AWS Lightsail Snapshots Backups

On AWS Lightsail, the best way to create a "safety net" is by using Snapshots.

If an update breaks your site, you can just click a button and roll back to exactly how it was 5 minutes ago.

🛡️ How to Set Up Your Safety Net

1. The "Before Update" Snapshot (Manual)

Always do this manually right before you click "Update" on a major theme or plugin.

1. Log into your AWS Lightsail Console.

2. Click on your Instance Name.

3. Go to the Snapshots tab.

4. Under Manual snapshots, click + Create snapshot.

5. Give it a name (e.g., Before-Theme-Update-March-2026) and hit Create.

   • It usually takes 2–5 minutes. Once it’s done, you are safe to update.

2. The "Set and Forget" Backup (Automatic)

This creates a fresh backup every single night automatically.

1. In that same Snapshots tab, find the Automatic snapshots section.

2. Click the toggle to Enabled.

3. Change the time: Pick a time when your site has the least traffic (e.g., 3:00 AM).

   • AWS keeps the last 7 days of automatic snapshots for you for free (you only pay a tiny fee for the storage).

🆘 How to Roll Back (If things break)

If you update your theme and get a "White Screen of Death":

1. Go to the Snapshots tab in Lightsail.

2. Find your manual snapshot or last night's automatic one.

3. Click the three dots (⋮) next to it and select Create new instance.

4. AWS will launch a brand new copy of your site from that exact moment.

5. Simply point your Static IP to the new instance, and you're back in business.

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