When you create snapshots, they are created as globally scoped snapshots bydefault. For a given project, you can customize the default location whereGoogle Cloud stores the globally scoped snapshots by configuring your snapshot settings.Using snapshot settings to define your own custom default removes the need foryou to manually specify a location every time you create a snapshot.

This document provides information about snapshot settings and how to use themto customize the default storage location for your project's globally scopedsnapshots.

To manage location settings for regionally scoped snapshots, seeSet snapshot creation and restore locations for regionally scoped snapshots(Preview).

Before you begin

• If you haven't already, set upauthentication. Authentication verifies your identity for access to Google Cloud services and APIs. To run code or samples from a local development environment, you can authenticate to Compute Engine by selecting one of the following options:

  Select the tab for how you plan to use the samples on this page:

  gcloud

  1. Install the Google Cloud CLI. After installation,initialize the Google Cloud CLI by running the following command:

     gcloudinit

     If you're using an external identity provider (IdP), you must first sign in to the gcloud CLI with your federated identity.

     Note: If you installed the gcloud CLI previously, make sure you have the latest version by runninggcloud components update.
  2. Set a default region and zone.

  REST

  To use the REST API samples on this page in a local development environment, you use the credentials you provide to the gcloud CLI.

  Install the Google Cloud CLI. After installation,initialize the Google Cloud CLI by running the following command:

  gcloudinit

  If you're using an external identity provider (IdP), you must first sign in to the gcloud CLI with your federated identity.

  Note: If you installed the gcloud CLI previously, make sure you have the latest version by runninggcloud components update.

  For more information, seeAuthenticate for using REST in the Google Cloud authentication documentation.

Limitations

• You can view and update the snapshot settings only by using thegcloud CLI or REST.
• You can't customize the default storage location of instant snapshots. You canonly do so for standard and archive snapshots.
• Modifying the location policy in your project's snapshot settings only affectsthe snapshots that are created after that modification. Updating yourproject's snapshot settings does not change the location of any existingsnapshots.
• If you manually specify a location during snapshot creation, then Google Cloudoverrides the snapshot settings and creates your snapshot in that newlyspecified location. However, the storage location policy in your snapshotsettings remains unchanged.
• Default storage locations apply only to globally scoped snapshots. To controlstorage locations for regionally scoped snapshots, you mustSet allowed snapshot creation locations.
• Setting a default storage location controls only where the snapshot is stored.With globally scoped snapshots, you can't set where snapshot data can berestored. To set allowed locations for snapshot restoration, you need tocreate a regional snapshotandset allowed restore locations.

How snapshot settings work

The storage location policy of a project's snapshot settings defines whereGoogle Cloud automatically stores that project's snapshots. Google Cloudmaintains apredefined value for this storage location policyuntil you update the snapshot settings and configure a new default.After you update the snapshot settings and set a new default storage location,Google Cloud uses this location to store every new snapshot created in thatproject.

You can update your snapshot settings to modify the storage location policy anynumber of times. However, modifying your project's snapshot settings onlyaffects the locations of snapshots that are created after that modification.Updating your project's snapshot settings does not change the location of anyexisting snapshots.

To ensure that Google Cloud uses the storage location defined by your snapshotsettings, don't manually specify a location during snapshot creation. If youmanually specify a location during snapshot creation, then Google Cloudoverrides the snapshot settings and creates your snapshot in that newlyspecified location. However, the storage location policy in your snapshotsettings remains unchanged.

You can use snapshot settings to customize the default storage location ofyour standard and archive snapshots. You can't customize the default storagelocation ofinstant snapshots.

Storage location options

When you configure your project's snapshot settings and specify a new defaultstorage location, you can either choose specific regions or use disk-basedlocation settings. More specifically, you can choose one of the followinglocation options for your storage location policy:

• The nearest multi-region to the source disk
• The same local region as the source disk
• Specific regions of your choice

Google Cloud predefined storage location policy

Until you update your snapshot settings for the first time, Google Cloudmaintains a predefined value for the storage location policy. This predefinedpolicy provides the default storage location for snapshots until you configureyour own default storage location by updating your project's snapshot settings.The predefined storage location policy is set to themulti-regionthat is geographically closest to the location of your source disk.

• If your source disk is in a location that is part of a multi-region, thenyour snapshot settings storage location policy is set to that multi-region.For example, if your disk is in a location likeus-central1, thenthe default storage location is the multi-regionus.
• For a location that is outside of a multi-region, the default storagelocation is the geographically closest multi-region outside of that region.For a location likeaustralia-southeast1, the default location becomes theasia multi-region.

Pricing implications

You don't have to pay any extra amount to use snapshot settings for yourprojects. However, the location values that you specify using snapshot settingsaffect other operations, which may in turn affect those operational costs.

Set the default storage location for a project using snapshot settings

You can update your project's snapshot settings and set a new default storagelocation by using REST and the gcloud CLI.

If you don't set a storage location policy in your snapshot settings,then your snapshots are created using theGoogle Cloud predefined storage location policy.

  gcloud compute snapshot-settings update \      --project=PROJECT_ID \      --storage-location-policy=STORAGE_LOCATION \      --storage-location-names=REGION_NAME

  gcloud compute snapshot-settings update \      --project=my-project \      --storage-location-policy=nearest-multi-region

  gcloud compute snapshot-settings update \      --project=my-project \      --storage-location-policy=local-region

  gcloud compute snapshot-settings update \      --project=my-project \      --storage-location-policy=specific-locations \      --storage-location-names=us-central1

  PATCH https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/global/snapshotSettings  {    "storageLocation": {      "policy": "STORAGE_LOCATION",      "locations": {            "REGION_NAME": { "name": "REGION_NAME" }      }    }  }

    PATCH https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/global/snapshotSettings    {      "storageLocation": {        "policy": "NEAREST_MULTI_REGION"      }    }

    PATCH https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/global/snapshotSettings    {      "storageLocation": {        "policy": "LOCAL_REGION"      }    }

    PATCH https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/global/snapshotSettings    {      "storageLocation": {        "policy": "SPECIFIC_LOCATIONS",        "locations": {          "us-central1": { "name": "us-central1"}        }      }    }

View the default storage location defined by a project's snapshot settings

You can view your project's snapshot settings by using theCompute Engine API and the gcloud CLI.

  gcloud compute snapshot-settings describe \      --project=PROJECT_ID

  GET https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/global/snapshotSettings

What's next

• Learn how toview, delete, and share disk snapshots.
• Learn how tocreate scheduled snapshots for disks.
• Learn how tocreate a disk image from your snapshot.