Backup and restore is the most basic and cost-effective disaster recovery (DR) strategy in AWS, offering the lowest cost but highest Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) among all DR approaches. This strategy involves regularly backing up critical data and configurations…Backup and restore is the most basic and cost-effective disaster recovery (DR) strategy in AWS, offering the lowest cost but highest Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) among all DR approaches. This strategy involves regularly backing up critical data and configurations to a durable storage location, then restoring them when a disaster occurs.
Key components of this strategy include:
**Data Backup Methods:**
- Amazon S3 for storing backups with cross-region replication enabled
- AWS Backup for centralized backup management across multiple AWS services
- EBS snapshots for EC2 instance volumes
- RDS automated backups and manual snapshots
- Amazon Glacier or S3 Glacier for long-term archival storage
**Implementation Considerations:**
- Define appropriate backup frequency based on acceptable data loss (RPO)
- Store backups in a different AWS region from your primary infrastructure
- Automate backup processes using AWS Backup, Lambda functions, or scheduled tasks
- Encrypt backups using AWS KMS for security compliance
- Regularly test restoration procedures to validate backup integrity
**Recovery Process:**
When disaster strikes, you provision new infrastructure in the recovery region using CloudFormation or Terraform templates, then restore data from backups. This includes launching EC2 instances, restoring databases from snapshots, and reconfiguring networking components.
**Trade-offs:**
- Lowest ongoing cost since you only pay for storage
- Highest RTO (hours to days) due to infrastructure provisioning time
- RPO depends on backup frequency
- Suitable for non-critical workloads or applications tolerating extended downtime
**Best Practices:**
- Maintain infrastructure as code for rapid redeployment
- Document and automate recovery runbooks
- Implement versioning on S3 buckets storing backups
- Use lifecycle policies to manage backup retention and costs
- Conduct periodic DR drills to ensure team readiness
This strategy is ideal for development environments, archival systems, or applications where cost optimization takes priority over rapid recovery requirements.
Backup and Restore DR Strategy - Complete Guide
Why Backup and Restore DR Strategy is Important
Backup and restore is the foundational disaster recovery strategy that every organization should implement. It represents the most cost-effective approach to protecting data and ensuring business continuity. While it has the longest recovery time among DR strategies, it provides essential protection against data loss, corruption, accidental deletion, and regional failures. Understanding this strategy is crucial for the AWS Solutions Architect Professional exam as it forms the baseline for comparing other DR approaches.
What is Backup and Restore DR Strategy?
Backup and restore is a disaster recovery approach where data is regularly backed up to a secondary location and can be restored when needed. In AWS context, this involves:
• RTO (Recovery Time Objective): Typically hours to days • RPO (Recovery Point Objective): Typically hours (depends on backup frequency) • Cost: Lowest among all DR strategies • Complexity: Lowest implementation complexity
This strategy is ideal for non-critical workloads where extended downtime is acceptable and cost optimization is a priority.
How Backup and Restore Works in AWS
Key AWS Services Used:
• AWS Backup: Centralized backup service that automates and manages backups across AWS services • Amazon S3: Durable storage for backup data with cross-region replication capabilities • Amazon S3 Glacier: Cost-effective archival storage for long-term backup retention • EBS Snapshots: Point-in-time backups of EBS volumes stored in S3 • RDS Automated Backups: Automated daily snapshots and transaction logs • AMIs: Machine images for EC2 instance recovery • AWS Storage Gateway: Hybrid storage for on-premises backup to AWS
Implementation Steps:
1. Define backup policies - Determine what data needs backup, frequency, and retention periods 2. Configure automated backups - Use AWS Backup or native service backups 3. Enable cross-region replication - Copy backups to a secondary region for regional disaster protection 4. Test restoration procedures - Regularly validate that backups can be restored successfully 5. Document recovery runbooks - Create step-by-step procedures for recovery scenarios
Recovery Process:
1. Provision new infrastructure in the recovery region (VPC, subnets, security groups) 2. Restore data from backups (EBS snapshots, RDS snapshots, S3 data) 3. Launch EC2 instances from AMIs 4. Update DNS records to point to new infrastructure 5. Validate application functionality
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Backup and Restore DR Strategy
When to Choose Backup and Restore:
• Question mentions lowest cost as a primary requirement • RTO requirements are hours or days (not minutes) • The workload is described as non-critical or development/test • Question asks for the simplest DR solution • Budget constraints are emphasized
When NOT to Choose Backup and Restore:
• RTO requirements are minutes or seconds • The application is mission-critical or customer-facing • Question mentions minimal downtime or near-zero data loss • High availability is a stated requirement
Key Differentiators from Other DR Strategies:
• Pilot Light: Core components always running (higher cost, faster recovery) • Warm Standby: Scaled-down version always running (even higher cost, even faster) • Multi-Site Active-Active: Full capacity in multiple regions (highest cost, fastest recovery)
Common Exam Scenarios:
• A company wants to protect against regional failures with minimal cost - Answer: Cross-region backup replication • An application can tolerate 24-hour downtime but needs data protection - Answer: Backup and restore • Question asks about reducing backup storage costs - Answer: S3 Glacier or Glacier Deep Archive
Important Metrics to Remember:
• S3 durability: 99.999999999% (11 nines) • EBS snapshot storage: Incremental after first full snapshot • RDS automated backup retention: Up to 35 days • Cross-region snapshot copy: Manual or automated via AWS Backup
Watch for These Keywords:
• Cost-effective, budget-conscious, economical → Points toward backup and restore • Acceptable downtime, non-production, archival → Points toward backup and restore • Rapid recovery, minimal disruption, business-critical → Points toward other DR strategies