Version Control System (VCS) is a software tool that allows manage changes to software development projects. It keeps track of an entire project’s history, including revisions, all of which can be reverted back to at any time. Git is one of the popular VCS tool that has gained tremendous popularity in the software industry due to its speed, efficiency, and security.
The purpose of Git is to manage the different versions of your code so that in case an error occurs or you need to add a new feature to your code. Git is a distributed VCS that manages code changes using commits. The basic workflow in git follows the following pattern:
1. Create a Repository: The first step is to create a repository. A repository is a directory that contains all the files of your project. You can create a repository on a local machine or on a remote server like GitHub.
2. Add Files to the Repository: Once you have created the repository, the next step is to add files to it. You can add new files, or you can add the existing files using the git command “git add”.
3. Commit Changes: After adding files to the repository, the next step is to commit changes. A commit is like a snapshot of your project. You can commit one or more files at a time using the git command “git commit”.
4. Push Changes to Remote Repository: If you have created a repository on a remote server like GitHub, you can push changes to it. You can use the command “git push” to push changes to the remote repository.
5. Pull Changes: If you are working on a team or with other developers, you need to pull changes made in the repository while you were commiting changes. You can use the command “git pull” to pull changes.
6. Branching and Merging: Git allows for branching, which creates a copy of a project that can be modified independently of the original. Branching is useful when you want to experiment with different ideas without changing the original code. Once the experimentation is done Merge feature is used to merge changes from different branches into the main branch.
Overall, Git helps in tracking changes made to the codebase effectively and efficiently, allowing users to revert to previous versions when needed. With Git, collaboration is streamlined even in complex and large software projects.