ECS File Backup Essential Edition - Operations & Viewing

Scenario Description

ECS File Backup Essential Edition (ECS文件备份基础版) is a basic backup product launched by Alibaba Cloud's Cloud Backup service (HBR) for ECS file scenarios, featuring one-click activation and zero-configuration setup.

Core Features

Feature	Description
Automatic Backup (自动备份)	Daily automatic backup with 30-day retention
File Recovery (文件恢复)	Files accidentally deleted within 30 days can be recovered; supports file-level restoration
Free Quota (免费额度)	100 GiB permanent free block storage backup quota per account (shared across all regions)
Low Maintenance (低运维)	One-click activation, zero configuration required, backup client auto-installed

Recommended Use Cases

When user requirements match the following conditions, recommend ECS File Backup Essential Edition:

Scenario	Description
ECS File Data Protection	Need to protect/backup ECS file data and recover from accidental deletion
Accept Daily Backup Policy	Accept once-daily backup with 30-day retention
Cost-Effective	Affordable/free ECS data backup; 100 GiB permanent free quota per account (shared across all regions)
Personal Websites/Blogs	Quick recovery from accidental deletion of images or config files
Dev/Test Environments	Protection for code and configuration files
Small Business Applications	Basic data protection needs with low maintenance cost

Not-Recommended Scenarios & Alternatives

Scenario	Reason	Alternative
RDS or Self-Managed Database Backup (数据库备份)	Database files are locked by the main process; backups may be inconsistent	For RDS, contact the RDS team; for MySQL/Oracle/SQL Server, use Cloud Backup Database Backup
Cannot Install Backup Client (不接受安装备份客户端)	Backup client consumes ECS CPU and memory resources	Use ECS Snapshots (note: no file-level recovery)
ECS Spec < 1C512MB	Specs too low, affecting backup performance	Use ECS Snapshots, or upgrade ECS specs first
Full-Machine Clone/DR Failover (整机克隆/异地拉起)	Essential Edition does not support full-machine recovery	Use ECS Snapshots
Cross-Region/Cross-Account Backup (跨地域/跨账号备份)	Essential Edition does not support cross-region or cross-account	Use Cloud Backup ECS File Backup Standard Edition (enterprise-grade)
KMS-Encrypted Backup Data (KMS加密备份)	Essential Edition does not support KMS encryption	Use Cloud Backup ECS File Backup Standard Edition
Custom Backup Policy (自定义备份策略)	Essential Edition is fixed at once-daily backup with 30-day retention	Use Cloud Backup ECS File Backup Standard Edition (customizable policy)
Data Volume > 2 TB	Backup may not complete within 24 hours	Contact Cloud Backup technical support, or use Standard Edition

Usage Limitations

Limitation	Description
Operating System	32-bit operating systems not supported
Network Type	Classic network (经典网络) ECS not supported
Storage Type	Only block storage (块存储) supported; NAS/OSS and other network-mounted storage not supported
Dependent Service	Requires Cloud Assistant (云助手) service (ECS purchased before Dec 2017 requires manual installation of Cloud Assistant Agent)
ECS Spec	Recommended >= 1 vCPU, 512 MB memory for adequate backup performance
Data Volume	Low priority: < 600 GB; High priority: < 2 TB

Scenario Eligibility Check (Mandatory First Step)

CRITICAL - Hard Gate: This is the first step before all operations, taking priority over installation checks, credential verification, and any workflow. The agent MUST complete this check before executing any other step.

