Cache and Region Snapshots

This topic explains cache and region snapshots in VMware Tanzu GemFire and links to documentation about cache and region snapshots.

Snapshots allow you to save region data and reload it later. A typical use case is loading data from one environment into another, such as capturing data from a production system and moving it into a smaller QA or development system.

In effect, you can load data from one cluster into another cluster. Administrators export a snapshot of a region or an entire cache (multiple regions) and later import the snapshot into another region or cluster by using the RegionSnapshotService or CacheSnapshotService interface and the Region.getSnapshotService or Cache.getSnapshotService method.

The snapshot file is a binary file that contains all data from a particular region. The binary format contains serialized key/value pairs and supports PDX type registry to allow the deserialization of PDX data. The snapshot can be directly imported into a region or read entry-by-entry for further processing or transformation into other formats.

Note: The previous Region.loadSnapshot and Region.saveSnapshot APIs have been deprecated. Data written in this format is not compatible with the new APIs.

• Usage and Performance Notes

  Optimize the cache and region snapshot feature by understanding how it performs.

• Exporting Cache and Region Snapshots

  To save Tanzu GemFire cache or region data to a snapshot that you can later load into another cluster or region, use the cache.getSnapshotService.save API, region.getSnapshotService.save API, or the gfsh command-line interface (export data).

• Importing Cache and Region Snapshots

  To import a Tanzu GemFire cache or region data snapshot that you previously exported into another cluster or region, use the cache.getSnapshotService.load API, region.getSnapshotService.load API, or the gfsh command-line interface (import data).

• Filtering Entries During Import or Export

  You can customize your snapshot by filtering entries during the import or export of a region or a cache.

• Reading Snapshots Programmatically

  You can read a snapshot entry-by-entry for further processing or transformation into other formats.