Snapshot pattern

The first basic pattern that we will cover is the snapshot pattern. This pattern is the basis for many other patterns described throughout this book and includes the way to create an S3-backed, point-in-time snapshot of a running instance from the AWS console. To do this, we will select a running instance from the EC2 console and select the root device volume from the instance pull-up frame, which will bring up a pop-up for the volume as shown in the following screenshot:

Click the EBS ID link from the pop-up. This will bring you to the Volumes section of the AWS console with the previously selected volume in context. From here, select the Actions drop-down and select Create Snapshot as shown in the following screenshot:

You will now be prompted for a name and description, but they are optional so go ahead and click Create. The next window will give you a success prompt with a snapshot identifier. If you select the snapshot id, it will take you to the Snapshot section of...