Decision Flow:

User requests ECS backup/restore
|
+-> Check each item in "Not-Recommended Scenarios & Alternatives"
|   +-> Matches any not-recommended scenario -> Execute [HALT Flow]
|   +-> No match -> Pass, continue to "Installation Requirements"
|
+-> Not-recommended scenario keywords:
    - Database: MySQL/Oracle/SQL Server/PostgreSQL/MongoDB/Redis/database data directory
    - Full-machine: full-machine recovery/DR failover/clone instance
    - Cross-region/cross-account: remote backup/cross-account replication
    - Custom policy: hourly backup/custom retention period
    - Large data volume: data exceeds 2 TB

[HALT Flow] - Must execute when a not-recommended scenario is matched:

Stop immediately - Do NOT execute installation checks, credential verification, parameter confirmation, or any CLI command
Output warning to user - Explain why the current scenario is not suitable for ECS File Backup Essential Edition (cite the reason from "Not-Recommended Scenarios & Alternatives")
Recommend alternatives - Provide specific alternative products/features
End current task - After outputting the warning and alternatives, the agent MUST stop and NOT continue with any subsequent steps of this Skill

Sole recovery condition: Only when the user, after receiving the warning, proactively and explicitly states "I understand the risks and still want to use ECS File Backup Essential Edition" (or semantically equivalent explicit confirmation), may the agent continue with subsequent steps. The following are NOT considered valid confirmations; the agent must remain stopped:

User does not reply

User only replies with vague confirmations like "OK", "Continue", "Help me backup" without mentioning "ECS File Backup Essential Edition"

User changes the topic

User asks for details about alternatives (indicates user is considering alternatives; do not force continuation)

Installation Requirements (Mandatory Pre-check)

CRITICAL: The agent MUST complete the following pre-checks before executing any core workflow.

Pre-check: Aliyun CLI >= 3.3.1 required

See references/cli-installation-guide.md for installation instructions.

aliyun version

Enable automatic plugin installation:

aliyun configure set --auto-plugin-install true

Pre-check: aliyun-cli-hbr plugin >= 0.1.3 required

aliyun plugin list 2>/dev/null | grep aliyun-cli-hbr

If the plugin is not installed or the version is below 0.1.3, install/update:

aliyun plugin install --names aliyun-cli-hbr

After plugin installation, HBR commands and parameter names use kebab-case naming convention (e.g., describe-backup-plans instead of DescribeBackupPlans).

Credential Verification

Pre-check: Alibaba Cloud Credentials Required

Security Rules:

NEVER print, echo, or output AK/SK values in any form (including partial fragments or masked forms)

NEVER expose any credential content in command-line arguments, logs, conversation output, or code comments

NEVER enter AK/SK directly in the command line

ONLY USE aliyun configure list to check credential status; NEVER echo the output of this command to the user (output may contain credential-related information); the agent should only use the output internally to determine whether credentials are valid
aliyun configure list
Confirm the output shows a valid profile (AK, STS, or OAuth identity).

If no valid credentials exist, configure first:

Obtain credentials from Alibaba Cloud Console

Run aliyun configure in the terminal to configure credentials

Re-run aliyun configure list to confirm successful configuration

Parameter Confirmation & Validation

IMPORTANT: Parameter Confirmation - Before executing any command, all customizable parameters must be confirmed with the user. Do not assume default values; explicit user confirmation is required. If the user refuses to confirm or does not respond to the confirmation request, the agent MUST abort the current operation and NOT continue with subsequent steps.

CRITICAL - Security Gate: Before embedding any parameter into a CLI command, the agent MUST validate all user-provided parameters against the validation regex in the table below. On validation failure, the agent MUST refuse to execute the command, inform the user which parameter is invalid and what format is expected, and wait for the user to provide a valid value before re-validating.

