---
slug: "Snapshot"
name: "Snapshot"
type: "Data Structures"
layer: "Infrastructure"
ref: "Snapshot#390d"
sema_id: "sema:Snapshot#mh:SHA-256:390d2ec2934136d534f969b4039e6b899d2ed3956ddd8aa0ca4754068ed8d133"
tags: ["Infrastructure","Data Structures"]
updated: 2026-11-11
mindscape: "bootstrap"
index_url: https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap.json
url: https://mindscape.world/bootstrap/Snapshot/
related: ["State","System","AuditTrail","Disband","StateSnapshot","sema:StateSnapshot#mh:SHA-256:c86b7e118ded573ed0dd2c4b2ced4928d1c9d4c7644ebc2d0f99a9281cece4b2"]
---

# Snapshot

Immutable state record

Layer: Infrastructure · Category: Data Structures

## Mechanism

A static, immutable record of the [State](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/State.md) of a [System](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/System.md) or object at a specific point in time.

## Invariants

—

## Failure modes

- Serialization Gap: In-memory state (e.g., open sockets) that cannot be serialized.
- Corruption: Snapshot hash matches but data is unreadable.
- Staleness: Restoring from a snapshot that is logically valid but temporally obsolete.

## Data schema

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "snapshot_id",
    "timestamp",
    "state_hash",
    "data"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "snapshot_id": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "target_system_id": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "timestamp": {
      "type": "string",
      "format": "date-time"
    },
    "state_hash": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Merkle root of the state"
    },
    "data": {
      "type": "object",
      "description": "The actual serialized state payload"
    },
    "meta": {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "reason": {
          "type": "string"
        },
        "creator_id": {
          "type": "string"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
```

## Builds on

- [State](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/State.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [System](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/System.md) (Infrastructure; References)

## Used by

- [AuditTrail](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/AuditTrail.md) (Infrastructure; Composes with)
- [Disband](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Disband.md) (Society; Yields)
- [StateSnapshot](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/StateSnapshot.md) (Infrastructure; References)

## Identity

- Sema ID: `sema:Snapshot#mh:SHA-256:390d2ec2934136d534f969b4039e6b899d2ed3956ddd8aa0ca4754068ed8d133`
- Ref: `Snapshot#390d`

## Links

- [Pattern page](https://mindscape.world/bootstrap/Snapshot/)
- [View in the interactive graph](https://mindscape.world/bootstrap/#Snapshot)
- [JSON](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Snapshot.json)
- [Index of all patterns](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap.json)