Managing HBase Snapshots Using the Command-Line You can manage HBase Snapshots by using the command-line interface. About HBase SnapshotsIn previous HBase releases, the only way to a back up or to clone a table was to use CopyTable or ExportTable, or to copy all the hfiles in HDFS after disabling the table. These methods have disadvantages.Configuring and Enabling SnapshotsSnapshots are on by default; to disable them, set the hbase.snapshot.enabled property in hbase-site.xml to false.Shell CommandsYou can manage snapshots by using the HBase shell or the HBaseAdmin Java API.Taking a Snapshot Using a Shell ScriptYou can take a snapshot using an operating system shell script, such as a Bash script, in HBase Shell noninteractive mode, which is described in . Exporting a Snapshot to Another ClusterYou can export any snapshot from one cluster to another. Exporting the snapshot copies the table's hfiles, logs, and the snapshot metadata, from the source cluster to the destination cluster.RestrictionsDo not use merge in combination with snapshots. Merging two regions can cause data loss if snapshots or cloned tables exist for this table.Snapshot FailuresRegion moves, splits, and other metadata actions that happen while a snapshot is in progress can cause the snapshot to fail. The software detects and rejects corrupted snapshot attempts.Information and DebuggingYou can use the SnapshotInfo tool to get information about a snapshot, including status, files, disk usage, and debugging information.Parent topic: Managing HBase Snapshots
