> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.thundercompute.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Snapshots

> Create, delete, and restore instance snapshots using CLI commands. Ensure data persistence and safety.

<Columns cols={3}>
  <Card title="VS Code" icon="window" href="/vscode/operations/snapshots" color="#95c5ea" className="platform-card">
    Editor extension
  </Card>

  <Card title="CLI" icon="terminal" color="#95c5ea" className="platform-card platform-current">
    Command line
  </Card>

  <Card title="Console" icon="browser" href="/console/operations/snapshots" color="#95c5ea" className="platform-card">
    Web interface
  </Card>
</Columns>

## Create a Snapshot

Use the interactive menu:

```bash theme={null}
tnr snapshot create
```

Or specify the instance and name directly:

```bash theme={null}
tnr snapshot create --instance-id 0 --name my-environment
```

Snapshotting happens in the background—you can continue using your instance immediately. The snapshot captures the exact state of the persistent disk at the moment you initiated it.

<Note>
  There is a limit of 50 snapshots.
</Note>

<Note>
  Snapshots can only be created from instances in `RUNNING` state.
</Note>

## List Snapshots

View all your snapshots with their status, size, and creation date:

```bash theme={null}
tnr snapshot list
```

Status values:

* **READY**: Snapshot is complete and can be used
* **CREATING**: Snapshot is still being created
* **FAILED**: Snapshot creation failed

## Delete a Snapshot

Remove snapshots you no longer need:

```bash theme={null}
# Interactive selection
tnr snapshot delete

# Delete by name
tnr snapshot delete my-environment
```

<Warning>
  Deleting a snapshot is permanent and cannot be undone.
</Warning>

## Restore from a Snapshot

When creating a new instance, your snapshots appear alongside templates:

```bash theme={null}
tnr create
# Select your snapshot in the "Templates" step
```

The new instance's disk size must be at least as large as the snapshot. The CLI enforces this automatically.

<Note>
  Restoring from a snapshot can take up to 8 minutes per 100GB of data. The instance shows as `RESTORING` during this time.
</Note>

## Best Practices

1. **Name snapshots descriptively**: Include the project, date, or purpose (e.g., `llama-finetuned-jan2026`)

2. **Clean up unused snapshots**: To minimize your bill, remove snapshots you no longer need.

## Snapshots vs External Backups

Snapshots are great for quickly restoring your environment, but they’re meant for convenience rather than long-term data security. We do not provide explicit guarantees about snapshot durability. For long-term data preservation, consider using:

* **GitHub** for code and configuration
* **Local downloads** for important outputs
* **Cloud storage** (R2, Google Drive) for large files

To learn about optimizing the a snapshot for faster creation and restoration, refer to our [Speeding Up Snapshots](/guides/speeding-up-snapshots) guide.