Snapshot Selection and Tagging

Tags convert "a pile of snapshots" into clear restore targets.

Quick Summary

If you only remember one thing: always set --host and at least one --tag. That makes it easy to answer: "Which snapshot do I restore?" during an incident.

Why Tags Matter

Without tags, you will eventually have dozens (or hundreds) of snapshots. Tags let you filter quickly by intent:

• daily for routine backups
• release-* for pre-deploy rollback
• db vs app vs media for recovery domains

Tagging Strategy

Tag	Meaning
daily	Routine scheduled backups
weekly	Extended retention checkpoints
release-2026-02-12	Pre-deploy rollback anchor

tip

Use short tags that match how you talk during incidents: daily, weekly, db, wordpress, pre-deploy.

Commands

restic backup /srv/app --tag daily --tag app --host app-01
restic snapshots --tag daily
restic snapshots --tag release-2026-02-12

Selection by Host, Path, Tag

This is the most common "find the right snapshot" query:

restic snapshots --host app-01 --path /srv/app --tag app

Practical Pattern: Pre-Deploy Snapshot

Before a risky change, create a labeled restore point:

restic backup /srv/app --tag pre-deploy --tag release-2026-02-12 --host app-01
restic snapshots --tag pre-deploy --host app-01