Memgraph Snapshots Explained

In our previous blog post, Understanding Database Snapshots, we covered the basics of database snapshots and how they function in general. Now, it’s time to take a closer look at how snapshots work specifically in Memgraph.

In this post, we’ll break down the mechanics of Memgraph’s full snapshot mechanism, how it differs from other databases that use incremental snapshots, and how Memgraph combines snapshots with Write-Ahead Logging (WAL) for efficient recovery and transactional durability.

Whether you’re a seasoned graph database user or just getting started, understanding Memgraph’s snapshot process will help you optimize performance and ensure data durability.

Memgraph skips the complexity and, in IN_MEMORY_TRANSACTIONAL storage mode, goes straight for full snapshots combined with Write-Ahead Logging (WAL). The idea is simple: instead of tracking changes piecemeal, Memgraph periodically takes a full snapshot of the database's current state and logs everything that happens after that.

When you trigger a snapshot in Memgraph, the whole database—every node, edge, and property—gets written to disk in one go. No "saving changes since the last snapshot," no complicated versioning schemes. Just a full copy of the graph as it stands right then and there.

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