Data Storage

Where Snapshots Are Stored

By default, all data is stored locally in a SQLite database:

~/.snapshots/
+-- inventory.db              # SQLite database (snapshots, resources, tags)
+-- audit-logs/
    +-- cleanup/              # Cleanup operation audit logs
        +-- 2026-01-15_cleanup.yaml

The SQLite database provides:

• Fast queries: Search across all snapshots with SQL
• Tag analysis: Normalized tags table for efficient filtering
• Cross-snapshot history: Track resources across multiple snapshots

Changing Storage Location

# Via environment variable
export AWS_INVENTORY_STORAGE_PATH=/path/to/storage
awsinv snapshot create my-snapshot

# Via CLI flag
awsinv snapshot create my-snapshot --storage-path /path/to/storage

Team Sharing

The SQLite database is a single portable file. To share across a team:

• Store inventory.db in a shared filesystem
• Sync via S3 or other cloud storage
• Use separate databases per environment/team

Database Schema

For advanced usage including the full SQLite schema and SQL queries, see the Database Reference.