Is it possible to restore a deleted EC2 instance or snapshot from Lifecycle Backup

Unfortunately, if you have deleted an EC2 instance and did not explicitly save the snapshots created by AWS Backup, it's generally not possible to restore the instance or the snapshots. When an EC2 instance is deleted, the lifecycle snapshots associated with it are typically also deleted as part of the cleanup process.

However, there are a few steps you can take to potentially recover your data:

1. Double-check your AWS account: Make sure you're looking in the correct AWS region where your instance was originally located. Sometimes, resources might appear to be missing if you're viewing the wrong region.

2. Contact AWS Support: If the deletion was very recent, you might want to reach out to AWS Support immediately. In some cases, they may be able to assist with recovery or provide more information about the status of your deleted resources.

3. Check for any manually created backups: If you created any manual snapshots or AMIs (Amazon Machine Images) of your instance before deletion, these would still be available and could be used to recreate your instance.

4. Review your AWS Backup settings: For future reference, ensure that your AWS Backup plan is configured to retain backups even after the source resource is deleted. This can prevent similar situations in the future.

If none of these options work, it's likely that the data is permanently lost. To prevent this in the future, it's recommended to:

1. Regularly create manual snapshots or AMIs of critical instances.
2. Configure AWS Backup to retain backups for a specified period even after resource deletion.
3. Implement proper access controls and deletion protection for critical resources.

Remember, AWS typically has a short grace period after termination before data is permanently deleted, but this period is usually only a few days. If it's been longer than that, recovery becomes much more challenging or impossible.
Sources
Best way to Restore EC2 Instance | AWS re:Post
instances disappear | AWS re:Post