Backups Are Useless Until You Verify Restore on Lightsail
Many teams schedule backups and never test restoration. Verification is the missing half of backup reliability.
Step 1: Create timestamped snapshots with metadata
SNAP="wp-$(date -u +%Y%m%dT%H%M%SZ)"
aws lightsail create-instance-snapshot --instance-name blog --instance-snapshot-name "$SNAP"
Step 2: Run periodic restore drills to a temporary instance
aws lightsail create-instances-from-snapshot \
--instance-snapshot-name "$SNAP" \
--instance-names restore-drill-01
Step 3: Smoke-test key routes before deleting drill instance
curl -f https://restore-drill-01.example.com/wp-login.php
curl -f https://restore-drill-01.example.com/category/16/
Pitfalls
- No restore drill schedule.
- Snapshot created without application-level health checks.
- No retention policy for old snapshots.
Validation
- Restore time objective is measured and met.
- Critical routes pass smoke tests after restore.
- Retention policy keeps cost predictable.