> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://vastai-80aa3a82-auto-cli-sdk-preview-pr-510.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# vastai show instance-backups

Show backups Vast has taken of your instances.

## Usage

```bash theme={null}
vastai show instance-backups [OPTIONS]
```

## Options

<ParamField path="--contract-id" type="integer">
  only show backups of this instance or volume contract id
</ParamField>

## Description

Lists the backups Vast has taken of your instances and volumes, newest first. These
are created by Vast (for example before a machine is decommissioned), not by you.

Status is pending while the copy runs, then success or error. A backup outlives the
instance it came from, so entries stay listed after the instance is gone.

Restore one into a running instance with `vastai copy`, naming vast.CONTRACT\_ID as
the source. An instance's own filesystem sits under upper/:

vastai show instance-backups
vastai copy vast.12345678:/upper/workspace 99887766:/workspace

A backed-up volume has no upper/ -- its contents sit at the root of its own
contract id:

vastai copy vast.12345679:/ 99887766:/volumes/data

To pull the objects down directly instead of restoring into an instance, see
`vastai show instance-backup-files CONTRACT_ID`.

Example: vastai show instance-backups --contract-id 12345678

## Global Options

The following options are available for all commands:

| Option          | Description                                           |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| `--url URL`     | Server REST API URL                                   |
| `--retry N`     | Retry limit                                           |
| `--raw`         | Output machine-readable JSON                          |
| `--explain`     | Verbose explanation of API calls                      |
| `--api-key KEY` | API key (defaults to `~/.config/vastai/vast_api_key`) |