// Module included in the following assemblies:
//
// * hosted_control_planes/hcp_high_availability/hcp-backup-etcd-snapshot.adoc

:_mod-docs-content-type: CONCEPT
[id="hcp-backup-etcd-snapshot-about_{context}"]
= Overview of the etcd snapshot method

[role="_abstract"]
You can use the etcd snapshot method as an alternative to the default volume snapshot approach to back up etcd data for {hcp}. The etcd snapshot method results in smaller backup artifacts.

Instead of capturing persistent volume claim (PVC) content by using container storage interface (CSI) volume snapshots or a filesystem backup, you can take a snapshot of the etcd database and upload it to object storage.

The etcd snapshot approach is driven by the `HCPEtcdBackup` custom resource and is orchestrated through the {oadp-first} HyperShift plugin during Velero backup operations.

For a more detailed comparison of the etcd snapshot method and the default volume snapshot method, see the following table.

.Comparing the etcd snapshot and volume snapshot methods
[cols="3",options="header"]
|===
|Aspect |Volume snapshot (default) |etcd snapshot

|Backup mechanism
|CSI volume snapshots or a Kopia filesystem backup of etcd PVCs. One per replica; typically 3.
|The `etcdctl snapshot save` mechanism produces a single snapshot file and uploads it to object storage.

|Portability
|Tied to the storage provider and the CSI driver.
|Storage-agnostic.

|Backup size
|Full PVC content. Highly available deployments have 3 PVCs.
|A single etcd database snapshot.

|Restore mechanism
|PVC restore from snapshot.
|`etcdutl snapshot restore` by using the init container.

|Requirements
|A CSI driver with snapshot support or a Kopia node agent.
|The `HCPEtcdBackup` feature gate must be enabled.

|Encryption
|Depends on the storage provider.
|Optional Key Management Service (KMS) encryption for {hcp} on {aws-short}.

|===

