# Taking manual backups
In addition to automatic backups, you can create a *manual* backup at any time. Unlike automatic backups, which are automatically deleted after a specified retention period, manual backups do not have a retention period after which they are automatically deleted. Even if you delete the cache, any manual backups from that cache are retained. If you no longer want to keep a manual backup, you must explicitly delete it yourself.
In addition to directly creating a manual backup, you can create a manual backup in one of the following ways:
+ [Copying backups](backups-copying.md). It does not matter whether the source backup was created automatically or manually.
+ [Creating a final backup](backups-final.md). Create a backup immediately before deleting a cluster or node.
You can create a manual backup of a cache using the AWS Management Console, the AWS CLI, or the ElastiCache API.
You can generate manual backups from replicas that are cluster mode enabled, and cluster mode disabled.
## Creating a manual backup (Console)
**To create a backup of a cache (console)**
1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console and open the ElastiCache console at [ https://console.aws.amazon.com/elasticache/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/elasticache/).
1. From the navigation pane, choose **Valkey caches**, **Redis OSS caches**, or **Memcached caches**, depending on your preference.
1. Choose the box to the left of the name of the cache you want to back up.
1. Choose **Backup**.
1. In the **Create Backup** dialog, type in a name for your backup in the **Backup Name** box. We recommend that the name indicate which cluster was backed up and the date and time the backup was made.
Cluster naming constraints are as follows:
+ Must contain 1–40 alphanumeric characters or hyphens.
+ Must begin with a letter.
+ Can't contain two consecutive hyphens.
+ Can't end with a hyphen.
1. Choose **Create Backup**.
The status of the cluster changes to *snapshotting*.
## Creating a manual backup (AWS CLI)
**Manual backup of a serverless cache with the AWS CLI**
To create a manual backup of a cache using the AWS CLI, use the `create-serverless-snapshot` AWS CLI operation with the following parameters:
+ `--serverless-cache-name` – The name of the serverless cache that you are backing up.
+ `--serverless-cache-snapshot-name` – Name of the snapshot to be created.
For Linux, macOS, or Unix:
+
```
aws elasticache create-serverless-snapshot \
--serverless-cache-name CacheName \
--serverless-cache-snapshot-name bkup-20231127
```
For Windows:
+
```
aws elasticache create-serverless-snapshot ^
--serverless-cache-name CacheName ^
--serverless-cache-snapshot-name bkup-20231127
```
**Manual backup of a node-based cluster with the AWS CLI**
To create a manual backup of a node-based cluster using the AWS CLI, use the `create-snapshot` AWS CLI operation with the following parameters:
+ `--cache-cluster-id`
+ If the cluster you're backing up has no replica nodes, `--cache-cluster-id` is the name of the cluster you are backing up, for example *mycluster*.
+ If the cluster you're backing up has one or more replica nodes, `--cache-cluster-id` is the name of the node in the cluster that you want to use for the backup. For example, the name might be *mycluster-002*.
Use this parameter only when backing up a Valkey or Redis OSS (cluster mode disabled) cluster.
+ `--replication-group-id` – Name of the Valkey or Redis OSS (cluster mode enabled) cluster (CLI/API: a replication group) to use as the source for the backup. Use this parameter when backing up a Valkey or Redis OSS (cluster mode enabled) cluster.
+ `--snapshot-name` – Name of the snapshot to be created.
Cluster naming constraints are as follows:
+ Must contain 1–40 alphanumeric characters or hyphens.
+ Must begin with a letter.
+ Can't contain two consecutive hyphens.
+ Can't end with a hyphen.
### Example 1: Backing up a Valkey or Redis OSS (Cluster Mode Disabled) cluster that has no replica nodes
The following AWS CLI operation creates the backup `bkup-20150515` from the Valkey or Redis OSS (cluster mode disabled) cluster `myNonClusteredRedis` that has no read replicas.
For Linux, macOS, or Unix:
```
aws elasticache create-snapshot \
--cache-cluster-id myNonClusteredRedis \
--snapshot-name bkup-20150515
```
For Windows:
```
aws elasticache create-snapshot ^
--cache-cluster-id myNonClusteredRedis ^
--snapshot-name bkup-20150515
```
### Example 2: Backing up a Valkey or Redis OSS (Cluster Mode Disabled) cluster with replica nodes
The following AWS CLI operation creates the backup `bkup-20150515` from the Valkey or Redis OSS (cluster mode disabled) cluster `myNonClusteredRedis`. This backup has one or more read replicas.
