3 Types of Backups Every IT Professional Should Know
3 Types of Backups Every IT Professional Should Know Backups are the backbone of data protection — but not all backups are created equal. Here’s a simple breakdown of the three main types 👇 🧩 1️⃣ Full Backup Takes a complete copy of all selected data. Example: Monday’s backup includes everything. ✅ Easy to restore , ❌ Takes more time and space. 🔁 2️⃣ Incremental Backup Saves only the data that changed since the last backup (full or incremental). Example: Monday → Full Tuesday → Incremental (changes since Monday) Wednesday → Incremental (changes since Tuesday) ✅ Fast & space-efficient , ❌ Slower restore (needs full + all incrementals). ⚙️ 3️⃣ Differential Backup Saves all changes made since the last full backup. Example: Monday → Full Tuesday → Differential (changes since Monday) Wednesday → Differential (changes since Monday again) ✅ Faster restore , ❌ Uses more space than incremental.