what is snapshot

A snapshot in the context of computer systems refers to the state of a system at a particular point in time. It is analogous to a detailed catalog, providing users with accessible copies of data that they can roll back to. Snapshots have a parent-child relationship and form a tree, with each snapshot taken creating another branch of the tree. They are usually created for data protection, testing application software, and data mining. Additionally, storage snapshots can be used for disaster recovery when information is lost due to human error, and to revert a system back to a previous state if a bad patch has been installed. While snapshots offer backup-like capabilities, they are not intended to be a replacement for backups, although many modern backup systems incorporate snapshots. Snapshots are quick and easy point-in-time recovery tools and can be used by backup applications to enable features such as instant recovery. However, they should not be used as a full replacement for traditional backups due to potential negative effects on system performance).