# RDS Backups & RDS Restores

## RDS Backups

* RDS **creates and saves automated backups of your DB instance during the backup window** of your DB instance.<br>
* RDS **creates a storage volume snapshot of your DB instance, backing up the entire DB instance** and not just individual databases.<br>
* RDS **saves the automated backups of your DB instance according to the backup retention period that you specify**.
  * If necessary, you can **recover your database to any point in time during the backup retention period**.<br>
* You **can also back up your DB instance manually, by manually creating a DB snapshot**.
  * Unlike automated backups, **manual snapshots aren't subject to the backup retention period**.
  * **Snapshots don't expire**.<br>
* The **first snapshot of a DB instance contains the data for the full DB instance**.
  * **Subsequent snapshots of the same DB instance are incremental**.<br>
* After you create a DB instance, you can **modify the backup retention period**.
  * You can **set the backup retention period to between 0 and 35 days**.
  * **Setting the backup retention period to 0 disables automated backups**.