AOSOPS02-BP01 Establish a manual snapshot repository - Amazon OpenSearch Service Lens
Implementation guidanceResources

AOSOPS02-BP01 Establish a manual snapshot repository

Maintain control over your OpenSearch Service data by creating a centralized manual snapshot repository.

Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established: Medium

Desired outcome: Complete control and flexibility over OpenSearch Service domain data through centralized manual snapshot management.

Benefits of establishing this best practice: By establishing a manual snapshot repository, you maintain full control over your OpenSearch Service data, which helps you comply with regulatory requirements and data retention policies. Additionally, you can simplify disaster recovery processes by having a centralized repository for snapshots.

Implementation guidance

Establishing a manual snapshot repository for stored snapshots in OpenSearch Service enables full control over domain data, promotes manual backup and recovery of indices and documents, and provides a centralized location for storing copies of critical data, which can be restored into multiple OpenSearch Service domains.

Amazon OpenSearch Service automatically creates hourly snapshots of your indices within the same domain. However, these automatic snapshots are not restorable across different domains.

If you rely solely on the automatic hourly snapshot, there's no need to follow this recommendation. However, if you prefer to take control of your snapshot schedule and have the flexibility to restore them in other OpenSearch Service domains, then continue following this best practice.

To implement this best practice, use an S3 bucket that exists in the same AWS Region that hosts your OpenSearch Service domain. You also need the necessary permissions to manage the S3 bucket and run administrative commands in your OpenSearch Service domain.

Implementation steps

To create an ISM policy for snapshots:

  • Understand snapshot types: Familiarize yourself with the two available snapshot options in Amazon OpenSearch Service: automatic and manual.

  • Set up manual snapshots: If you choose to use manual snapshots:

    • Create an IAM role with the necessary permissions

    • Set up a custom Amazon S3 bucket for storing your snapshots

    • Register the S3 bucket in your OpenSearch Service domain

    • Test the repository by taking a manual snapshot and restoring it

  • Create an ISM policy: Design and implement an ISM policy that captures snapshots of your most critical indices, storing them securely in your custom S3 bucket.

Resources