Developers grapple with the anxiety of potential data loss due to unforeseen issues, such as accidental deletions, system failures, or even corrupt files. The Dev Box team is addressing this concern with the self-service restoration feature for the Dev Box, designed to put you back in control. This functionality streamlines recovery by allowing direct restorations within the Dev Box interface, eliminating the need for on-call support. Whether rolling back after a problematic update or recovering from accidental deletion, you now have the power to address issues swiftly. You can experiment freely with new features, knowing you have a reliable way to revert changes if needed. This fosters a more innovative environment where you can push boundaries without fear of losing your progress.

How to Access Self-Serve Restore from the Developer Portal

To access the self-serve, restore feature, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Developer Portal.
2. Navigate to the Dev Box section.
3. Select the Dev Box environment you wish to restore.
4. Choose the “Restore” option.
5. Select the desired restore point from the list of available snapshots.
6. Confirm the restoration process.

Once the restoration is complete, you will receive an email notification informing you that your Dev Box is restored and ready to use. For detailed instructions you can view our learn pages here.

At Microsoft, we deeply value the feedback and insights from our users. Your suggestions and experiences help us refine our products and prioritize features that genuinely enhance your work. The introduction of the self-serve restoration feature is a direct response to the needs you’ve expressed, and we are committed to continuously improving the Dev Box based on your input.

We are also thrilled to announce that a new feature is coming soon, allowing you to capture snapshots on demand. This self-serve manual snapshot feature will be available shortly on the Dev portal, providing you with additional flexibility and control over your development environment.

We value your feedback, so please share your thoughts with us [here].