In the context of backups, what is the purpose of a snapshot?

A snapshot is primarily used to create a backup of a virtual machine (VM) at a specific point in time. By capturing the current state of the VM, including its disk files, memory, and settings, a snapshot allows for quick data preservation. This enables administrators to revert to that state later if needed, facilitating effective recovery from incidents such as data corruption or accidental deletions.

Snapshots are particularly useful in testing environments where changes are frequently made and it is crucial to maintain the ability to return to a prior version. They do not serve as a complete replacement for traditional backups, but they provide a flexible and efficient means of preserving the state of a VM for short-term recovery scenarios.

While restoring a VM, cloning, or managing storage are important tasks in cloud and virtualization management, they do not specifically define the primary function of a snapshot. The main focus is always on capturing the data and configuration of the VM for potential restores in the event of issues.