Memgraph Snapshots Explained

Memgraph's approach to database snapshots prioritizes simplicity, speed, and reliability by utilizing full snapshots combined with Write-Ahead Logging (WAL) instead of more complex incremental snapshot methods. This system captures the entire database in one go, allowing for consistent point-in-time recovery without the need for intricate versioning schemes. By offloading snapshot creation to multiple threads, Memgraph ensures that real-time database operations are not hindered, maintaining high performance and avoiding the overhead associated with managing incremental changes. Users can schedule snapshots based on time intervals or manually trigger them, with the option to save snapshots automatically upon exit, ensuring data durability. The full snapshot system, alongside WAL, provides flexibility in backup strategies and guarantees data recoverability even in the event of a system failure, minimizing the complexity and potential bottlenecks found in other database systems.