[ aws . ec2 ]

describe-snapshots

Description

Describes the specified EBS snapshots available to you or all of the EBS snapshots available to you.

The snapshots available to you include public snapshots, private snapshots that you own, and private snapshots owned by other Amazon Web Services accounts for which you have explicit create volume permissions.

The create volume permissions fall into the following categories:

  • public : The owner of the snapshot granted create volume permissions for the snapshot to the all group. All Amazon Web Services accounts have create volume permissions for these snapshots.
  • explicit : The owner of the snapshot granted create volume permissions to a specific Amazon Web Services account.
  • implicit : An Amazon Web Services account has implicit create volume permissions for all snapshots it owns.

The list of snapshots returned can be filtered by specifying snapshot IDs, snapshot owners, or Amazon Web Services accounts with create volume permissions. If no options are specified, Amazon EC2 returns all snapshots for which you have create volume permissions.

If you specify one or more snapshot IDs, only snapshots that have the specified IDs are returned. If you specify an invalid snapshot ID, an error is returned. If you specify a snapshot ID for which you do not have access, it is not included in the returned results.

If you specify one or more snapshot owners using the OwnerIds option, only snapshots from the specified owners and for which you have access are returned. The results can include the Amazon Web Services account IDs of the specified owners, amazon for snapshots owned by Amazon, or self for snapshots that you own.

If you specify a list of restorable users, only snapshots with create snapshot permissions for those users are returned. You can specify Amazon Web Services account IDs (if you own the snapshots), self for snapshots for which you own or have explicit permissions, or all for public snapshots.

If you are describing a long list of snapshots, we recommend that you paginate the output to make the list more manageable. For more information, see Pagination .

To get the state of fast snapshot restores for a snapshot, use DescribeFastSnapshotRestores .

For more information about EBS snapshots, see Amazon EBS snapshots in the Amazon EBS User Guide .

Warning

We strongly recommend using only paginated requests. Unpaginated requests are susceptible to throttling and timeouts.

See also: AWS API Documentation

describe-snapshots is a paginated operation. Multiple API calls may be issued in order to retrieve the entire data set of results. You can disable pagination by providing the --no-paginate argument. When using --output text and the --query argument on a paginated response, the --query argument must extract data from the results of the following query expressions: Snapshots

Synopsis

  describe-snapshots
[--owner-ids <value>]
[--restorable-by-user-ids <value>]
[--snapshot-ids <value>]
[--dry-run | --no-dry-run]
[--filters <value>]
[--cli-input-json | --cli-input-yaml]
[--starting-token <value>]
[--page-size <value>]
[--max-items <value>]
[--generate-cli-skeleton <value>]
[--debug]
[--endpoint-url <value>]
[--no-verify-ssl]
[--no-paginate]
[--output <value>]
[--query <value>]
[--profile <value>]
[--region <value>]
[--version <value>]
[--color <value>]
[--no-sign-request]
[--ca-bundle <value>]
[--cli-read-timeout <value>]
[--cli-connect-timeout <value>]
[--cli-binary-format <value>]
[--no-cli-pager]
[--cli-auto-prompt]
[--no-cli-auto-prompt]

Options

--owner-ids (list)

Scopes the results to snapshots with the specified owners. You can specify a combination of Amazon Web Services account IDs, self , and amazon .

(string)

Syntax:

"string" "string" ...

--restorable-by-user-ids (list)

The IDs of the Amazon Web Services accounts that can create volumes from the snapshot.

(string)

Syntax:

"string" "string" ...

--snapshot-ids (list)

The snapshot IDs.

Default: Describes the snapshots for which you have create volume permissions.

(string)

Syntax:

"string" "string" ...

--dry-run | --no-dry-run (boolean)

Checks whether you have the required permissions for the action, without actually making the request, and provides an error response. If you have the required permissions, the error response is DryRunOperation . Otherwise, it is UnauthorizedOperation .

--filters (list)

The filters.

