A snapshot is a full or incremental backup of a GaussDB(DWS) cluster at a specific point in time. It records the current database data and cluster information, including the number of nodes, node specifications, and database administrator name. Snapshots can be created manually or automatically. For details, see Manual Snapshots and Automated Snapshots.
When a snapshot is used for restoration, GaussDB(DWS) creates a new cluster based on the cluster information recorded in the snapshot and restores data from the snapshot. For details about how to restore a cluster from a snapshot, see Restoring a Snapshot to a New Cluster.