Snowball

A snowball is (usually) a harmless item that players can throw as a projectile.

Source

Snowballs can be obtained by using a shovel on snow. They also drop when a snow golem is killed.

Crafting

Snowballs can further be crafted into snow/snow blocks if desired.

Snow (Block)
None	None	None
Snowball	Snowball	None
Snowball	Snowball	None

Mechanics

Snowballs are useless in combat except for fighting blazes and the Ender Dragon, but it only does 2-3 hearts of damage. Seven well-aimed snowballs can kill a blaze. When a snowball makes contact with a target, it has a knockback effect that is equivalent to the knockback I enchantment. They can, therefore, be useful to knock a mob or player off a cliff, into a trap, lava, or other hazards. They can also be used to temporarily keep enemies away, by repeatedly knocking them back. Although snowballs do not deal damage specifically to players, they do wear down armor durability, unless it has unbreaking.

Like arrows, chicken eggs, fire charges, and spawn eggs, snowballs can be fired from dispensers, however, they do not collide with the player. They also do not deal knockback to any mobs when shot this way but will still damage blazes.

Trivia

Snowballs are ignited when thrown through lava but are not destroyed. They will still burn players, dealing continuous damage.
Snowballs can be useful while fighting the Ender Dragon in the End, as they can break Ender Crystals, without wasting Arrows, and they can damage the dragon herself.
There is a glitch where snowballs can sometimes pass through solid blocks.
There are certain Achievements related to snowballs.
You can get infinite snowballs by using a snow golem. This can be done by simply trapping the snow golem and continuously dig the bottom corner of snow it left with a shovel.

Gallery

References

Taking Inventory: Snowball (Minecraft.net)

Items
Raw Materials	Blaze Rod • Bone • Clay • Coal ( Charcoal) • Diamond • Ender Pearl • Feather • Flint • Ghast Tear • Glowstone Dust • Gold Ingot ( Nugget) • Gunpowder • Iron Ingot • ( Nugget) • Leather • Nether Wart • Nether Star • Prismarine Shard • Prismarine Crystal • Redstone Dust • Slimeball • String • Emerald • Firework Star • Rabbit Hide • Rabbit's Foot • Shulker Shell • Nautilus Shell • Phantom Membrane • Heart of the Sea • Scute • Honeycomb • Netherite Scrap • Netherite Ingot
Manufactured	Blaze Powder • Book • Bowl • Brick ( Nether) • Eye of Ender • Fermented Spider Eye • Glass Bottle ( Water Bottle) • Glistering Melon • Magma Cream • Paper • Popped Chorus Fruit • Potions ( Splash • Lingering) • Stick • Sugar
Food	Beetroot • ( Beetroot Soup) • Bread • Cake • Carrot ( Golden Carrot) • Chorus Fruit • Cookie • Egg • Melon Slice • Milk • Mushroom Stew • Potato ( Baked • Poisonous) • Sweet Berries • Pumpkin Pie • Raw Beef ( Steak) • Raw Chicken ( Cooked) • Raw Cod ( Cooked) • Raw Porkchop ( Cooked) • Apple ( Golden • Notch) • Rotten Flesh • Spider Eye • Raw Rabbit ( Cooked) • Raw Mutton ( Cooked) • Rabbit Stew • Tropical Fish • Raw Salmon ( Cooked Salmon) • Pufferfish • Dried Kelp • Suspicious Stew • Honey Bottle • Honey
Plants	Seeds ( Beetroot • Wheat • Pumpkin • Melon) • Sugar Cane • Wheat • Kelp • Bamboo • Pink Dye • Orange Dye • Yellow Dye • Green Dye • Lime Dye • Light Blue Dye • Cyan Dye • Lapis Lazuli • Magenta Dye • Purple Dye • Gray Dye • Light Gray Dye • White Dye • Black Dye • Brown Dye • Blue Dye
Tools	Axe • Bucket ( Water • Lava) • Fishing Rod • Flint and Steel • Hoe • Pickaxe • Shears • Shovel • Book and Quill • Lead • Shield • Carrot on a Stick • Warped Fungus on a Stick
Informative	Clock • Compass • Map • Exploration Map
Weapons	Bow ( Arrow) • Fire Charge • Snowball • Sword • Trident • Crossbow
Armor	Boots • Chestplate • Helmet • Leggings • Horse Armor • Turtle Shell
Vehicles	Boat • Minecart ( with Furnace • with Chest • with TNT • With Hopper • with Command Block)
Utility	Saddle • Totem of Undying • Name Tag
Decoration	Music Discs
Creative only	Spawn Egg • Debug Stick
Unimplemented	Quiver • Ruby • Skis • Crystallized Honey