# Backups & Recovery

Sentinel runs as a container with persistent storage, so there are two ways to back it up.

## Standard volume backup tools

Snapshot the entire persistent volume using whatever tooling your platform already provides (e.g. your cloud provider's disk/volume snapshots). On Azure App Services specifically, this means backing up the Azure Files share mounted at `/data` — see [Install on Azure App Services](/docs/sentinel/install/azure/#persistent-storage).

This covers everything on the volume, including uploaded files.

## Built-in database snapshots

Sentinel can also snapshot just its database(s) and upload them to remote storage on a schedule.

> **Note:**
>
> The built-in mechanism only covers database files — it does **not** include uploaded files or other volume data. Use volume backups (above) if you need those covered too.

You can snapshot the **main database** (users, API keys, Security Groups, etc.) and/or **Redis** (short-lived data like rate-limiter state) independently.

### Manual backups

In the admin app: **Admin → Snapshots → Create Snapshot**. Or via the API:

```
POST /v1/admin/snapshots/create
```

### Automated snapshots

Set a cron schedule and destination:

| Variable | Purpose |
|---|---|
| `SNAPSHOTS_MAIN_SCHEDULE` | Cron schedule for main-database snapshots (e.g. `0 2 * * *`). Disabled if unset. |
| `SNAPSHOTS_REDIS_SCHEDULE` | Cron schedule for Redis snapshots. Disabled if unset. |
| `SNAPSHOTS_STORAGE_PROVIDER` | `local`, `s3`, or `azure`. |
| `SNAPSHOTS_DB_PREFIX` | Path prefix for stored snapshots. |
| `SNAPSHOTS_ENCRYPTION_KEY` | Optional encryption key applied to snapshots. |

Snapshot storage is configured independently from your [file storage provider](/docs/sentinel/operations/storage-providers/) — you can send snapshots and uploads to different destinations. See the [ENV Variables reference](/docs/sentinel/operations/env-variables/#snapshots) for the full list of `SNAPSHOTS_STORAGE_*` variables per provider.

### Restoring a snapshot

In the admin app: **Admin → Snapshots → Restore Snapshot**, enter the remote snapshot's URI, and click **Restore** — the server reloads once the restore completes. Or via the API:

```
POST /v1/admin/snapshots/restore
```

## Related

- **[Databases](/docs/sentinel/databases/)** — engines also provide their own native backup/PITR tooling independent of Sentinel's built-in snapshots.
- **[Storage Providers](/docs/sentinel/operations/storage-providers/)** — configuring S3/Azure/local storage for uploads.
- **[ENV Variables](/docs/sentinel/operations/env-variables/#snapshots)** — full snapshot configuration reference.