What happens during a full backup?

During a full backup, all data from the specified source is copied to a designated backup location. This process entails creating an exact replica of the data at a particular point in time, ensuring that everything—documents, databases, applications, and system files—is included in the backup. This comprehensive backup approach is essential for data recovery, as it allows for the restoration of the entire system to the state it was in at the time the backup was created.

A full backup is often the foundation of a data protection strategy, providing a complete safety net against data loss. It is crucial for scenarios where a complete restoration of data is required, such as after a system failure, data corruption, or loss of data due to accidental deletion.

While incremental backups, system settings restoration, and data compression are related concepts in the field of data backup strategies, they are not characteristic of what occurs during a full backup. Incremental backups, for instance, only save changes made since the last backup, focusing on efficiency rather than comprehensiveness. In contrast, the primary aim of a full backup is to ensure that all relevant data is captured and preserved in its entirety.