Restore a HolyCloud snapshot
A snapshot is an instant capture of your HolyCloud VPS disk at a given moment. Restoring replaces the current VPS state with that of the snapshot — ideal after a failed update, bad configuration, or before testing risky software.
Prerequisites
- Access to the HolyCloud customer area (administrator credentials)
- At least one existing snapshot (manual or automatic depending on your plan)
- Understanding that restore overwrites current data created after the snapshot
Important: Export or back up (
rsync, database dump) any recent work you want to keep before restoring.
When to use a snapshot?
| ----------- | ------------------- |
|---|---|
| OS or stack update fails | Restore pre-maintenance snapshot |
| Site broken after deployment | Pre-deployment snapshot |
| Testing invasive tool (Plesk, K3s) | Snapshot just before installation |
| Suspected ransomware / compromise | Healthy snapshot before infection + security audit |
Snapshots do not replace off-site backup (another datacenter, external storage).
Step 1: Create a snapshot (if not done yet)
- Log in to the HolyCloud customer area
- Open your VPS → Snapshots or Backups section
- Click Create snapshot
- Use a clear name:
avant-maj-nginx-2026-06-29 - Wait until creation finishes (status Completed)
On the VPS, a snapshot is transparent: no Linux command is required at creation time.
Step 2: Prepare for restore
Before restoring:
- Stop critical services if possible (databases, cron) — optional; HolyCloud may shut down the VPS
- Note the public IP (usually preserved after restore)
- Warn users of downtime
From SSH (quick diagnostic before rollback):
uptime
df -h
sudo systemctl list-units --failed
Step 3: Restore from the customer area
- Customer area → your VPS
- Snapshots tab
- Select the target snapshot (date / name)
- Click Restore (or Revert)
- Confirm the warning: changes after this date will be lost
- Wait for the operation to finish (the VPS may reboot automatically)
Duration varies: from a few seconds to several minutes depending on disk size.
Step 4: Checks after restore
Reconnect via SSH:
ssh admin@IP_PUBLIQUE_VPS_HOLYCLOUD
Checks:
hostname
date
df -h
sudo systemctl status nginx
curl -I http://127.0.0.1
Verify:
- Expected package versions / config files
- SSL certificates still valid (if restore goes back far, Let's Encrypt may have expired — run
sudo certbot renew) - SSH keys and passwords: unchanged unless the snapshot is very old
Step 5: If restore is not available
HolyCloud alternatives:
- Restore from a full backup if your plan offers it
- Reinstall the VPS + restore your
rsync/ SQL backups
Local command (does not restore a hypervisor snapshot) — only your backed-up files:
rsync -avz user@backup-server:/backups/vps-prod/ /var/www/
Best practices
- Snapshot before each major change (kernel, Plesk, database migration)
- Do not keep snapshots indefinitely: respect your plan quotas
- Combine panel snapshots + rsync to a second HolyCloud VPS for resilience
Verification
- Site and services reachable from the Internet
df -hconsistent with expected state- Application logs without critical errors:
sudo journalctl -p err -b
HolyCloud support
- Restore blocked or in error: note time, snapshot name, open a support ticket
- VPS unreachable after restore: KVM console / rescue mode via customer area
- Wrong IP or DNS after rare operation: check panel and
dig +short votredomaine.fr - HolyCloud support: VPS ID, snapshot name/date, screenshot of panel error