What is a git “Snapshot”?

Question

The official Git doc says:

$ git diff test

This will show you what is different between your current working directory and the snapsh

Answer 1

Firstly, that's not the official git documentation. It's a community-authored book. While it is probably fairly authoritative, it isn't gospel.

AFAIK, "snapshot" doesn't have any formal meaning in git. Certainly the git diff manpage doesn't mention it. In the given context, it is probably an informal reference to how the "test" branch is being used in the examples within the book, i.e., as a snapshot of ongoing work, for testing purposes.