  • description - A description of the snapshot.
  • encrypted - Indicates whether the snapshot is encrypted (true | false )
  • owner-alias - The owner alias, from an Amazon-maintained list (amazon ). This is not the user-configured Amazon Web Services account alias set using the IAM console. We recommend that you use the related parameter instead of this filter.
  • owner-id - The Amazon Web Services account ID of the owner. We recommend that you use the related parameter instead of this filter.
  • progress - The progress of the snapshot, as a percentage (for example, 80%).
  • snapshot-id - The snapshot ID.
  • start-time - The time stamp when the snapshot was initiated.
  • status - The status of the snapshot (pending | completed | error ).
  • storage-tier - The storage tier of the snapshot (archive | standard ).
  • tag :<key> - The key/value combination of a tag assigned to the resource. Use the tag key in the filter name and the tag value as the filter value. For example, to find all resources that have a tag with the key Owner and the value TeamA , specify tag:Owner for the filter name and TeamA for the filter value.
  • tag-key - The key of a tag assigned to the resource. Use this filter to find all resources assigned a tag with a specific key, regardless of the tag value.
  • volume-id - The ID of the volume the snapshot is for.
  • volume-size - The size of the volume, in GiB.

(structure)

A filter name and value pair that is used to return a more specific list of results from a describe operation. Filters can be used to match a set of resources by specific criteria, such as tags, attributes, or IDs.

If you specify multiple filters, the filters are joined with an AND , and the request returns only results that match all of the specified filters.

Name -> (string)

The name of the filter. Filter names are case-sensitive.

Values -> (list)

The filter values. Filter values are case-sensitive. If you specify multiple values for a filter, the values are joined with an OR , and the request returns all results that match any of the specified values.

(string)

Shorthand Syntax:

Name=string,Values=string,string ...

JSON Syntax:

[
  {
    "Name": "string",
    "Values": ["string", ...]
  }
  ...
]

--cli-input-json | --cli-input-yaml (string) Reads arguments from the JSON string provided. The JSON string follows the format provided by --generate-cli-skeleton. If other arguments are provided on the command line, those values will override the JSON-provided values. It is not possible to pass arbitrary binary values using a JSON-provided value as the string will be taken literally. This may not be specified along with --cli-input-yaml.

--starting-token (string)

A token to specify where to start paginating. This is the NextToken from a previously truncated response.

For usage examples, see Pagination in the AWS Command Line Interface User Guide .

--page-size (integer)

The size of each page to get in the AWS service call. This does not affect the number of items returned in the command’s output. Setting a smaller page size results in more calls to the AWS service, retrieving fewer items in each call. This can help prevent the AWS service calls from timing out.

For usage examples, see Pagination in the AWS Command Line Interface User Guide .

--max-items (integer)

The total number of items to return in the command’s output. If the total number of items available is more than the value specified, a NextToken is provided in the command’s output. To resume pagination, provide the NextToken value in the starting-token argument of a subsequent command. Do not use the NextToken response element directly outside of the AWS CLI.

For usage examples, see Pagination in the AWS Command Line Interface User Guide .

--generate-cli-skeleton (string) Prints a JSON skeleton to standard output without sending an API request. If provided with no value or the value input, prints a sample input JSON that can be used as an argument for --cli-input-json. Similarly, if provided yaml-input it will print a sample input YAML that can be used with --cli-input-yaml. If provided with the value output, it validates the command inputs and returns a sample output JSON for that command. The generated JSON skeleton is not stable between versions of the AWS CLI and there are no backwards compatibility guarantees in the JSON skeleton generated.

Global Options

--debug (boolean)

Turn on debug logging.

--endpoint-url (string)

Override command’s default URL with the given URL.

--no-verify-ssl (boolean)

By default, the AWS CLI uses SSL when communicating with AWS services. For each SSL connection, the AWS CLI will verify SSL certificates. This option overrides the default behavior of verifying SSL certificates.

--no-paginate (boolean)

Disable automatic pagination. If automatic pagination is disabled, the AWS CLI will only make one call, for the first page of results.

--output (string)

The formatting style for command output.

  • json
  • text
  • table
  • yaml
  • yaml-stream

--query (string)

A JMESPath query to use in filtering the response data.

--profile (string)

Use a specific profile from your credential file.