Parameter	Required/Optional	Description	Validation Regex	Example
`REGION_ID`	Required	Region of the ECS instance (ECS实例所在地域)	`^[a-zA-Z0-9-]+$`	`cn-hangzhou`
`INSTANCE_ID`	Required	ECS Instance ID (ECS实例ID)	`^[a-zA-Z0-9-]+$`	`i-bp1abc123def456`
`PLAN_ID`	Required for some ops	Backup Plan ID (备份计划ID); needed for pause/resume/cancel	`^[a-zA-Z0-9-]+$`	`plan-abc123`
`VAULT_ID`	Required for restore	Backup Vault ID (备份仓库ID); obtained via `search-historical-snapshots`	`^[a-zA-Z0-9-]+$`	`v-0001xjb123`
`SNAPSHOT_ID`	Required for restore	Snapshot ID (备份版本ID); obtained via `search-historical-snapshots`	`^[a-zA-Z0-9-]+$`	`s-0001abc123`
`SNAPSHOT_HASH`	Required for restore	Snapshot Hash (备份版本哈希值); obtained via `search-historical-snapshots`	`^[a-zA-Z0-9-]+$`	`sh-abc123`
`performanceLevel`	Optional	Backup priority (备份优先级): `L0` (default, data < 600 GB) or `L1` (data 600 GB~2 TB)	`^(L0\|L1)$`	`L0`
`ConflictPolicy`	Required for restore	File conflict policy (文件冲突策略): `SKIP_THE_FILE` (skip) or `OVERWRITE_EXISTING` (overwrite)	`^(SKIP_THE_FILE\|OVERWRITE_EXISTING)$`	`SKIP_THE_FILE`
`CLIENT_TOKEN`	Required for restore	Idempotency token (幂等令牌); agent-generated UUID, reuse on timeout retry	`^[a-zA-Z0-9-]{1,64}$`	`550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000`
`keep-latest-snapshots`	Optional	Keep last backup version (保留最后一个备份版本): `1` (keep) or `0` (don't keep)	`^(0\|1)$`	`1`
`SOURCE_PATH`	Optional for restore	Source file path to restore (要恢复的源文件路径)	`^[a-zA-Z0-9/_.-]+$`	`/home/data/file.txt`
`TARGET_PATH`	Required for restore	Restore target directory (恢复目标目录); must already exist	`^[a-zA-Z0-9/_.-]+$`	`/tmp/restore`

RAM Permissions

This Skill requires the permissions detailed in references/ram-policies.md.

Recommended system policy: AliyunHBRFullAccess

Core Workflows

CRITICAL: Before executing any of the following workflows, the agent MUST complete all steps in "Scenario Eligibility Check" and "Installation Requirements (Mandatory Pre-check)". If Aliyun CLI or the aliyun-cli-hbr plugin is not installed or does not meet version requirements, it MUST be installed/updated first before proceeding.

1. Activate Backup

Activate ECS File Backup Essential Edition for a specified ECS instance.

Step 1: Enable Cloud Backup Service (first-time use)

aliyun hbr open-hbr-service \
  --endpoint hbr.aliyuncs.com \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

Idempotent operation; safe to run repeatedly.

Step 2: Activate ECS Instance Backup

aliyun hbr create-backup-plan \
  --region <REGION_ID> \
  --edition BASIC \
  --source-type ECS_FILE \
  --instance-id <INSTANCE_ID> \
  --keep-latest-snapshots 1 \
  --options '{"performanceLevel":"<LEVEL>"}' \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

Idempotent operation; repeated calls for the same instance will not create duplicate backup plans. Safe to retry on timeout.

Step 3: Verify Activation Status

Activation and client installation are asynchronous operations; they typically take a few minutes to become ready.

Use the status determination logic from "5. View ECS Backup Status" to verify. Expected state progression: Preparing -> Ready -> Backing Up

2. Pause Backup (Suspend)

Pause the backup plan (备份计划) while retaining existing backup data; can be resumed later.

Step 1: Get Backup Plan ID

aliyun hbr describe-backup-plans \
  --region <REGION_ID> \
  --edition BASIC \
  --source-type ECS_FILE \
  --filters '[{"Key":"instanceId","Values":["<INSTANCE_ID>"]}]' \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

Extract PlanId from the response.

Step 2: Pause Backup

aliyun hbr disable-backup-plan \
  --region <REGION_ID> \
  --plan-id <PLAN_ID> \
  --edition BASIC \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

Idempotent operation; safe to call repeatedly.

