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This section provides a workflow to create backups and restores that are scoped to target specific VM workloads, and that occur on a schedule you define.
This workflow is only available through the API. You set the scope and schedule using a VM backup plan. Since this is an API workflow you must create a VirtualMachineBackupPlan resource. This plan defines:
The backup scope:
Lists specific VMs or disks to back up.
Uses labels to select VMs or disks to back up.
The backup schedule: A cron expression that defines when backups occur.
Key resources
You use following API resources in this workflow:
VirtualMachineBackupPlanTemplate: Defines the backup repository used.
VirtualMachineBackupPlan: Defines the scope and schedule of backups.
VirtualMachineBackupRequest: Manually creates a backup.
VirtualMachineRestoreRequest: Restores a VM from a backup.
Prepare roles and permissions
To complete the following workflow, you must have the necessary identity and access roles:
Organization Backup Admin: manages backup resources such as backup and
restore plans in user clusters. Ask your Organization IAM Admin to grant you
the Organization Backup Admin (organization-backup-admin) role. For more
information, see Role
definitions.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-29 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eThis API-driven workflow allows scheduled backups and restores targeted at specific virtual machine (VM) workloads.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eA \u003ccode\u003eVirtualMachineBackupPlan\u003c/code\u003e resource defines the backup scope, using specific VM/disk lists or labels, and the backup schedule via a cron expression.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eKey API resources include \u003ccode\u003eVirtualMachineBackupPlanTemplate\u003c/code\u003e, \u003ccode\u003eVirtualMachineBackupPlan\u003c/code\u003e, \u003ccode\u003eVirtualMachineBackupRequest\u003c/code\u003e, and \u003ccode\u003eVirtualMachineRestoreRequest\u003c/code\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eUsers need the Organization Backup Admin (\u003ccode\u003eorganization-backup-admin\u003c/code\u003e) role to manage backup and restore plans in user clusters.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Overview\n\nThis section provides a workflow to create backups and restores that are scoped to target specific VM workloads, and that occur on a schedule you define.\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\nThis workflow is only available through the API. You set the scope and schedule using a VM backup plan. Since this is an API workflow you must create a `VirtualMachineBackupPlan` resource. This plan defines:\n\n- The backup scope:\n\n - Lists specific VMs or disks to back up.\n - Uses labels to select VMs or disks to back up.\n- The backup schedule: A cron expression that defines when backups occur.\n\nKey resources\n-------------\n\nYou use following API resources in this workflow:\n\n- `VirtualMachineBackupPlanTemplate`: Defines the backup repository used.\n- `VirtualMachineBackupPlan`: Defines the scope and schedule of backups.\n- `VirtualMachineBackupRequest`: Manually creates a backup.\n- `VirtualMachineRestoreRequest`: Restores a VM from a backup.\n\nPrepare roles and permissions\n-----------------------------\n\nTo complete the following workflow, you must have the necessary identity and access roles:\n\n- Organization Backup Admin: manages backup resources such as backup and restore plans in user clusters. Ask your Organization IAM Admin to grant you the Organization Backup Admin (`organization-backup-admin`) role. For more information, see [Role\n definitions](/distributed-cloud/hosted/docs/latest/gdch/platform/pa-user/iam/role-definitions).\n\nWhat's next\n-----------\n\n- [Create a scoped backup plan](/distributed-cloud/hosted/docs/latest/gdch/platform-application/pa-ao-operations/vm-backup/scope-schedule/create-scoped-backup-plan)"]]
