You can clone your cloud VM without stopping it. There are several ways to do this.

1. Take A Snapshot

This method is suitable for cases where you do not need to delete the source instance.

To create a snapshot, select CREATE SNAPSHOT in the drop-down menu next to the VM being cloned.

In the window that opens, enter the name of the snapshot, then click CREATE SNAPSHOT.

This will automatically redirect you to COMPUTE — IMAGES. A snapshot of your instance will appear on the PROJECT tab. Select LAUNCH in the drop-down menu next to the instance name.

The Launch Instance window will open, where you can create a VM based on the snapshot you just took.

Read more about creating and configuring instances from images here.

Attention! You will not be able to delete the source volume and the snapshot itself whilst there are other volumes based on this snapshot. If you wish to delete the source volume, use the following method.

2. Using The Image

This method is suitable for cases when you need to delete the original VM. It involves unloading the volume as an image or backup.

Go to COMPUTE — VOLUMES, next to the desired volume in the drop-down menu, then select CREATE SNAPSHOT.

In the window that opens, enter the name of the volume and click CREATE VOLUME SNAPSHOT (FORCE).

You will automatically be referred to the VOLUME SNAPSHOTS tab in COMPUTE — VOLUMES and the snapshot you have just created will appear in the list. Select CREATE VOLUME in the drop-down menu next to your snapshot.

In the window that opens, fill in the required fields, and click CREATE VOLUME.

The volume you created will appear on the VOLUMES tab with the AVAILABLE status.

If you wish to create a large number of clones, you must save the created volume as an image. To do this, select the UPLOAD TO IMAGE drop-down menu item next to the selected volume.

In the image upload window that opens, enter the image name and specify the volume format. We recommend that you choose the QCOW2 — QEMU Emulator disk format — in order to slightly reduce the space used in your image storage.

In COMPUTE — IMAGES, within the PROJECT tab, you will see an image of your instance that you can use to create your VMs. Read more about creating instances from images in our guide.

You can also create a backup through the CREATE BACKUP menu item opposite the volume you created.

In the window that opens, enter the name of the backup and click CREATE VOLUME BACKUP.

The created backup will appear on the VOLUME BACKUPS tab. To create one or several volumes from this copy, click RESTORE BACKUP in the drop-down menu opposite the required copy.

In the window that opens, select CREATE A NEW VOLUME in the SELECT VOLUME drop-down menu, then click RESTORE BACKPUP TO VOLUME.

The new volume will appear in the list. You can connect it with an additional volume to another VM, or create a new instance on its basis.

After you've uploaded the image or created a backup, you can delete the snapshot and the source volume for the backup and image, if needed.

The source instance and its source volume are independent of backups and images and can also be deleted if required.