> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.novita.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Snapshot Overview

A snapshot is a reusable saved state of a sandbox. It captures the sandbox filesystem and memory state so you can start new sandboxes from that point later.

Use snapshots when you want to:

* Prepare dependencies once and reuse them in later sandboxes.
* Save a known-good state before running risky or expensive work.
* Start multiple sandboxes from the same captured environment.
* Keep a reusable state after the original sandbox is no longer needed.

***

**Snapshots vs Templates**

Snapshots and templates both let you spawn new sandboxes from a predefined starting point, but they differ in how that point is produced and what it captures.

**A template is built** from a Docker image with declared steps (install packages, copy files, set environment variables) — a clean, reproducible blueprint you author up front.

**A snapshot is captured** from a running sandbox at a moment in time, preserving its filesystem and live memory state, including anything created at runtime.

* Use a template for a clean, reproducible base environment built from a Docker image and declared setup steps.
* Use a snapshot when you want to preserve the exact state of a specific running sandbox, including files created at runtime and its live memory state.

## Terminology

| Term               | Description                                                 |
| ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Origin Sandbox** | The sandbox instance used to create the snapshot.           |
| **Snapshot**       | The saved state that can be reused to create new sandboxes. |
| **New Sandbox**    | A sandbox created from the snapshot.                        |