Introduction To The Git Version Control System

As software developers, we engage with our code, adding or removing features, addressing bugs, optimizing performance, and much more. During coding, one of the most important tools we need is a version control system. Version control systems allow us to keep track of changes our code, collaborate with others, revert changes if necessary and more.

When it comes to a version control system. Without a doubt, Git is one of the most popular version control systems in use today. It is a tool that should be in every developer’s toolbox.

For beginners, Git might seem a little confusing but this article will cover everything you need to know to use Git. Here are contents of this article:

Table of Contents

What is Git?

Git is a distributed version control system used for tracking changes in source code during software development. It was created by Linus Torvalds in 2005 and has since become one of the most widely used version control systems in the software development industry.

Git provides benefits including:

Distributed Version Control: Git is a distributed version control system, meaning each developer has a full copy of the repository, including its complete history. This allows us to work offline and independently on our local copies before synchronizing changes with the central repository.

Branching and Merging: Git makes it easy to create branches to work on specific features or bug fixes. We can experiment and make changes in isolation without affecting the main codebase. Merging branches is also streamlined, allowing for seamless integration of new features.
Collaboration: Multiple team members can work on different branches simultaneously and merge their changes back into the main branch. Conflicts can be resolved and reviewed before merging.
Version Tracking: Git tracks every change made to files in the repository. This provides a comprehensive history of edits, which can be helpful for understanding the evolution of the codebase, troubleshooting, and auditing.

Reverting Changes: Git allows us to roll back to previous versions of your code. This is crucial when bugs are introduced or changes need to be undone. Reverting is simple and doesn’t affect the repository’s history.
Performance: Git is designed to be fast and efficient, even with large repositories. It utilizes techniques like compression and binary-diff storage to optimize performance.
Open Source: Git is open-source software, which means it’s free to use and has a large community of contributors.

Integration: Git integrates well with other development tools and services, such as continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) systems, code review tools, and project management platforms like GitHub and GitLab

How To Install Git

Git can be installed easily on different operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux. The following steps outline the installation process for each operating system:

Windows: Download the Git installer from here and follow the prompts to install Git on your computer.

macOS: Git is pre-installed on macOS. Open the Terminal application and type git --version to verify that Git is installed.
Linux: Git can be installed using your distribution’s package manager. For example, on Ubuntu, you can run sudo apt-get install git to install Git.

Creating a Git Repository

To start using Git, you need to create a repository. A repository is a folder on your computer that contains all the files for your project. To create a Git repository, follow these steps:

Open a terminal window and navigate to the folder where you want to create the repository.
Type git init to initialize a new Git repository in the current folder.

Git will create a hidden folder called .git in the current folder. This folder contains all the Git-related files for the repository.

Committing Changes

Once you have created a Git repository, you can start making changes to your code. To commit changes to the repository, follow these steps:

Make changes to your code.
Open a terminal window and navigate to the repository folder.

Type git status to see which files have been modified.
Type git add to stage the changes for commit. Alternatively, you can use git add . to stage all changes in the repository.
Type git commit -m “commit message” to commit the changes to the repository. The commit message should describe the changes that were made.

Branching and Merging

Git allows developers to create separate branches of the code to work on new features or bug fixes. Once the changes are complete, they can be merged back into the main branch. To create a new branch, follow these steps:

Open a terminal window and navigate to the repository folder.
Type git branch to create a new branch.

Type git checkout to switch to the new branch. You can now make changes to the code without affecting the main branch.
Make changes to the code.
Type git add to stage the changes for commit.

Type git commit -m “commit message” to commit the changes to the new branch.

To merge the changes back into the main branch, switch back to the main branch using git checkout main and type git merge .

Pulling and Pushing Changes

If you are working with other developers on a project, you will need to pull and push changes to and from the remote repository. To pull changes from the remote repository, follow these steps:

Open a terminal window and navigate to the repository folder.
Type git pull to pull the latest changes from the remote repository.
To push changes to the remote repository, follow these steps:

Open a terminal window and navigate to the repository folder.
Type git push to push the changes to the remote repository.

Conclusion

Git is an essential tool for software developers. It allows them to track changes to their code, collaborate with others, and revert changes if necessary.

In this guide, we covered everything you need to know to get started with Git, including how to install Git, create a repository, commit changes, branch and merge, and pull and push changes from and to the remote repository.

By using Git, you can streamline your development process and improve the quality of your code.

Thank you for reading.