# Saving ES data folder vs snapshotting **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [July 20, 2018, 8:21pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/saving-es-data-folder-vs-snapshotting/140959 "2018-07-20T20:21:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![seanziee](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/seanziee/32/45151_2.png) [@seanziee](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/seanziee)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 8:21pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/saving-es-data-folder-vs-snapshotting/140959/1 "2018-07-20T20:21:45Z")
I'm debating the pros and cons of either storing a backup of the entire data folder of each node or snapshotting the cluster to save the data. 1. if I save the data folder for each node, if that node burns down and I still have that data folder, does ES work perfectly fine to just implant that data folder onto a new node? 2. What's the advantage to snapshotting vs just saving the data folder? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![dadoonet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/dadoonet/32/137187_2.png) [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 1:08am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/saving-es-data-folder-vs-snapshotting/140959/2 "2018-07-21T01:08:40Z")
If you have multiple nodes and are using replicas, then copying data dir will end up copying the whole data more than once. Also, if you don't stop indexing, you might end up with inconsistent data. Snapshot solves all those problems. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 1:08am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/saving-es-data-folder-vs-snapshotting/140959/3 "2018-08-18T01:08:41Z")
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