Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced time-based copying for Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) snapshots. This feature allows users to specify a desired completion duration (from 15 minutes to 48 hours) when copying EBS snapshots, helping meet time-based compliance and business requirements for critical workloads. This is particularly useful for scenarios like:
* **Testing:** Regularly distributing fresh data as part of a Test Data Management (TDM) plan.
* **Development:** Providing developers with updated snapshot data on a frequent basis.
* **Disaster Recovery:** Ensuring critical snapshots are copied to meet a Recovery Point Objective (RPO).
This feature offers consistent and predictable copies without impacting the performance or reliability of standard copies. Users can choose the option and timing that best suits their needs.
To create a time-based snapshot copy, users select the source snapshot and choose 'Copy snapshot.' They then specify a description, destination region, enable time-based copy, and enter the desired completion duration.
Progress can be monitored via the console or using the `DescribeSnapshots` API. Amazon EventBridge events (`copySnapshot` and `copyMissedCompletionDuration`) provide further automation capabilities.
In short, time-based copying for EBS snapshots offers a flexible and efficient way to manage snapshot copies and meet time-based requirements.
