vzdump
Proxmox VE virtual machine backup tool
TLDR
Dump single VM
$ vzdump [vm_id]
Backup multiple VMs$ vzdump [101] [102] [103]
Dump with mode$ vzdump [vm_id] --mode [suspend|snapshot]
Backup all with notification$ vzdump --all --mode suspend --mailto [root] --mailto [admin]
Use snapshot mode to directory$ vzdump [vm_id] --dumpdir [path/to/directory] --mode snapshot
Backup all excluding specific VMs$ vzdump --mode suspend --exclude [101,102]
SYNOPSIS
vzdump [OPTIONS] VMID...
DESCRIPTION
vzdump is a backup utility for Proxmox VE virtual machines and containers. It creates backups that can be restored later, supporting both suspend and snapshot modes.
Snapshot mode requires no downtime. Suspend mode briefly pauses the VM for consistency. Backups are stored in /var/lib/vz/dump/ by default.
PARAMETERS
--mode MODE
Backup mode: suspend or snapshot--dumpdir DIR
Custom dump directory--mailto EMAIL
Send notification to address--all
Backup all VMs--exclude VMIDS
Exclude specified VM IDs--compress TYPE
Compression type (lzo, gzip, zstd)
CAVEATS
Proxmox VE specific. Large VMs require significant backup storage. Snapshot mode requires filesystem support. Email notifications require configured mail system.