diff --git a/snapshot/storage/boltdb/bolt.go b/snapshot/storage/boltdb/bolt.go
index 7aeb02584..9ed698ec8 100644
--- a/snapshot/storage/boltdb/bolt.go
+++ b/snapshot/storage/boltdb/bolt.go
@@ -70,16 +70,16 @@ func (ms *boltMetastore) TransactionContext(ctx context.Context, writable bool)
 	return ctx, t, nil
 }
 
-func (ms *boltMetastore) withBucket(ctx context.Context, fn func(ctx context.Context, tx *bolt.Bucket) error) error {
+func (ms *boltMetastore) withBucket(ctx context.Context, fn func(context.Context, *bolt.Bucket, *bolt.Bucket) error) error {
 	t, ok := ctx.Value(transactionKey{}).(*boltFileTransactor)
 	if !ok {
 		return errors.Errorf("no transaction in context")
 	}
-	bkt := t.tx.Bucket(bucketKeyStorageVersion).Bucket(bucketKeySnapshot)
-	return fn(ctx, bkt)
+	bkt := t.tx.Bucket(bucketKeyStorageVersion)
+	return fn(ctx, bkt.Bucket(bucketKeySnapshot), bkt.Bucket(bucketKeyParents))
 }
 
-func (ms *boltMetastore) createBucketIfNotExists(ctx context.Context, fn func(ctx context.Context, tx *bolt.Bucket) error) error {
+func (ms *boltMetastore) createBucketIfNotExists(ctx context.Context, fn func(context.Context, *bolt.Bucket, *bolt.Bucket) error) error {
 	t, ok := ctx.Value(transactionKey{}).(*boltFileTransactor)
 	if !ok {
 		return errors.Errorf("no transaction in context")
@@ -89,11 +89,15 @@ func (ms *boltMetastore) createBucketIfNotExists(ctx context.Context, fn func(ct
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to create version bucket")
 	}
-	bkt, err = bkt.CreateBucketIfNotExists(bucketKeySnapshot)
+	sbkt, err := bkt.CreateBucketIfNotExists(bucketKeySnapshot)
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to create snapshots bucket")
 	}
-	return fn(ctx, bkt)
+	pbkt, err := bkt.CreateBucketIfNotExists(bucketKeyParents)
+	if err != nil {
+		return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to create snapshots bucket")
+	}
+	return fn(ctx, sbkt, pbkt)
 }
 
 func fromProtoKind(k Kind) snapshot.Kind {
@@ -114,21 +118,33 @@ func toProtoKind(k snapshot.Kind) Kind {
 	}
 }
 
+// parentKey returns a composite key of the parent and child identifiers. The
+// parts of the key are separated by a zero byte.
 func parentKey(parent, child uint64) []byte {
-	b := make([]byte, binary.Size([]uint64{parent, child}))
+	b := make([]byte, binary.Size([]uint64{parent, child})+1)
 	i := binary.PutUvarint(b, parent)
-	j := binary.PutUvarint(b[i:], child)
-	return b[0 : i+j]
+	j := binary.PutUvarint(b[i+1:], child)
+	return b[0 : i+j+1]
 }
 
-func getParent(b []byte) uint64 {
+// parentPrefixKey returns the parent part of the composite key with the
+// zero byte separator.
+func parentPrefixKey(parent uint64) []byte {
+	b := make([]byte, binary.Size(parent)+1)
+	i := binary.PutUvarint(b, parent)
+	return b[0 : i+1]
+}
+
+// getParentPrefix returns the first part of the composite key which
+// represents the parent identifier.
+func getParentPrefix(b []byte) uint64 {
 	parent, _ := binary.Uvarint(b)
 	return parent
 }
 
 func (ms *boltMetastore) Stat(ctx context.Context, key string) (snapshot.Info, error) {
 	var ss Snapshot
-	err := ms.withBucket(ctx, func(ctx context.Context, bkt *bolt.Bucket) error {
+	err := ms.withBucket(ctx, func(ctx context.Context, bkt, pbkt *bolt.Bucket) error {
 		return getSnapshot(bkt, key, &ss)
 	})
 	if err != nil {
@@ -144,7 +160,7 @@ func (ms *boltMetastore) Stat(ctx context.Context, key string) (snapshot.Info, e
 }
 
