How to Create a Automate Backup AWS Data Lifecycle Management Using Snapshots

Introduction

Automating backups using AWS Data Lifecycle Manager (DLM) allows you to create and delete Amazon EBS snapshots on a custom schedule. This process ensures regular backups, cost control, and compliance.

Key benefits include.

• Define policies for regular backup schedules.

• Use tags to identify volumes and instances for backup.

• Retain backups for compliance and audit purposes.

• Control costs by automatically deleting old backups.

• Use IAM to control policy access.

• No charge for using the service, only for the storage used.

Create a Lifecycle Policy

1. Navigate to AWS Management Console:

• Open your web browser and go to the AWS Management Console.

• Sign in with your AWS credentials.

2. Go to the Amazon EC2 Dashboard:

• In the AWS Management Console, click on Services in the top-left corner.

• Under Compute, select EC2 to navigate to the Amazon EC2 dashboard.

3. Open the Lifecycle Manager Section:

• On the left-hand side menu, find and click on Lifecycle Manager under Elastic Block Store.

4. Create a Lifecycle Policy:

• Click the Create lifecycle policy button to start the policy creation process.

Define Policy Type

Choose the Policy Type:

• In the Create Lifecycle Policy wizard, you will be asked to select a policy type.

• Choose EBS Snapshot Policy.

• Click Next to proceed to the next step.

Policy Details

Name and Description:

• Name: Provide a name for your policy, such as Daily EBS Backup Policy.

• Description: Optionally, add a description to help identify the policy’s purpose, like This policy backs up production volumes daily.

Target Resources:

• Select Volumes or Instances: Choose whether to target individual EBS volumes or entire EC2 instances.

• Using Tags: Specify tags to identify resources to include in the policy. For the example below.

• Tag Key: Name

• Tag Value: Production

Configure Policy Schedule

1.Add Schedule:

• Click on Add schedule to configure when and how often snapshots should be taken.

2. Schedule Details:

• Name: Provide a name for the schedule, such as DailyBackupSchedule.

• Frequency: Choose how often snapshots should be taken. For example:

• Every 10 hours: Snapshots taken every 10 hours.

• Daily: Snapshots taken once every day.

• Weekly: Snapshots taken once every week.

• Start Time: Set the start time for the schedule in UTC format.

Retention:

• Number of Snapshots to Retain: Specify how many snapshots to keep. For instance, if you want to retain the last 3 snapshots, set this value to 3.

• Retention Verification: Ensure that older snapshots are being deleted automatically according to the policy to manage storage costs.

Tags

1. Add Tags to Snapshots:

• Optionally, add tags to the snapshots created by the policy to help identify and manage them.

• For example, you might add a tag.

• Key: Environment

• Value: Production

Review and create

1. Review Your Settings:

Carefully review all the details and settings you’ve configured for your lifecycle policy.

2. Create Policy:

Click on Create policy to finalize and activate the policy.