> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.stackshift.cloud/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Back up and restore a stack

> Use S3-backed named-volume archives to protect and recover stateful stack data.

<Tip>
  **Live.** This area is documented as current, user-reliable behavior.
</Tip>

## Goal

Create and restore stack backups with correct expectations about what is and is not preserved.

## Prerequisites

* A stateful stack with named volumes
* S3 backup storage configured
* A healthy node agent

## Workflow

<Steps>
  <Step>
    Create a stack backup from the stack detail page.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Wait for each volume archive to complete.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Restore only from a completed backup and monitor recovery state until deployment finishes.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What a stack backup captures

* Named-volume archives stored in S3
* The release snapshot required to redeploy the stack shape
* Per-volume status so you can see exactly which archive failed or completed

## What it does not mean

* A completed backup does not mean every possible app-level consistency concern is solved for you.
* Restore is about getting the stack data and stack shape back into a usable state, not about reversing every application-side migration.
* You should still verify the application after restore instead of assuming success from the status badge alone.

## Expected result

<Check>
  Your stack data can be archived and restored through the platform.
</Check>

## Common failures

<Warning>
  * Backup storage not configured
  * Agent too old for volume endpoints
  * Volume restore fails before deployment resumes
</Warning>

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Reassign and migration expectations" href="/stacks/reassign-and-migration-expectations">
    Understand what stack reassignment and migration mean today, especially for stateful stacks.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Recovery states, logs, and troubleshooting" href="/operations/recovery-logs-and-troubleshooting">
    Read the operation state on a resource — its status, current step, attempt count, retryable flag, and last error — together with logs, instead of treating a single “error” badge as the whole story.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>