Hands-on Lab·Certified Kubernetes Administrator
Volume Snapshots
A snapshot is three objects with the same shape as PVC, PV and StorageClass. Restoring means creating a new PVC with the snapshot as its dataSource, which is a copy, not a rewind. And a crash-consistent snapshot of a running database is not a backup.
Storage Guide 74 of 103 Advanced
- Kubernetes1.36.4
- Snapshot APIsnapshot.storage.k8s.io/v1
- Driverhostpath.csi.k8s.io
- Cluster4 nodes
- TimeAbout 35 min
- Reviewed21 August 2026
Written against the versions above. The snapshot API is `snapshot.storage.k8s.io/v1`, served by CRDs from the external-snapshotter project rather than by core Kubernetes.
| Server Name | IP Address | OS | Roles | CPU | RAM | HDD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CKA1001 | 192.168.0.175 | Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | Control Plane Node | 2 Core | 4 GB | 50 GB |
| CKA1001-NODE01 | 192.168.0.176 | Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | Worker Node | 2 Core | 4 GB | 50 GB |
| CKA1001-NODE02 | 192.168.0.177 | Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | Worker Node | 2 Core | 4 GB | 50 GB |
| CKA1001-NODE03 | 192.168.0.178 | Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | Worker Node | 2 Core | 4 GB | 50 GB |
Before you start
- The CSI drivers guide, which installs the snapshot CRDs and controller used here.
- The PersistentVolumes and claims guide.
- A CSI driver whose deployment includes the external-snapshotter sidecar.
-
Three objects, in a shape you already know
-
Take a snapshot
-
Restore, and see that it is a copy
-
The snapshot outlives its source
-
Why this is not a backup