> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.nuvolos.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.nuvolos.com/how-to-guides/workflows-for-researchers/when-you-are-done-exporting.md).
# Preserve and share results
## Export your project
**Outcome**\
You export your application as a portable Docker image that can be run outside Nuvolos.
**Before you start**
* You are a **Space Administrator** or **Instance Editor** on the Instance containing the application.
* You have decided whether to export the application alone or together with its workspace files.
* You have read the *Important caveats* section below - particularly around licenses and tabular data.
Nuvolos's Application Export feature turns a Nuvolos application into a portable Docker image that runs anywhere Docker runs. This is the recommended way to hand over a complete, reproducible research environment to external collaborators, customers, partners, auditors, or any infrastructure outside Nuvolos. For the conceptual model and the contents of an exported image, see [Concepts › How Applications work](/concepts/applications.md).
#### When Application Export is the right choice
* You need to share a full project with collaborators you cannot invite to Nuvolos.
* You want to hand over a reproducible environment for review, audit, or archival.
* You need to run the same application setup in another infrastructure or organisation.
#### What you can export
* **Application only** - configuration, installed packages, environment variables, and the runtime setup, without workspace data. This is the most common option for third-party hand-overs.
* **Application together with workspace files** - adds the workspace contents to the image, useful when sharing a full project state including code and data.
#### Run the export
For the step-by-step export procedure (naming the image, including or excluding workspace files, managing exports), see [Reference › Applications](/reference/applications.md).
#### Important caveats
Before relying on Application Export as a full project handover, three boundaries to be aware of:
* **Licensed Applications** - Nuvolos uses a Bring-Your-Own-License model. To prevent accidental license leakage, license-based Applications and license-related environment variables are not included in exports by default. Contact Nuvolos support if you need a fully functional, licensed package in the export.
* **Tabular data is not bundled -** Data stored in Nuvolos Tables (the Scientific Data Warehouse) is not included in Application exports. If your project depends on tabular data, export it to files (CSV or Parquet) first and adapt your code to work with file-based inputs.
* **Container registry -** Application exports are pushed to Docker Hub by default. For a different container registry, contact Nuvolos support.
{% hint style="warning" %}
Exported images are public on the container registry. Anyone can pull them without authentication. Make sure the application's contents (installed packages, configuration, and - if you opt to include them - workspace files) do not contain sensitive information.
{% endhint %}
## Snapshot and distribute results
**Outcome**\
You preserve a moment in your research as a named snapshot, and optionally share it with collaborators by distributing it to another instance.
**Before you start**
* You are an **Instance Editor** or **Space Administrator**.
* You are in the Current State of the instance.
* You know what you want to preserve and (if distributing) where it should go.
Snapshots are the foundation of reproducibility on Nuvolos - they capture files, tables, and application configurations as a single immutable record. Researchers typically use snapshots in three ways:
* **As named research vintages** - snapshot at key milestones (a paper draft, a clean dataset, a working analysis) with a descriptive name and a complete provenance note. The snapshot remains available indefinitely and can be referenced later.
* **As reproducibility packages** - distribute a snapshot to a reviewer instance, or export the application from a snapshot, to give a colleague exactly the working setup you used.
* **As experiment checkpoints** - snapshot before any major change to your analysis. If the change does not work out, restore from the snapshot and you are back where you started.
#### Take a snapshot
The procedure for creating a snapshot is the same regardless of the role. See the canonical procedure: [How-to › Common Workflows › Create a snapshot](/how-to-guides/common-workflows/snapshots/create-a-snapshot.md).
#### Distribute a snapshot to share it
To share a snapshot with collaborators or reviewers, distribute its contents (in whole or in part) to a target instance:
{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Open the snapshot from the snapshot timeline.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
Stage the objects you want to share (files, tables, applications, or all of them).
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
Open the distribution flow and select the target instance.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
Complete the distribution.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}
For the full distribution mechanic, see [How-to › Common Workflows › Distribute content](/how-to-guides/common-workflows/object-distribution.md) and [Reference › Configuration](/reference/configuration.md) for the distribution strategy options.
{% hint style="info" %}
Use named snapshots with descriptive names (such as paper-revision-2-data or pre-cleanup-baseline), not auto-generated timestamps. Future-you searching for the right snapshot to restore from will benefit considerably.
{% endhint %}
---
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