Virsh Vm Snapshots

Show snapshot details (location, parent, current)

virsh snapshot-info <vm-name> <snapshot-name>

Show VM's disk(s) — useful after external snapshot to see new overlay path

virsh domblklist <vm-name>

Create an external snapshot (fast overlay — preferred for large disks)

virsh snapshot-create-as <vm-name> <name> "<description>" --disk-only

• Creates a new overlay qcow2 near the base image (exact filename/path depends on libvirt/diskspec settings).
• The original image becomes the read-only backing file (the actual backup point).

Delete snapshot metadata only (recommended for external-only workflow)

virsh snapshot-delete <vm-name> --snapshotname <snapshot-name> --metadata

• Removes libvirt snapshot metadata without forcing data merge semantics.

Flatten/remove overlay data in an external chain (optional maintenance)

virsh blockcommit <vm-name> <disk-path> --active --pivot --delete --wait

• Commits overlay data into backing image and deletes committed overlay files.

Inspecting VMs

List all VMs and their states

virsh list --all

Get full VM info (memory, CPU, state, UUID)

virsh dominfo <vm-name>

External snapshot summary