VPS snapshot automation
How DigitalOcean snapshot backups work and what you need to set them up.
VPS Snaps uses the DigitalOcean API to create snapshots of your Droplets on a schedule. Snapshots are stored in your DigitalOcean account — not in a separate storage bucket.
What you need
- A DigitalOcean account
- A Personal Access Token with read and write scopes
- The Droplet ID(s) you want to snapshot
Creating the API token
In the DigitalOcean control panel, go to API → Tokens → Generate New Token. Give it a descriptive name like 'VPS Snaps', enable both read and write scopes, and copy the token. You won't be able to see it again.
Never share your DigitalOcean API token. VPS Snaps encrypts it at rest but you should treat it like a password.
Snapshot lifecycle
Each backup run creates one new snapshot. VPS Snaps tracks snapshot IDs and automatically deletes old ones based on your job's retention setting, keeping your DigitalOcean snapshot quota under control.
Snapshot cost
DigitalOcean charges $0.05/GB/month for snapshots. A typical 25 GB Droplet snapshot costs around $1.25/month. VPS Snaps does not charge extra for the storage — that cost goes directly to DigitalOcean.