 func (ms *boltMetastore) Walk(ctx context.Context, fn func(context.Context, snapshot.Info) error) error {
-	return ms.withBucket(ctx, func(ctx context.Context, bkt *bolt.Bucket) error {
+	return ms.withBucket(ctx, func(ctx context.Context, bkt, pbkt *bolt.Bucket) error {
 		return bkt.ForEach(func(k, v []byte) error {
 			// skip nested buckets
 			if v == nil {
@@ -167,7 +183,7 @@ func (ms *boltMetastore) Walk(ctx context.Context, fn func(context.Context, snap
 }
 
 func (ms *boltMetastore) CreateActive(ctx context.Context, key, parent string, readonly bool) (a storage.Active, err error) {
-	err = ms.createBucketIfNotExists(ctx, func(ctx context.Context, bkt *bolt.Bucket) error {
+	err = ms.createBucketIfNotExists(ctx, func(ctx context.Context, bkt, pbkt *bolt.Bucket) error {
 		var (
 			parentS *Snapshot
 		)
@@ -202,11 +218,9 @@ func (ms *boltMetastore) CreateActive(ctx context.Context, key, parent string, r
 		}
 
 		if parentS != nil {
-			pbkt, err := bkt.CreateBucketIfNotExists(bucketKeyParents)
-			if err != nil {
-				return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to create parent bucket")
-			}
-			if err := pbkt.Put(parentKey(parentS.ID, ss.ID), nil); err != nil {
+			// Store a backlink from the key to the parent. Store the snapshot name
+			// as the value to allow following the backlink to the snapshot value.
+			if err := pbkt.Put(parentKey(parentS.ID, ss.ID), []byte(key)); err != nil {
 				return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to write parent link")
 			}
 
@@ -229,7 +243,7 @@ func (ms *boltMetastore) CreateActive(ctx context.Context, key, parent string, r
 }
 
 func (ms *boltMetastore) GetActive(ctx context.Context, key string) (a storage.Active, err error) {
-	err = ms.withBucket(ctx, func(ctx context.Context, bkt *bolt.Bucket) error {
+	err = ms.withBucket(ctx, func(ctx context.Context, bkt, pbkt *bolt.Bucket) error {
 		b := bkt.Get([]byte(key))
 		if len(b) == 0 {
 			return errors.Errorf("active not found")
@@ -285,7 +299,7 @@ func (ms *boltMetastore) parents(bkt *bolt.Bucket, parent *Snapshot) (parents []
 }
 
 func (ms *boltMetastore) Remove(ctx context.Context, key string) (id string, k snapshot.Kind, err error) {
-	err = ms.withBucket(ctx, func(ctx context.Context, bkt *bolt.Bucket) error {
+	err = ms.withBucket(ctx, func(ctx context.Context, bkt, pbkt *bolt.Bucket) error {
 		var ss Snapshot
 		b := bkt.Get([]byte(key))
 		if len(b) == 0 {
@@ -296,10 +310,9 @@ func (ms *boltMetastore) Remove(ctx context.Context, key string) (id string, k s
 			return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to unmarshal snapshot")
 		}
 
-		pbkt := bkt.Bucket(bucketKeyParents)
 		if pbkt != nil {
-			k, _ := pbkt.Cursor().Seek(parentKey(ss.ID, 0))
-			if getParent(k) == ss.ID {
+			k, _ := pbkt.Cursor().Seek(parentPrefixKey(ss.ID))
+			if getParentPrefix(k) == ss.ID {
 				return errors.Errorf("cannot remove snapshot with child")
 			}
 
@@ -329,7 +342,7 @@ func (ms *boltMetastore) Remove(ctx context.Context, key string) (id string, k s
 }
 
 func (ms *boltMetastore) Commit(ctx context.Context, key, name string) (id string, err error) {
-	err = ms.withBucket(ctx, func(ctx context.Context, bkt *bolt.Bucket) error {
+	err = ms.withBucket(ctx, func(ctx context.Context, bkt, pbkt *bolt.Bucket) error {
 		b := bkt.Get([]byte(name))
 		if len(b) != 0 {
 			return errors.Errorf("key already exists")