aws-backup

name	aws-backup
description	Backup via AWS CLI v2 (`aws backup`). Backup plans, vaults, backup/copy/restore jobs, recovery points, frameworks, reports, restore testing, legal holds, Backup Gateway.

AWS CLI v2 — Backup (AWS Backup + Backup Gateway)

Overview

Complete reference for all aws backup and aws backup-gateway subcommands in AWS CLI v2. Covers backup plans and selections, backup vaults (including logically air-gapped vaults), backup jobs, copy jobs, restore jobs, recovery points, protected resources, compliance frameworks, report plans, restore testing, legal holds, tiering and scanning, global/region settings, and Backup Gateway for VM backup.

Quick Reference — Common Workflows

Create a backup vault

aws backup create-backup-vault \
  --backup-vault-name my-vault \
  --encryption-key-arn arn:aws:kms:us-east-1:123456789012:key/key-id

Create a backup plan with daily backups

aws backup create-backup-plan --backup-plan '{
  "BackupPlanName": "DailyPlan",
  "Rules": [{
    "RuleName": "DailyRule",
    "TargetBackupVaultName": "my-vault",
    "ScheduleExpression": "cron(0 5 ? * * *)",
    "StartWindowMinutes": 480,
    "Lifecycle": {"DeleteAfterDays": 35}
  }]
}'

Assign resources to a backup plan

aws backup create-backup-selection \
  --backup-plan-id my-plan-id \
  --backup-selection '{
    "SelectionName": "AllEBS",
    "IamRoleArn": "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/BackupRole",
    "Resources": ["arn:aws:ec2:*:*:volume/*"]
  }'

Start an on-demand backup

aws backup start-backup-job \
  --backup-vault-name my-vault \
  --resource-arn arn:aws:ec2:us-east-1:123456789012:volume/vol-12345 \
  --iam-role-arn arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/BackupRole

Restore from a recovery point

aws backup start-restore-job \
  --recovery-point-arn arn:aws:backup:us-east-1:123456789012:recovery-point:rp-id \
  --metadata '{"availabilityZone":"us-east-1a"}' \
  --iam-role-arn arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/RestoreRole \
  --resource-type EBS

Copy a recovery point to another vault/region

aws backup start-copy-job \
  --recovery-point-arn arn:aws:backup:us-east-1:123456789012:recovery-point:rp-id \
  --source-backup-vault-name my-vault \
  --destination-backup-vault-arn arn:aws:backup:us-west-2:123456789012:backup-vault:dr-vault \
  --iam-role-arn arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/BackupRole

Lock a backup vault

aws backup put-backup-vault-lock-configuration \
  --backup-vault-name my-vault \
  --min-retention-days 7 \
  --max-retention-days 365

Command Reference

See index.md for the quick reference table and global options.

Group	File	Commands
Backup Plans	backup-plans.md	create-backup-plan, update-backup-plan, delete-backup-plan, get-backup-plan, list-backup-plans, list-backup-plan-versions, list-backup-plan-templates, get-backup-plan-from-template, get-backup-plan-from-json, export-backup-plan-template, create-backup-selection, delete-backup-selection, get-backup-selection, list-backup-selections
Backup Vaults	backup-vaults.md	create-backup-vault, delete-backup-vault, describe-backup-vault, list-backup-vaults, create-logically-air-gapped-backup-vault, put-backup-vault-access-policy, get-backup-vault-access-policy, delete-backup-vault-access-policy, put-backup-vault-lock-configuration, delete-backup-vault-lock-configuration, put-backup-vault-notifications, get-backup-vault-notifications, delete-backup-vault-notifications, create-restore-access-backup-vault, list-restore-access-backup-vaults, revoke-restore-access-backup-vault
Backup Jobs	backup-jobs.md	start-backup-job, describe-backup-job, list-backup-jobs, list-backup-job-summaries, stop-backup-job
Copy Jobs	copy-jobs.md	start-copy-job, describe-copy-job, list-copy-jobs, list-copy-job-summaries
Restore Jobs	restore-jobs.md	start-restore-job, describe-restore-job, list-restore-jobs, list-restore-job-summaries, list-restore-jobs-by-protected-resource, get-restore-job-metadata, put-restore-validation-result
Recovery Points	recovery-points.md	describe-recovery-point, list-recovery-points-by-backup-vault, list-recovery-points-by-resource, list-recovery-points-by-legal-hold, list-indexed-recovery-points, delete-recovery-point, disassociate-recovery-point, disassociate-recovery-point-from-parent, update-recovery-point-lifecycle, update-recovery-point-index-settings, get-recovery-point-restore-metadata, get-recovery-point-index-details
Protected Resources	protected-resources.md	describe-protected-resource, list-protected-resources, list-protected-resources-by-backup-vault, get-supported-resource-types
Frameworks	frameworks.md	create-framework, update-framework, delete-framework, describe-framework, list-frameworks
Report Plans	report-plans.md	create-report-plan, update-report-plan, delete-report-plan, describe-report-plan, list-report-plans, describe-report-job, list-report-jobs, start-report-job
Restore Testing	restore-testing.md	create-restore-testing-plan, update-restore-testing-plan, delete-restore-testing-plan, get-restore-testing-plan, list-restore-testing-plans, create-restore-testing-selection, update-restore-testing-selection, delete-restore-testing-selection, get-restore-testing-selection, list-restore-testing-selections, get-restore-testing-inferred-metadata
Legal Holds	legal-holds.md	create-legal-hold, cancel-legal-hold, get-legal-hold, list-legal-holds
Tiering & Scanning	tiering-scanning.md	create-tiering-configuration, update-tiering-configuration, delete-tiering-configuration, get-tiering-configuration, list-tiering-configurations, start-scan-job, describe-scan-job, list-scan-jobs, list-scan-job-summaries
Settings	settings.md	describe-global-settings, update-global-settings, describe-region-settings, update-region-settings
Backup Gateway	backup-gateway.md	create-gateway, delete-gateway, get-gateway, list-gateways, update-gateway-information, update-gateway-software-now, associate-gateway-to-server, disassociate-gateway-from-server, import-hypervisor-configuration, get-hypervisor, list-hypervisors, update-hypervisor, delete-hypervisor, get-virtual-machine, list-virtual-machines, test-hypervisor-configuration, put-maintenance-start-time, get-bandwidth-rate-limit-schedule, put-bandwidth-rate-limit-schedule, get-hypervisor-property-mappings, put-hypervisor-property-mappings, start-virtual-machines-metadata-sync
Tags	tags.md	tag-resource, untag-resource, list-tags