Incremental Backups
Incremental backups are a data backup strategy that saves only the changes made since the last backup, whether full or incremental, reducing storage space and time compared to full backups. This method relies on a baseline full backup and subsequent incremental backups that capture new or modified data, making it efficient for regular data protection. It is widely used in IT systems, databases, and cloud services to ensure data recovery while optimizing resources.
Developers should learn and use incremental backups when managing systems with large datasets or frequent updates, such as databases, file servers, or application deployments, to minimize backup windows and storage costs. It is particularly valuable in DevOps and cloud environments for automating data protection and ensuring quick recovery points, but requires careful management of backup chains to avoid complexity in restoration.