What to save before terminating a Runpod Pod

Before terminating a Runpod Pod, export irreplaceable data and verify it outside the environment being deleted. The local volume disk disappears with the Pod. An independent network volume remains a separate resource, but confirm its identity and contents before relying on it.

Inventory data while it is visible

Distinguish Stop from Terminate, then map files to container storage, the local volume and independent storage. Separate original inputs, your changes, final results and the reproducible environment.

For each group, identify the copy and the person able to open it. Do not focus only on the largest folder. A small configuration file can be the only record of the successful experiment, while a large public cache may be recoverable by download.

Save a recipe without copying secrets

Record the exact image, program version, launch parameters, model paths and input format. A package list is helpful but may omit manual changes outside the repository. Include those changes in a clear repeatable recipe.

Do not automatically archive private keys and live tokens. Preserve required variable names separately from their values. A secret embedded in a notebook or log needs its own access decision; changing storage paths does not remove the disclosure.

Run a recovery check

For a comparison experiment, the important outputs might be edited annotations, a final CSV and the launch description. Rebuildable public cache need not be copied into every archive.

1. Stop processes writing the required files.
2. Copy the selected directories using an available supported method.
3. Compare counts and checksums where useful.
4. Open the CSV and representative annotations elsewhere.
5. Confirm the recipe points to saved, usable paths.

A completed archive transfer is not the same as a meaningful reading test. Use a small representative check before committing the only working source to deletion.

Finish the resource lifecycle

Stopping releases the GPU, so a later restart may wait for hardware even when local volume data remains. If export depends on running compute, arrange it before the available window ends and allow time for rechecking a large transfer.

After verification, match the Pod ID before terminating. Decide separately whether to retain the network volume with an owner and expiry date or remove it after an independent copy is confirmed. It remains billable storage. Finish with a record of results, recovery instructions and intentionally retained resources so another participant can continue without the deleted environment.

Turn the check into a practical next step

Before deleting a Pod, prove that the next environment can use the saved result. Files still visible inside the current Pod are not that proof.

For the documented details, consult the primary documentation; configuration reference. Continue with runpod storage billing after stop and runpod network volume persistence.