For Linux, macOS, or Unix:
```
aws elasticache create-snapshot \
--cache-cluster-id myNonClusteredRedis-001 \
--snapshot-name bkup-20150515
```
For Windows:
```
aws elasticache create-snapshot ^
--cache-cluster-id myNonClusteredRedis-001 ^
--snapshot-name bkup-20150515
```
**Example Output: Backing Up a Valkey or Redis OSS (Cluster Mode Disabled) Cluster with Replica Nodes**
Output from the operation looks something like the following.
```
{
"Snapshot": {
"Engine": "redis",
"CacheParameterGroupName": "default.redis6.x",
"VpcId": "vpc-91280df6",
"CacheClusterId": "myNonClusteredRedis-001",
"SnapshotRetentionLimit": 0,
"NumCacheNodes": 1,
"SnapshotName": "bkup-20150515",
"CacheClusterCreateTime": "2017-01-12T18:59:48.048Z",
"AutoMinorVersionUpgrade": true,
"PreferredAvailabilityZone": "us-east-1c",
"SnapshotStatus": "creating",
"SnapshotSource": "manual",
"SnapshotWindow": "08:30-09:30",
"EngineVersion": "6.0",
"NodeSnapshots": [
{
"CacheSize": "",
"CacheNodeId": "0001",
"CacheNodeCreateTime": "2017-01-12T18:59:48.048Z"
}
],
"CacheSubnetGroupName": "default",
"Port": 6379,
"PreferredMaintenanceWindow": "wed:07:30-wed:08:30",
"CacheNodeType": "cache.m3.2xlarge",
"DataTiering": "disabled"
}
}
```
### Example 3: Backing up a cluster for Valkey or Redis OSS (Cluster Mode Enabled)
The following AWS CLI operation creates the backup `bkup-20150515` from the Valkey or Redis OSS (cluster mode enabled) cluster `myClusteredRedis`. Note the use of `--replication-group-id` instead of `--cache-cluster-id` to identify the source. Also note that ElastiCache takes the backup using the replica node when present, and will default to the primary node if a replica node is unavailable.
For Linux, macOS, or Unix:
```
aws elasticache create-snapshot \
--replication-group-id myClusteredRedis \
--snapshot-name bkup-20150515
```
For Windows:
```
aws elasticache create-snapshot ^
--replication-group-id myClusteredRedis ^
--snapshot-name bkup-20150515
```
**Example Output: Backing Up a Valkey or Redis OSS (Cluster Mode Enabled) Cluster**
Output from this operation looks something like the following.
```
{
"Snapshot": {
"Engine": "redis",
"CacheParameterGroupName": "default.redis6.x.cluster.on",
"VpcId": "vpc-91280df6",
"NodeSnapshots": [
{
"CacheSize": "",
"NodeGroupId": "0001"
},
{
"CacheSize": "",
"NodeGroupId": "0002"
}
],
"NumNodeGroups": 2,
"SnapshotName": "bkup-20150515",
"ReplicationGroupId": "myClusteredRedis",
"AutoMinorVersionUpgrade": true,
"SnapshotRetentionLimit": 1,
"AutomaticFailover": "enabled",
"SnapshotStatus": "creating",
"SnapshotSource": "manual",
"SnapshotWindow": "10:00-11:00",
"EngineVersion": "6.0",
"CacheSubnetGroupName": "default",
"ReplicationGroupDescription": "2 shards 2 nodes each",
"Port": 6379,
"PreferredMaintenanceWindow": "sat:03:30-sat:04:30",
"CacheNodeType": "cache.r3.large",
"DataTiering": "disabled"
}
}
```
### Related topics
For more information, see [create-snapshot](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/elasticache/create-snapshot.html) in the *AWS CLI Command Reference*.
## Creating a backup using CloudFormation
You can use CloudFormation to create a backup of your ElastiCache Redis OSS or Valkey cache, using the `AWS::ElastiCache::ServerlessCache` or `AWS::ElastiCache::ReplicationGroup` properties.
**Using the `AWS::ElastiCache::ServerlessCache` resource **
Use this to create a backup using the AWS::ElastiCache::ServerlessCache resource:
```
Resources:
iotCatalog:
Type: AWS::ElastiCache::ServerlessCache
Properties:
...
ServerlessCacheName: "your-cache-name"
Engine: "redis"
CacheUsageLimits
```
**Using the AWS::ElastiCache::ReplicationGroup resource **
Use the `AWS::ElastiCache::ReplicationGroup` resource:
```
Resources:
iotCatalog:
Type: AWS::ElastiCache::ReplicationGroup
Properties:
...
ReplicationGroupDescription: "Description of your replication group"
Engine: "redis"
CacheNodeType
NumCacheClusters
AutomaticFailoverEnabled
AtRestEncryptionEnabled
```