--region (string)

The region to use. Overrides config/env settings.

--version (string)

Display the version of this tool.

--color (string)

Turn on/off color output.

  • on
  • off
  • auto

--no-sign-request (boolean)

Do not sign requests. Credentials will not be loaded if this argument is provided.

--ca-bundle (string)

The CA certificate bundle to use when verifying SSL certificates. Overrides config/env settings.

--cli-read-timeout (int)

The maximum socket read time in seconds. If the value is set to 0, the socket read will be blocking and not timeout. The default value is 60 seconds.

--cli-connect-timeout (int)

The maximum socket connect time in seconds. If the value is set to 0, the socket connect will be blocking and not timeout. The default value is 60 seconds.

--cli-binary-format (string)

The formatting style to be used for binary blobs. The default format is base64. The base64 format expects binary blobs to be provided as a base64 encoded string. The raw-in-base64-out format preserves compatibility with AWS CLI V1 behavior and binary values must be passed literally. When providing contents from a file that map to a binary blob fileb:// will always be treated as binary and use the file contents directly regardless of the cli-binary-format setting. When using file:// the file contents will need to properly formatted for the configured cli-binary-format.

  • base64
  • raw-in-base64-out

--no-cli-pager (boolean)

Disable cli pager for output.

--cli-auto-prompt (boolean)

Automatically prompt for CLI input parameters.

--no-cli-auto-prompt (boolean)

Disable automatically prompt for CLI input parameters.

Examples

Note

To use the following examples, you must have the AWS CLI installed and configured. See the Getting started guide in the AWS CLI User Guide for more information.

Unless otherwise stated, all examples have unix-like quotation rules. These examples will need to be adapted to your terminal’s quoting rules. See Using quotation marks with strings in the AWS CLI User Guide .

Example 1: To describe a snapshot

The following describe-snapshots example describes the specified snapshot.

aws ec2 describe-snapshots \
    --snapshot-ids snap-1234567890abcdef0

Output:

{
    "Snapshots": [
        {
            "Description": "This is my snapshot",
            "Encrypted": false,
            "VolumeId": "vol-049df61146c4d7901",
            "State": "completed",
            "VolumeSize": 8,
            "StartTime": "2019-02-28T21:28:32.000Z",
            "Progress": "100%",
            "OwnerId": "012345678910",
            "SnapshotId": "snap-01234567890abcdef",
            "Tags": [
                {
                    "Key": "Stack",
                    "Value": "test"
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

For more information, see Amazon EBS snapshots in the Amazon EC2 User Guide.

Example 2: To describe snapshots based on filters

The following describe-snapshots example uses filters to scope the results to snapshots owned by your AWS account that are in the pending state. The example uses the --query parameter to display only the snapshot IDs and the time the snapshot was started.

aws ec2 describe-snapshots \
    --owner-ids self \
    --filters Name=status,Values=pending \
    --query "Snapshots[*].{ID:SnapshotId,Time:StartTime}"

Output:

[
    {
        "ID": "snap-1234567890abcdef0",
        "Time": "2019-08-04T12:48:18.000Z"
    },
    {
        "ID": "snap-066877671789bd71b",
        "Time": "2019-08-04T02:45:16.000Z
    },
    ...
]

The following describe-snapshots example uses filters to scope the results to snapshots created from the specified volume. The example uses the --query parameter to display only the snapshot IDs.

aws ec2 describe-snapshots \
    --filters Name=volume-id,Values=049df61146c4d7901 \
    --query "Snapshots[*].[SnapshotId]" \
    --output text

Output:

snap-1234567890abcdef0
snap-08637175a712c3fb9
...

For additional examples using filters, see Listing and filtering your resources in the Amazon EC2 User Guide.

Example 3: To describe snapshots based on tags

The following describe-snapshots example uses tag filters to scope the results to snapshots that have the tag Stack=Prod.

aws ec2 describe-snapshots \
    --filters Name=tag:Stack,Values=prod

For an example of the output for describe-snapshots, see Example 1.

For additional examples using tag filters, see Working with tags in the Amazon EC2 User Guide.

