Git?
Git is a version control system (VCS), also known as a source control system. It allows you to manage changes to files over time, essentially acting as a historian with a time machine for your project.
Key Features
- Commits: Save checkpoints in your project’s history, allowing you to track changes and revert to previous versions. Commit messages provide context for each checkpoint.
- Branching: Create alternate versions (branches) of your project, allowing parallel development without affecting the main codebase. This enables experimentation and feature development without disrupting the main project.
- Merging: Combining changes from different branches back into the main project or other branches.
Getting Started with Git
- Install Git: Download and install the latest version of Git from git-scm.com. The default installation settings are usually sufficient.
- Terminal/Command Prompt: You’ll need a terminal or command prompt to interact with Git. Options include:
- Git Bash (Windows): Recommended for Windows users; provides a Linux-like environment.
- Terminal (macOS/Linux): Built-in terminal applications.
- Hyper (Windows/macOS/Linux): A popular third-party terminal application.
- (Optional) Code Editor: A code editor like Visual Studio Code is helpful for managing and viewing your code. [Download Visual Studio Code](Link to VS Code download - you would need to insert this here)
- (Optional) Node.js: Necessary for many web projects; handles web development tools. Download Node.js
Important Note: While Git manages the version control, GitHub is a web-based platform that hosts Git repositories. They are closely related but distinct. This note focuses on Git itself, the underlying version control system.