroring to a second destination.›