Hello folks, I have run out of brains today and can’t seem to grasp the difference between incremental and differential backups, try as I might. I read TechTarget and AWS definitions, but bits like this:
>A differential backup strategy only copies data changes since the last full backup. On the other hand, an incremental data backup strategy copies data changes since the last backup.
…sound exactly the same to me; or rather, have exactly the same outcome in my mind. Anyone care to explain it like I’m five? Feel free to use anything as analogy.
In: Technology
Incremental only backs up the changes the first time they are detected. Differential backs up the changes every time it’s run, meaning restore is faster and you don’t need the previous differential backup, like you do with an incremental backup
The keyword here is “full”. An incremental backup saves the changes since the latest backup, whatever kind of backup it was. Differential backups save the changes specifically since the last *full* backup.
Let’s say you take a full backup on sunday.
An incremental backup on monday would only have any changes made since the backup on sunday. An incremental backup on tuesday would only have any chances since the backup on monday.
A differential backup on monday would also only have any changes made since the backup on sunday. Same as the incremental backup. But the differential backup on tuesday would have all chances since the *full* backup on *sunday*.
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