Help Center/ Cloud Backup and Recovery/ Service Overview/ What Is CBR?
Updated on 2025-08-05 GMT+08:00
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What Is CBR?

Overview

Cloud Backup and Recovery (CBR) enables you to easily back up Elastic Cloud Servers (ECSs), Bare Metal Servers (BMSs), Elastic Volume Service (EVS) disks, SFS Turbo file systems, local files and directories, and on-premises VMware virtual environments. In case of a virus attack, accidental deletion, or software or hardware fault, you can use CBR to restore data to any point when the data was backed up.

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CBR Architecture

CBR involves backups, vaults, and policies.

Backup

A backup is a copy of a particular chunk of data and is usually stored elsewhere so that it can be used to restore the original data in the event of data loss.

There are the following types of backups:

  • Cloud server backup: uses the consistency snapshot technology to protect data for ECSs and BMSs. Backups of non-database servers are server backups, and those of database servers are database server backups.
  • Cloud disk backup: provides snapshot-based data protection for EVS disks.
  • SFS Turbo backup: protects data for SFS Turbo file systems.
  • Desktop backup: protects data for Workspace desktops.

Vault

CBR stores backups in vaults. Before creating a backup, you need to create at least one vault and associate it with the resources you want to back up. Then the resources can be backed up to the associated vaults.

Different types of resources must be backed up to different types of vaults. For example, cloud servers must be backed up to server backup vaults, not disk backup vaults or any other types of vaults.

Policy

There are backup policies and replication policies.

  • A backup policy defines the timing, frequency, and retention of backups. Once applied to a vault, CBR will automatically back up data as specified.
  • A replication policy determines the schedule and frequency for replicating data from one vault to another, as well as the retention period for each replica. Once applied, CBR automatically performs replication as specified. Backup replicas are stored in replication vaults.

Organizational policies

The organization administrator or an administrator delegated by CBR can centrally create and configure organizational backup policies and replication policies for member accounts in the organization.

  • Organizational backup policies: An enterprise can use the organization's management account to create and configure organizational backup policies for member accounts.
  • Organizational replication policies: An enterprise can use the organization's management account to create and configure organizational replication policies for member accounts.
Figure 1 CBR architecture

Differences Among the Backup Types

Table 1 Differences among the backup types

Item

Cloud Server Backup

Cloud Disk Backup

SFS Turbo Backup

Cloud Desktop Backup

What to back up

All disks (the system disk and data disks) on a server or certain disks and cloud servers running applications such as databases

One or more specific disks (the system disk or data disks)

SFS Turbo file systems

Entire Workspace desktop systems, including all disks

When to use

You want to back up entire cloud servers.

You want to back up only data disks, as the system disk contains no user data.

You want to back up only SFS Turbo file systems.

You want to back up only Workspace desktops.

Advantages

All disks on a server are backed up at the same time to ensure data consistency.

Only data of specific disks is backed up, which costs less than backing up an entire server.

File system data and their backups are stored separately, and the backups can be used to restore file systems.

Desktop data and their backups are stored separately, and the backups can be used to restore desktops.

Backup Mechanism

CBR in-cloud backup offers block-level backup. The first backup is a full backup of all used data blocks. For example, if a disk size is 100 GB and 40 GB has been used, only the 40 GB is backed up. An incremental backup backs up only the data changed since the last backup to save the storage space and backup time.

When a backup is deleted, data blocks that are referenced by other backups will not be deleted, ensuring that these other backups can still be used for restoration. Both a full backup and an incremental backup can be used to restore data to a given backup point in time.

When creating a backup for a disk, CBR also creates a snapshot for it. CBR keeps only the latest snapshot. Every time it creates a new snapshot, it deletes the old snapshot.

CBR stores backups in OBS to ensure data security.

Backup Options

CBR supports one-off backup and periodic backup. A one-off backup task is manually created and is executed only once. Periodic backup tasks are automatically executed based on a user-defined backup policy.

Table 2 compares the two backup options.

Table 2 One-off backup and periodic backup

Item

One-Off Backup

Periodic Backup

Backup policy

Not required

Required

Number of backup tasks

One manual backup task

Periodic tasks triggered by a preset backup policy

Backup name

User-defined backup name, which is manualbk_xxxx by default

System-assigned backup name, which is autobk_xxxx by default

Backup mode

The first backup is a full backup and subsequent backups are incremental.

The first backup is a full backup and subsequent backups are incremental.

Application scenario

A one-off backup is usually performed before an OS or application is patched or upgraded. The backup can be used for restoration if the patching or upgrade fails.

Periodic backups are performed as part of routine maintenance. The latest backup can be used to restore data in the event of an unexpected failure or data loss.

You can also use the two backup options together if needed. For example, you can associate resources with a vault and apply a backup policy to the vault to execute periodic backup for all the resources in the vault. Additionally, you can perform a one-off backup for the most important resources to enhance data security. Figure 2 shows the use of the two backup options.

Theoretically, you can create as many backups for a resource as needed. There is no limit to the number of backups you can create for a resource.

Figure 2 Use of the two backup options

Access to CBR

You can access the CBR service through the console or by calling HTTPS APIs.

  • Console

    Use the console if you prefer a web-based UI. Log in to the console and choose Cloud Backup and Recovery.

  • APIs

    Use APIs if you need to integrate CBR into a third-party system for secondary development. For details, see Cloud Backup and Recovery API Reference.