The Importance of Version Control and How You Can Utilize Git

Version control solves the problem of keeping track of changes made during your work process. i. e problems that arise when developing code that make it difficult to document and track which code version was used to create which result.

A version control system (VCS) allows you to track the changes you make to your code. Thus, you can experiment with new ideas but always have the option to revert to a specific past version of the code you used to generate particular results.

You can also record messages as you save each successive version(commit) so that you (or anyone) reviewing the history of the code would be able to understand the basis for the given edits made.

It also allows you to compare changes made with the previous versions.

· Github

· Gitlab

· Beanstalk

· Perforce

· Apache Subversion

· AWS Codecommit

· Microsoft Team Foundation Server

· Mercurial

· CVS Version Control

· Bitbucket.

In this article, we would be working with GitBash and a local Repo on your machine.

GitHub in layman terms is a Git repository hosting service with many features of its own. It provides a Web-based graphical interface with access control and several features to enhance the teamwork of developers everywhere. It’s a place where you can find (and play around with) the most incredible open-source information, emerging technologies, features, and designs.

Git is a command-line tool. A Distributed Version Control tool that is used to store different versions of a file in a remote or local repository. It is used to track changes in the source code. It is used by both programmers and non-technical users by keeping track of their project files. It allows multiple developers to work together on the same code base.

Git makes it easier to track changes to files. Say, when you edit a file, git can help you determine exactly what changed, who changed it, and why. Easy works :)

Bash is a Unix command-line shell. The name is an acronym for the ‘Bourne-Again Shell’. It comes with useful Unix commands like cat, ssh, SCP, etc., which are not usually found on Windows.

Now to the really good stuff, installing Git:

The first step is to tell Git who you are with the author name and email address to be used with your commits.

Type these into the terminal for name and email.

Now let’s create your first repo in your local directory, you’re going to use the terminal to navigate the filesystem.

Git won’t officially keep track of the file (put it in a commit) unless you tell it to.

If you rerun the ‘git status’ command you’ll see the list the files you’ve changed and that git has added the file to the staging environment.

So far, you’ve been working on the master branch. Let’s say you want to add a new feature to what you’ve been working on but you don’t want the original to be affected by what you’re adding, you create a new branch.

This would create a new branch and automatically take you off the master branch (or any branch you’re on) to the new branch you created.

If you’re confident enough with the features you were developing and you’d like to add them to the master branch, you merge the two branches.

This would add all the changes made in the new branch to the master branch.

I hope this has been as informative as I hoped it would. Working with git for the first time would be tedious but after that, you wouldn’t have to think about the commands. Just remember the order:

¡Eso es todo!(that’s all!)

Remember Git is your friend and it wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. Learning how to use it comfortably will help in fortifying your skillset and set you up for success in the future!

If you have questions, please leave a comment below. Good luck! 😉

Related posts:

In this article you will learn how to write dropzone component using React.

The youthful pair walked in easy silence, hand in hand beneath a leaden gray sky. The dead, by all appearances unaware of their passing, made little of their presence and afforded no greetings as…

SAML protocol continues to be one of the most used authentication protocols even after almost two decades since the initial release. Although now, some big players in the industry have started to…