05-07-2023, 02:18 AM
When you're weighing the benefits between differential and incremental backups, space usage can be a major deciding factor, especially if you’re managing a limited storage capacity. Let’s break it down in a casual way.
First off, an incremental backup saves only the data that has changed since the last backup, whether that was a previous incremental or a full backup. So, for example, if you’ve done a full backup on a Friday, then on Saturday you only back up the changes made since Friday. If you keep this routine going through the week, you'll find that each incremental backup is generally pretty small. Since you're only capturing changes, it can be really space-efficient.
On the other hand, a differential backup saves all the changes made since the last full backup. So, after a full backup on Friday, the differential backup on Saturday will include all the changes since that full backup. By Sunday, the differential backup will include everything changed since Friday again. Because of this, each differential backup is likely to grow larger as the week goes on, accumulating all those changes.
What gets interesting is when you start thinking about what happens when it's time to restore your data. If you need to roll back to a specific point, with incremental backups, you might need to pull together all the incremental backups since the last full backup to get the complete picture. This could mean digging through several files for a single restoration point. In contrast, with a differential backup, you only need the last full backup and the latest differential backup to restore—one less step in the process.
So, when it comes to sheer space savings, incremental backups usually take the crown. They consume less storage over time by only capturing changes without the redundancy that comes with differentials. However, you have to be mindful of the increase in complexity when restoring and making sure you have all the necessary backups handy.
Ultimately, your goal should fit the use case you're dealing with. If you have space constraints and minimal changes, incremental might be the way to go. But if you prioritize a simplified restoration process and don’t mind consuming a bit more space over time, differential backups can be more user-friendly in the long run.
In the end, it’s about striking the right balance based on how you work, what you’re backing up, and how often you need to recover that data. Each method has its pros and cons, so think about what really fits your needs.
![[Image: Backup-Engineering-Certification-7.png]](https://backup.education/banners/Backup-Engineering-Certification-7.png)
First off, an incremental backup saves only the data that has changed since the last backup, whether that was a previous incremental or a full backup. So, for example, if you’ve done a full backup on a Friday, then on Saturday you only back up the changes made since Friday. If you keep this routine going through the week, you'll find that each incremental backup is generally pretty small. Since you're only capturing changes, it can be really space-efficient.
On the other hand, a differential backup saves all the changes made since the last full backup. So, after a full backup on Friday, the differential backup on Saturday will include all the changes since that full backup. By Sunday, the differential backup will include everything changed since Friday again. Because of this, each differential backup is likely to grow larger as the week goes on, accumulating all those changes.
What gets interesting is when you start thinking about what happens when it's time to restore your data. If you need to roll back to a specific point, with incremental backups, you might need to pull together all the incremental backups since the last full backup to get the complete picture. This could mean digging through several files for a single restoration point. In contrast, with a differential backup, you only need the last full backup and the latest differential backup to restore—one less step in the process.
So, when it comes to sheer space savings, incremental backups usually take the crown. They consume less storage over time by only capturing changes without the redundancy that comes with differentials. However, you have to be mindful of the increase in complexity when restoring and making sure you have all the necessary backups handy.
Ultimately, your goal should fit the use case you're dealing with. If you have space constraints and minimal changes, incremental might be the way to go. But if you prioritize a simplified restoration process and don’t mind consuming a bit more space over time, differential backups can be more user-friendly in the long run.
In the end, it’s about striking the right balance based on how you work, what you’re backing up, and how often you need to recover that data. Each method has its pros and cons, so think about what really fits your needs.
