How to Create AWS EBS Snapshots Using a Python Script

Introduction

Creating regular snapshots of AWS EBS volumes is an important part of maintaining backups and protecting data. AWS provides snapshot functionality to create point-in-time backups of EBS volumes. In this guide, we will use a Python script with the AWS EC2 API to identify an EC2 instance by its Name tag and create snapshots of its attached EBS volumes.

Prerequisites

Before running the script, make sure you have:

• An AWS account with permission to create EBS snapshots.
• An AWS access key and secret key with the required permissions.
• Python installed on the server.
• The required Python AWS libraries installed.
• An EC2 instance with a Name tag configured.
• The AWS region specified correctly in the script.
• The EC2 instance Name tag passed as a command-line argument.
• Replace the placeholder AWS access key and secret key with valid credentials.

Implementation 

Assumption:

1. AWS access key has permission to create a snapshot.
2. AWS tag name has to be passed as an argument.
3. Replace the AWS access key and secret key with the proper keys

#!/usr/bin/python
#Author:Dhanasekaran N
#Email:dhanasekaran.n16@gmail.com
#Version:1.0
#Here come I.......
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
import datetime
import time
from dateutil import parser
import sys,os,time,re,argparse
import boto,boto.ec2,boto.utils
conn=boto.ec2.connect_to_region('ap-southeast-1', aws_access_key_id='XXXXXXXXXXXX',aws_secret_access_key='XXXXXXXXXXXXXX');

reservations=conn.get_all_instances()
all_volumes_info = conn.get_all_volumes()


command_line_instance=sys.argv[1];
for name in reservations:
	for instance in name.instances:
		aws_inst_name=instance.tags.get("Name")
		#print aws_inst_name
		if(aws_inst_name == command_line_instance):
			print "perfect" + command_line_instance;
			for volumes in all_volumes_info:
				if volumes.attach_data.instance_id == instance.id:
					print "Taking backup of volumes";
					snapshot=conn.create_snapshot(volumes.id,command_line_instance);
					
					print "Instance ID:%s" %(instance.id);
					print "Volume ID:%s" %(volumes.id);
					print "Instance Name:%s" %(aws_inst_name);
					print "Snapshot ID:%s" %(snapshot.id);

Usage
python aws_create_snapshot.py AWS_INSTANCE_NAME

Future post with retention period and maybe with configuration 🙂

Conclusion

Using this Python script, you can easily create snapshots of all EBS volumes attached to a specific EC2 instance based on its Name tag. This can help automate the backup process and reduce the need for manual snapshot creation.

FAQs

1. What is an AWS EBS snapshot?
An EBS snapshot is a point-in-time backup of an Amazon EBS volume.

2. Can this script create snapshots for all volumes attached to an EC2 instance?
Yes. The script identifies the instance by its Name tag and creates snapshots for its attached EBS volumes.

3. Can I automatically delete old snapshots?
Yes. The script can be extended to implement a snapshot retention period and automatically remove older snapshots.

Related Articles

How to Troubleshoot SSH Connection Issues in AWS EC2

How to launch a new AWS instance via CLI

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