---
title: "Snapshotting"
description: "Take full or partial snapshots, restore them, and browse history."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://ver-vcs.net/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Snapshotting

Snapshots are the unit of history in ver. Every snapshot has a name (or you can use its BLAKE3 ID) and an optional description.

## Full snapshots

```sh
ver snap full --name my-snapshot --description "before the big refactor"
```

Snapshots every tracked file in the project. The previous head becomes the new snapshot's parent.

## Partial snapshots

Snapshot only specific files:

```sh
ver snap from --name config-only --file ver.toml --file README.md
```

A partial snapshot is marked `partial: true`. Restoring one never deletes files it doesn't mention.

## Patching a snapshot

Add or update files in an existing snapshot:

```sh
ver snap patch --identifier my-snapshot --file forgot-this.txt
```

The snapshot keeps its ID and name; its file map is updated in place. Patching a full snapshot keeps it full.

> **Note**
>
> Patching rewrites history. Other contexts that already synced this snapshot won't see the change.

## Restoring: `ver goto`

```sh
ver goto my-snapshot
```

Reconstructs the snapshot's files in the project and moves the head pointer. With a full snapshot, files on disk that aren't in the snapshot are **deleted**; pass `--no-delete` to keep them:

```sh
ver goto my-snapshot --no-delete
```

Restore only specific paths:

```sh
ver goto my-snapshot --path src/main.rs --path Cargo.toml
```

If you're already on the requested snapshot, `goto` says so and does nothing.

## Browsing history: `ver log`

```sh
ver log
ver log --limit 5
```

Prints history entries (date, snapshot ID, name, description), newest first, in a pager.

History entries are individual files under `.ver/snapshots_history/`, so entries can go missing independently (e.g. after a partial sync). By default a missing entry is an error; pass `--incomplete-ok` to print what exists with a warning:

```sh
ver log --incomplete-ok
```

Source: https://ver-vcs.net/guides/snapshotting/index.mdx