3. Resume Backup

Resume a previously paused backup plan.

aliyun hbr enable-backup-plan \
  --region <REGION_ID> \
  --plan-id <PLAN_ID> \
  --edition BASIC \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

Idempotent operation; safe to call repeatedly.

4. Cancel Backup (Delete)

WARNING: This operation will permanently delete all backup data and is irreversible! User intent must be confirmed before execution. If the user has not explicitly confirmed deletion, the agent MUST abort the operation and NOT continue.

Step 1: Get Backup Plan ID

aliyun hbr describe-backup-plans \
  --region <REGION_ID> \
  --source-type ECS_FILE \
  --edition BASIC \
  --filters '[{"Key":"instanceId","Values":["<INSTANCE_ID>"]}]' \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

Step 2: Delete Backup Plan

aliyun hbr delete-backup-plan \
  --region <REGION_ID> \
  --plan-id <PLAN_ID> \
  --edition BASIC \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

After cancellation, the instance stops incurring charges; deleted backup data cannot be recovered. Idempotent operation; safe to call repeatedly on an already-deleted plan.

5. View ECS Backup Status

Step 1: Query Backup Plan

aliyun hbr describe-backup-plans \
  --region <REGION_ID> \
  --edition BASIC \
  --source-type ECS_FILE \
  --filters '[{"Key":"instanceId","Values":["<INSTANCE_ID>"]}]' \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

Step 2: Query Latest Backup Job

aliyun hbr describe-backup-jobs-2 \
  --region <REGION_ID> \
  --edition BASIC \
  --source-type ECS_FILE \
  --filters '[{"Key":"instanceId","Values":["<INSTANCE_ID>"]}]' \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

describe-backup-jobs-2 returns backup jobs sorted by creation time in descending order; the first record is the latest execution result.

Status Determination Logic

describe-backup-plans finds no plan -> Not Activated (未激活)
describe-backup-plans finds a plan
+-> Disabled = true -> Paused (已暂停)
+-> Query describe-backup-jobs-2 for latest backup job
    +-> No backup jobs -> Preparing (准备中)
    +-> Has backup jobs (first record = latest result)
        +-> COMPLETE/PARTIAL_COMPLETE -> Backup Normal (备份正常)
        +-> RUNNING/QUEUED/CREATED -> Backing Up (备份中)
        +-> CANCELED -> Canceled (已取消)
        +-> FAILED/EXPIRED -> Backup Abnormal (备份异常); troubleshoot via describe-backup-clients

Auxiliary Query Commands

View backup client status:

aliyun hbr describe-backup-clients \
  --region <REGION_ID> \
  --client-type ECS_CLIENT \
  --instance-ids '["<INSTANCE_ID>"]' \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

View backup history (Snapshot list):

aliyun hbr search-historical-snapshots \
  --region <REGION_ID> \
  --edition BASIC \
  --source-type ECS_FILE \
  --query '[{"field":"instanceId","value":"<INSTANCE_ID>","operation":"MATCH_TERM"}]' \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

6. View Free Quota & Capacity

aliyun hbr get-basic-statistics \
  --source-type ECS_FILE \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

Key field: GlobalStatistics.ProtectedDataSize is the total block storage capacity of backed-up ECS instances (in bytes).

Free quota rules: 100 GiB per account (permanent, shared across all regions). Usage beyond the quota is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis; billing is based on the total block storage capacity mounted on backed-up ECS instances.

