# Snapshot delete understanding **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [August 28, 2020, 3:12pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/snapshot-delete-understanding/246783 "2020-08-28T15:12:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elasticforme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f05b48/32.png) [@elasticforme](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/elasticforme)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:12pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/snapshot-delete-understanding/246783/1 "2020-08-28T15:12:39Z")
Lets say when I run first snapshot it creates full backup and my snapshot name is 08-29-2020 now I created another one tomorrow and by default it will do incremental named 8-30-2020 now I created third one which will be incremental named 8-31-2020 what on 1st September I delete 8-29-2020 and run backup will it create full backup? named 09-01-2020? I have try to read blog and document but I didn't understand. what happens when I delete that backup. reason I am asking is that I run backup daily and delete backup older then 7 days before starting new one. ---
**Author:** ![Christian\_Dahlqvist](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/christian_dahlqvist/32/4617_2.png) [@Christian\_Dahlqvist](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Christian_Dahlqvist)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:25pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/snapshot-delete-understanding/246783/2 "2020-08-28T15:25:33Z")
All snapshots are full. The incremental part refers to only new segments bring copied every time a new snapshot is created. This [very old blog post](https://www.elastic.co/blog/found-elasticsearch-snapshot-and-restore) describes it quite well and is still relevant as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![elasticforme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f05b48/32.png) [@elasticforme](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/elasticforme)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/snapshot-delete-understanding/246783/3 "2020-08-28T15:28:43Z")
I already read this blog post. you posted this link on another thread one more question and verification that means by me deleting 8-28-2020 snapshot before running another snapshot give me whole index if I restore correct? ---
**Author:** ![Christian\_Dahlqvist](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/christian_dahlqvist/32/4617_2.png) [@Christian\_Dahlqvist](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Christian_Dahlqvist)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:54pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/snapshot-delete-understanding/246783/4 "2020-08-28T15:54:52Z")
You always get the full index when you restore a snapshot. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Mushero](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/steve_mushero/32/22441_2.png) [@Steve\_Mushero](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Steve_Mushero)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2020, 6:44am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/snapshot-delete-understanding/246783/5 "2020-08-29T06:44:14Z")
I also wrote [a blog](https://www.elkman.io/blog/how-elasticsearch-snapshots-work) on how this works with different levels of detail, including deletes. I do think it's confusing to call snapshots 'full', as to me they are incremental, but restores are always full restores. It's different than how DBMS do incremental, but to me any backup that only 'writes' changed data is incremental. Maybe that's just from being an old DBA, but I bet this confuses a lot of folks and kinda wish the nomenclature were different (incremental snaps, full restores). ---
**Author:** ![elasticforme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f05b48/32.png) [@elasticforme](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/elasticforme)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2020, 6:40pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/snapshot-delete-understanding/246783/6 "2020-08-29T18:40:56Z")
good blog Steve, Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Mushero](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/steve_mushero/32/22441_2.png) [@Steve\_Mushero](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Steve_Mushero)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 2:11am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/snapshot-delete-understanding/246783/7 "2020-08-30T02:11:57Z")
Thanks and happily the [latest ES docs](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/master/snapshot-restore.html) use incremental terminology: > Snapshots are incremental: each snapshot only stores data that is not part of an earlier snapshot. This enables you to take frequent snapshots with minimal overhead. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 2:12am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/snapshot-delete-understanding/246783/8 "2020-09-27T02:12:03Z")
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