{"id":33736,"date":"2023-06-16T21:36:56","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T17:36:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/?p=33736"},"modified":"2025-05-09T15:10:53","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T11:10:53","slug":"backup-types-comparison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/backup-types-comparison\/","title":{"rendered":"Backup Types Comparison"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you confused about the different backup types? Full, differential, incremental, synthetic full - it\u2019s easy to get lost in the terminology. In this article, we cover shortly all backup types without being too specific. If you already know about all backup types and simply want to pick the needed one for your use -case - scroll down, there is a chart that will help you choose from different types of backup.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"video\">Backup types in a nutshell<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OZNMnk7KuRM?si=WfH-ZZyMMbjOeHEM\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><br \/>\nTo gain a deeper understanding of the various backup types available, watch an overview of backup types. You'll also learn how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/\">MSP360<\/a> can help you choose the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/backup\/\">right backup solution<\/a> for your needs.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>Full Backup<\/h2>\n<p><b>A full backup<\/b> is a copy of the entire chosen dataset. Once you run a full backup, the selected data will be sent to the <b>backup storage<\/b>. This is the basic type of backup, and it is performed at the start of every backup job for obvious reasons.<\/p>\n<p>Running only full backups each time is inefficient. Most likely most of the data has been already uploaded the previous time you ran the job. Of course, there are ways to upload only new and modified data. You can choose incremental, differential, or synthetic full backup types. Continue reading for more details on each.<\/p>\n<h3>Full Backup\u00a0Fact Sheet<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first backup is always a full backup. You might be running a differential, incremental, or a synthetic backup later, but you still need the first backup to be a full one.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Full backup usually takes more storage space and time to complete than other backup types. That increases network and bandwidth load in the event of an offsite backup. We advise to run a full backup once in a certain period of time to ensure your backup set is consistent and leverage incremental or differential backup types for more frequent uploads.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A full backup is more reliable than other backup types since it\u2019s just a straight copy of the backup dataset.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><a name=\"incremental\"><\/a>Backup types: Incremental<\/h2>\n<p><b>Incremental backup<\/b> is a type of backup that uploads only the data that was created after the <b>previous backup. <\/b><\/p>\n<p id=\"last\">In other words, you only back up new and updated files to the backup storage. An incremental backup is the most popular type of backup nowadays.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slidebox\"><!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper hs-cta-deferred\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-aa07fdb8-7776-46a5-9fa0-ec6e93f0f0a6\" data-portal=\"5442029\" data-id=\"aa07fdb8-7776-46a5-9fa0-ec6e93f0f0a6\"><span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-aa07fdb8-7776-46a5-9fa0-ec6e93f0f0a6\" id=\"hs-cta-aa07fdb8-7776-46a5-9fa0-ec6e93f0f0a6\"><!--[if lte IE 8]><div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div><![endif]--><a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/5442029\/aa07fdb8-7776-46a5-9fa0-ec6e93f0f0a6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" id=\"hs-cta-img-aa07fdb8-7776-46a5-9fa0-ec6e93f0f0a6\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5442029\/aa07fdb8-7776-46a5-9fa0-ec6e93f0f0a6.png\" alt=\"CTA\"><\/a><\/span><\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"further-reading \">Further reading<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/incremental-backup-guide\/\">Incremental Backup<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-set\" style=\"width: auto;\">\n<div class=\"image-title\">Incremental backup<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-27147 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/types-incremental.png\" alt=\"Incremental type of backup diagram\" width=\"295\" height=\"195\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Incremental Block-Level Backup<\/h3>\n<p>Let\u2019s imagine that you have files that are being constantly changed. In the classic incremental backup, you will end up backing up these files over and over again. However, there is a way to identify and upload only the <b>changed parts of a file<\/b>. This type of incremental backup is usually called an <b>incremental <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/block-level-backup\/\">block-level backup<\/a><\/b>.<\/p>\n<h3>Incremental Backup\u00a0Fact Sheet<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Incremental backup with block-level enabled is the most efficient of all types of backup in terms of resource consumption.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Incremental backup without block-level backup is not effective on large and constantly changing files. It will re-backup entire files each time and cause the same inconveniences as a full backup.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data recovery from an incremental block-level backup is relatively slow. The backup software has to check each block in the sequence including the first full backup. After that, the software will assemble the file and download it.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If any of the incremental block-level changes are lost, you will lose the entire backup. This is due to the architecture of the backup - each next backup is based on the changes made during the previous one. Thus, it is recommended to run a full backup from time to time to start a new backup chain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>A Side Note - Deduplication<\/h3>\n<p>Data consists of bytes: basic blocks, molecules, bricks, you name it. Some similar files have the <b>same bytes<\/b>. So, you may be wondering, if there is a way to backup only the chosen parts of files via the <b>block-level backup<\/b>, why not use the same technique but enable it for <b>all similar files<\/b> on the machine? Won\u2019t it be more efficient and is that possible?<\/p>\n<p>In fact, it is possible and this process is called <b>deduplication. <\/b>That is an advanced data storage technique typically used in an enterprise space. Check out more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/backup-retention-policies\/\">deduplication<\/a> in <b><i>our article<\/i><\/b>.<\/p>\n<h2>Differential Backup<\/h2>\n<p><b>Differential backup<\/b> uploads all changed files since <b>the first full backup <\/b>was done. Differential backup might not seem very effective in the long run. It gets larger after each backup and eventually, it will outgrow the entire dataset. That means you need to perform a full backup from time to time. On the other hand, a differential backup is more reliable and faster than an incremental backup when it comes to recovery.