What does the term “snapshot” refer to in storage technology?

The term "snapshot" in storage technology refers to a point-in-time copy of data. This means that a snapshot captures the state of a storage system or data at a specific moment, allowing users to preserve the current status of files or data without making a complete backup. Snapshots are typically used for quick recovery purposes, enabling users to restore data to the exact condition it was in when the snapshot was taken.

This functionality is crucial in various situations, such as recovering from accidental deletions, mitigating data corruption, or rolling back after updates that may have caused issues. Because snapshots are often stored in a space-efficient manner, they allow for quick access to past versions of data without the need for duplicating all files.

The context of other options shows that while a complete backup represents a full copy of all data, which is more extensive and resource-consuming than the immediate nature of snapshots, and real-time data replication focuses on continuous data sync, snapshots are distinctly about capturing the state of the data at a defined moment. A full system restore also involves a more comprehensive process of reverting a system to an earlier state, which is not what a snapshot primarily entails.