Workspace Backups & Migration
Snapshot a directory on a running GPU box, then restore it onto a different GPU — or a different provider — and pick up where you left off.
Snapshots, automated or on demand
Point a deployment at an absolute path and an interval, and Aquanode snapshots it on that schedule. You can also take a snapshot by hand at any moment — before shutting a box down, for instance, which is the one habit that makes everything else here work.
Snapshots are incremental: the first one carries the directory, later ones carry what changed. A snapshot taken seconds after another with no writes in between is effectively free, in both time and stored bytes.
Every snapshot lands in a backup history for that deployment with its path, timestamp, size, and whether it was automated or manual.
A restore is not tied to the box it came from
This is the part that matters. A snapshot is not welded to the instance that produced it. When you deploy a new box, you can choose an existing snapshot to restore into it — a different GPU model, a different region, a different provider entirely.
So "migrating" a workload is not a special feature with its own machinery. It is three steps you already know: snapshot the box you are on, launch a box where you want to be, restore the snapshot onto it.
Why this is the point of a multi-provider marketplace
Comparing prices across providers only helps if you can act on what you find. Without portable state, a cheaper GPU somewhere else is a rebuild — reinstall CUDA, re-pull weights, re-create the environment, lose a morning. That friction is what keeps people on whichever cloud they set up first.
Portable snapshots are what turn a price difference into a decision you can make on a Tuesday afternoon.
Where the data goes
Aquanode's own storage is the zero-configuration default and needs no credentials from you. If you would rather keep backups in your own bucket, connect S3, Backblaze B2 or MinIO instead and Aquanode writes there with no markup on the storage itself.
Backup and migration fees are listed in the console next to the storage settings, separately from GPU cost, so a restore never shows up as a mystery line on a GPU bill.
FAQ
Can I restore a snapshot onto a different GPU?
Yes. A restore is not tied to the deployment that created the snapshot — when you launch a new box you can select an existing snapshot to restore into it, on a different GPU model, region, or provider.
Are snapshots full copies every time?
No. Snapshots are incremental: the first carries the directory and later ones carry only what changed, so a frequent schedule is cheap in both time and stored bytes.
Can backups run on a schedule?
Yes. Give a deployment an absolute path and an interval in minutes and Aquanode snapshots it on that schedule; you can also take a manual snapshot at any point, and both appear in the same backup history.
Do I have to use Aquanode's storage for backups?
No. Aquanode's own storage is the zero-config default, but you can connect your own S3, Backblaze B2 or MinIO bucket and back up there instead, with no service markup on the storage.
How do I move a running workload to a cheaper provider?
Snapshot the directory that holds your environment, launch a new instance on the provider you want, and restore that snapshot onto it. There is no separate migration product — the portable snapshot is the mechanism.
