The terms "backup" and "archiving" are often used interchangeably, as they both relate to saving a specific version of a file, but they are actually very different processes. The term “backup” is used specifically when making copies of various files with the knowledge that the files may change. Backups are kept for a certain amount of time, but can be discarded after a specified time has passed. Archiving is used when a file is to be preserved as-is, often at the end of a project and acts as a static (and usually final) record. [source - DataONE education module]