Example 4: To describe snapshots based on age

The following describe-snapshots example uses JMESPath expressions to describe all snapshots created by your AWS account before the specified date. It displays only the snapshot IDs.

aws ec2 describe-snapshots \
    --owner-ids 012345678910 \
    --query "Snapshots[?(StartTime<='2020-03-31')].[SnapshotId]"

For additional examples using filters, see Listing and filtering your resources in the Amazon EC2 User Guide.

Example 5: To view only archived snapshots

The following describe-snapshots example lists only snapshots that are stored in the archive tier.

aws ec2 describe-snapshots \
    --filters "Name=storage-tier,Values=archive"

Output:

{
    "Snapshots": [
        {
            "Description": "Snap A",
            "Encrypted": false,
            "VolumeId": "vol-01234567890aaaaaa",
            "State": "completed",
            "VolumeSize": 8,
            "StartTime": "2021-09-07T21:00:00.000Z",
            "Progress": "100%",
            "OwnerId": "123456789012",
            "SnapshotId": "snap-01234567890aaaaaa",
            "StorageTier": "archive",
            "Tags": []
        },
    ]
}

For more information, see View archived snapshots in the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud User Guide.

Output

NextToken -> (string)

The token to include in another request to get the next page of items. This value is null when there are no more items to return.

Snapshots -> (list)

Information about the snapshots.

(structure)

Describes a snapshot.

OwnerAlias -> (string)

The Amazon Web Services owner alias, from an Amazon-maintained list (amazon ). This is not the user-configured Amazon Web Services account alias set using the IAM console.

OutpostArn -> (string)

The ARN of the Outpost on which the snapshot is stored. For more information, see Amazon EBS local snapshots on Outposts in the Amazon EBS User Guide .

Tags -> (list)

Any tags assigned to the snapshot.

(structure)

Describes a tag.

Key -> (string)

The key of the tag.

Constraints: Tag keys are case-sensitive and accept a maximum of 127 Unicode characters. May not begin with aws: .

Value -> (string)

The value of the tag.

Constraints: Tag values are case-sensitive and accept a maximum of 256 Unicode characters.

StorageTier -> (string)

The storage tier in which the snapshot is stored. standard indicates that the snapshot is stored in the standard snapshot storage tier and that it is ready for use. archive indicates that the snapshot is currently archived and that it must be restored before it can be used.

RestoreExpiryTime -> (timestamp)

Only for archived snapshots that are temporarily restored. Indicates the date and time when a temporarily restored snapshot will be automatically re-archived.

SseType -> (string)

Reserved for future use.

SnapshotId -> (string)

The ID of the snapshot. Each snapshot receives a unique identifier when it is created.

VolumeId -> (string)

The ID of the volume that was used to create the snapshot. Snapshots created by the CopySnapshot action have an arbitrary volume ID that should not be used for any purpose.

State -> (string)

The snapshot state.

StateMessage -> (string)

Encrypted Amazon EBS snapshots are copied asynchronously. If a snapshot copy operation fails (for example, if the proper KMS permissions are not obtained) this field displays error state details to help you diagnose why the error occurred. This parameter is only returned by DescribeSnapshots .

StartTime -> (timestamp)

The time stamp when the snapshot was initiated.

Progress -> (string)

The progress of the snapshot, as a percentage.

OwnerId -> (string)

The ID of the Amazon Web Services account that owns the EBS snapshot.

Description -> (string)

The description for the snapshot.

VolumeSize -> (integer)

The size of the volume, in GiB.

Encrypted -> (boolean)

Indicates whether the snapshot is encrypted.

KmsKeyId -> (string)

The Amazon Resource Name (ARN) of the KMS key that was used to protect the volume encryption key for the parent volume.

DataEncryptionKeyId -> (string)

The data encryption key identifier for the snapshot. This value is a unique identifier that corresponds to the data encryption key that was used to encrypt the original volume or snapshot copy. Because data encryption keys are inherited by volumes created from snapshots, and vice versa, if snapshots share the same data encryption key identifier, then they belong to the same volume/snapshot lineage. This parameter is only returned by DescribeSnapshots .