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"further-reading \">Further reading<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/differential-backup-explained\/\">Differential Backup<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-set\" style=\"width: auto;\">\n<div class=\"image-title\">Differential backup<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-27146 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/types-differential.png\" alt=\"Differential type of backup diagram\" width=\"295\" height=\"179\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><q>It might seem that an incremental backup is always a more preferable way of transfer, however, in some specific types of data that is not so. For example, a differential backup is used extensively in Microsoft SQL Server backups. Check out our article to learn more about the use cases of the differential backup.<\/q><\/p>\n<div class=\"call-to-action\">\n<div class=\"call-to-action__left\" style=\"width: 100%;\">\n<div class=\"call-to-action__tag\">FREE WHITEPAPER<\/div>\n<div class=\"call-to-action__title\">3 Reasons To Pick a Storage-Agnostic Backup and DR Vendor<\/div>\n<div class=\"call-to-action__text\">Take full control of where your data is stored, as well as storage pricing and features<\/div>\n<!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper hs-cta-deferred\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-9f3f9644-d8a4-4c51-99f0-bfe4f7556f3a\" data-portal=\"5442029\" data-id=\"9f3f9644-d8a4-4c51-99f0-bfe4f7556f3a\"><span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-9f3f9644-d8a4-4c51-99f0-bfe4f7556f3a\" id=\"hs-cta-9f3f9644-d8a4-4c51-99f0-bfe4f7556f3a\"><!--[if lte IE 8]><div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div><![endif]--><a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/5442029\/9f3f9644-d8a4-4c51-99f0-bfe4f7556f3a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" id=\"hs-cta-img-9f3f9644-d8a4-4c51-99f0-bfe4f7556f3a\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5442029\/9f3f9644-d8a4-4c51-99f0-bfe4f7556f3a.png\" alt=\"CTA\"><\/a><\/span><\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code -->\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Synthetic Full Backup<\/h2>\n<p><b>The synthetic full backup <\/b>is an advanced way to perform <b>subsequent full backups<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>Previously in this article, we\u2019ve mentioned that running a full backup from time to time is advised for all backup types. This will increase the durability of your data and create a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/how-to-build-retention-policy\/\">thought-out and flexible retention policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"further-reading \">Further reading<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/understanding-retention-policies-with-msp360-managed-backup\/\">Understanding Retention Policies with MSP360 Managed Backup<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Synthetic full backup works as follows<\/b>:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Checks if any parts of files on the storage correlate to those you are about to upload<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Copies that existing data inside the storage<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adds only the new block of data from the machine to storage<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span class=\"further-reading \">Further reading<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/synthetic-full-backup-explained\/\">Synthetic Full Backup Explained<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-set\">\n<div class=\"col-xs-6\">\n<div class=\"image-title\">First full backup sequence<\/div>\n<div class=\"image-object\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26914 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/First-full-backup-sequence-with-caption.png\" alt=\"Synthetic type of backup diagram: First full backup sequence\" width=\"295\" height=\"195\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-xs-6\">\n<div class=\"image-title\">Second sequence with synthetic backup turned on<\/div>\n<div class=\"image-object\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26915 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Second-sequence-with-synthetic-full-backup.png\" alt=\"Synthetic type of backup diagram: Second full backup sequence with synthetic backup turned on\" width=\"294\" height=\"195\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-caption\">The second full backup consists of non-changed blocks from the cloud and changes from the machine<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Synthetic Full Backup Fact Sheet<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Synthetic full backup reaches the maximum efficiency with large files<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Synthetic full backup typically works much faster than a full backup<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When dealing with small changes on the machine, incremental block-level backups are still faster compared to a synthetic full backup.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Which Backup Types Are Right for Me?<\/h2>\n<p>As you already know, backup types cannot be directly compared to each other. To help you choose the best different types of backup, we\u2019ve prepared this chart<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-27145 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/types-scheme.png\" alt=\"Choosing the right type of backup according to your needs\" width=\"825\" height=\"353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/types-scheme.png 825w, https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/types-scheme-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/types-scheme-768x329.png 768w, https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/types-scheme-624x267.png 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 825px) 100vw, 825px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>In a Nutshell<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You will always start with a full backup every time.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use an incremental backup for your files.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t forget to perform another full backup from time to time.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you run image-based backups, use the synthetic full option.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When performing Microsoft\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/sql-server-backup-and-restore\/\">SQL Server backup<\/a> - stay with all three backup types: full, differential, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/sql-server-transaction-log-backup\/\">t-log backup<\/a> (it works like an incremental backup for SQL Server).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Once you've decided on the type of backup you need, try <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/managed-backup\/\">MSP360 Managed Backup<\/a>, an advanced data protection solution designed to meet your business backup needs and supporting all types of backups listed in this guide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you confused about the different backup types? Full, differential, incremental, synthetic full &#8211; it\u2019s easy to get lost in the terminology. In this article, we cover shortly all backup types without being too specific. If you already know about all backup types and simply want to pick the needed one for your use -case [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":44443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[886,878],"tags":[930],"class_list":["post-33736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-backup-and-dr-guides","category-msp-university","tag-backup-types-comparison"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33736"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33736\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60147,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33736\/revisions\/60147"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}