7. File Restore

aliyun hbr create-restore-job \
  --region <REGION_ID> \
  --restore-type ECS_FILE \
  --edition BASIC \
  --source-type ECS_FILE \
  --vault-id <VAULT_ID> \
  --snapshot-id <SNAPSHOT_ID> \
  --snapshot-hash <SNAPSHOT_HASH> \
  --include '["<SOURCE_PATH>"]' \
  --target-instance-id <INSTANCE_ID> \
  --target-path <TARGET_PATH> \
  --options '{"ConflictPolicy":"<CONFLICT_POLICY>"}' \
  --client-token <UUID> \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

VaultId, SnapshotId, and SnapshotHash can be obtained via search-historical-snapshots. Omitting --include restores all files in the snapshot. TargetPath must be an existing directory on the target ECS instance; otherwise the restore job will report a TARGET_NOT_EXIST error. Using the OVERWRITE_EXISTING policy will overwrite files with the same name at the target path; explicit user confirmation is required before execution. If the user has not confirmed, the agent MUST abort the restore operation. Use --client-token to ensure idempotency; the agent should generate a UUID as the ClientToken and reuse the same token on timeout retries to prevent duplicate restore jobs.

View Restore Progress

aliyun hbr describe-restore-jobs-2 \
  --region <REGION_ID> \
  --edition BASIC \
  --restore-type ECS_FILE \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

8. Modify Scheduled Backup Time

Step 1: Get Backup Plan ID

aliyun hbr describe-backup-plans \
  --region <REGION_ID> \
  --edition BASIC \
  --source-type ECS_FILE \
  --filters '[{"Key":"instanceId","Values":["<INSTANCE_ID>"]}]' \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

Step 2: Update Backup Schedule

aliyun hbr update-backup-plan \
  --region <REGION_ID> \
  --plan-id <PLAN_ID> \
  --edition BASIC \
  --schedule 'I|<TIMESTAMP>|P1D' \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

Schedule format: I|<start_timestamp>|P1D, where start_timestamp is a Unix timestamp in seconds, and P1D means once per day (fixed for Essential Edition). Idempotent operation; safe to call repeatedly.

9. Toggle Keep-Last-Snapshot

When enabled, even if all backup versions exceed the retention period, the system will retain the last version without deleting it.

aliyun hbr update-backup-plan \
  --region <REGION_ID> \
  --plan-id <PLAN_ID> \
  --edition BASIC \
  --keep-latest-snapshots <0_OR_1> \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

1 = keep the last backup version (recommended); 0 = do not keep; all backup points older than 30 days will be automatically deleted. Idempotent operation; safe to call repeatedly.

10. Adjust Backup Execution Priority

aliyun hbr update-backup-plan \
  --region <REGION_ID> \
  --plan-id <PLAN_ID> \
  --edition BASIC \
  --options '{"performanceLevel":"<LEVEL>"}' \
  --read-timeout 60 \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills

See performanceLevel in the Parameter Confirmation table for valid values; detailed use cases are described in references/related-apis.md. Idempotent operation; safe to call repeatedly.

Verification

See references/verification-method.md for details.

References

Document	Link
CLI Installation Guide	references/cli-installation-guide.md
API & CLI Command Reference	references/related-apis.md
RAM Permission Policies	references/ram-policies.md
Verification Methods	references/verification-method.md
Official User Guide	ECS File Backup Essential Edition
Cloud Backup API Docs	HBR API Reference

alibabacloud-cloudbackup-ecs-file-backup-essential-edition

ECS File Backup Essential Edition - Operations & Viewing

Scenario Description

Core Features

Recommended Use Cases

Not-Recommended Scenarios & Alternatives

Usage Limitations

Scenario Eligibility Check (Mandatory First Step)

Installation Requirements (Mandatory Pre-check)

Pre-check: Aliyun CLI >= 3.3.1 required

Pre-check: aliyun-cli-hbr plugin >= 0.1.3 required

Credential Verification

Parameter Confirmation & Validation

RAM Permissions

Core Workflows

1. Activate Backup

2. Pause Backup (Suspend)

3. Resume Backup

4. Cancel Backup (Delete)

5. View ECS Backup Status

6. View Free Quota & Capacity

7. File Restore

8. Modify Scheduled Backup Time

9. Toggle Keep-Last-Snapshot

10. Adjust Backup Execution Priority

Verification

References