Snapshot
Also called git snapshot.
In plain English
A snapshot is the set of file contents GitGit is a version-control tool that records changes to files and helps people combine work over time. recorded at one moment.
Example
You save a file locally. The GitGit is a version-control tool that records changes to files and helps people combine work over time. snapshot stays the same until you commitA commit records a project state in Git, plus history information such as the parent commit, the author, and a message.. After the commit, the new commit names the new snapshot.
Why it matters
A commitA commit records a project state in Git, plus history information such as the parent commit, the author, and a message. points at a snapshot and adds the history around it: what it followed, who recorded it, and the message. The snapshot is the files. The commit is the snapshot plus that history record.
Saving a file on disk does not create a snapshot in GitGit is a version-control tool that records changes to files and helps people combine work over time..
Common confusion
Snapshot and commitA commit records a project state in Git, plus history information such as the parent commit, the author, and a message. are related, but a commit is the recorded checkpoint, not only the file contents.
Sources
Updated September 30, 2026.