Jamie Wick walks us through SQL Server database snapshots:
A SQL Server database snapshot is a read-only view of what the data pages in the source database looked like, at the time that the snapshot was created. Typically, snapshots are used to provide a point-in-time view of the database (for reporting or auditing purposes) or to allow for quick reversions during database upgrades/modifications. Since the snapshot only contains information on which values have changed, and what they were originally, it’s usually faster to revert the snapshot than having to restore the entire database from backup.
Click through for info on how they work as well as how they perform. I have used database snapshots to great effect in the past when testing changes in development environments back before the days of containers.