Where Does Snapper Store Configs and Snapshots?
Where Snapper keeps per-volume configs and snapshots on Linux, and how the .snapshots folders work..
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Snapper manages Btrfs snapshots through per-volume configs under /etc/snapper/configs, with the root config created at install on big enough disks. Snapshots themselves live in .snapshots folders on the snapshotted volume, never elsewhere. Timeline, number, and cleanup rules all live in the config file.
Package managers hook in through plugins that snapshot around transactions. Manual deletes of configs or snapshot folders corrupt bookkeeping, so use the snapper commands for lifecycle work. Size snapshot-bearing volumes doubled, since copy-on-write still needs room to diverge.
Where Snapper stores this, by platform
/etc/snapper/configs/root
Per-volume configs with timeline and cleanup rules; root config auto-created on large installs. Snapshots live in .snapshots on the same volume by design. Manage lifecycle with snapper commands so bookkeeping stays consistent.
Frequently asked questions
how do I enable snapshots for a volume
Create a config with snapper create-config for the subvolume, which writes /etc/snapper/configs/<name> and a .snapshots folder. Set timeline and cleanup limits in the config afterward. Snapshots stay on the same volume by design, so size it doubled.
where are the actual snapshots
Open the .snapshots folder on the snapshotted volume itself; snapshots cannot live elsewhere. Restore files from the numbered snapshot dirs or roll back through YaST. Cleanup algorithms prune by number and timeline per config.
how do I limit snapshot disk use
Edit the config keys for timeline creation and number, timeline, and empty-pre-post cleanup. YaST exposes the same through its module. Deleting configs by hand orphans state; use delete-config so bookkeeping follows.
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