Git is easier to learn compared to other systems: by the end of this guide, you will have enough knowledge to get going with Git.Git is super easy to install: I will take you through the installation process – it’s a breeze.Here’s an excellent video you should watch of Torvalds explaining Git in a Google Tech Talk. Git is an open source project, and since Torvalds’ initial development, there have been many other primary authors and contributors to the project. Torvalds wanted something to help keep versions of the kernel he was working on and he figured that he would have to build a system of his own. Git was created by Linus Torvalds (the founder of Linux) because he really didn’t like Concurrent Versions System (CVS), which, at the time, was the most popular version control system. Git is one of the many version control systems out there and whilst I haven’t tried every system under the sun, I have tried a few of the well-known ones and Git comes out on top. Most projects will have many, many files and even more developers– and as you can soon imagine, it can become quite a nightmare. Imagine having 5 developers working on the same project: managing 5 files would mean 20 more files to deal with.
Historically, version control systems have been associated with developers and programmers because they normally deal with source code files (which are essentially text files) and because they work in teams where different members may be dipping in and out of various files. Pretty cool, eh? Who Should Use a Version Control System?Īnyone who works with files on a regular basis - whether it’s for developing a web app, building a static website, managing an open source project, or heck, even teams working on MS Office documents - should look at version control. You then will have the ability to merge these changes so that each member can work on the same file without fear that they are affecting each other’s work. Git is a distributed revision control system, which just means that if you have multiple people in a project, they can work individually without being connected to a central network, and then they can just push to the project when they are ready.Ī key benefit of version control is being able to have several people working on the same document at once. The other advantage of a version control system is that you don’t have multiple backup files to manage. The disk space used for keeping version information is minimal. With a version control system, this all happens seamlessly in the background using databases. It provides a history of what you did, when you did it and what files you did it to.ĭo not think of these snapshots as backups because with a backup you have a separate copy of a file. In other words, you have the ability to take “snapshots” of your files during your current body of work, and you will be able to return to any of these snapshots whenever you wish.
(For designers, also check out The Ultimate Guide to Version Control for Designers.)Įssentially a version control system (or a revision control system) is software that has the ability to manage and track changes that occur to any document that is in a given project.
In this Git guide, we will discuss the value of version control systems, an overview of Git, advantages and disadvantages of using Git, how to install Git, basic commands, tools and essential Git resources. Git is a version control system used by development and programming teams, popular open source projects, and other team collaboration projects.