A beginners introduction to Git, GitHub, and Version Control System
Made a change and the system failed? Don’t worry, Git got you covered
Have you ever wondered how big tech companies like Google and Microsoft manage their code? How do they manage all of the modifications and updates in their large codebase? Version Control System, or VCS for short, is the answer. We’ll look at what a VCS is, why it’s important, and how Git and Github have revolutionised the world of software development in this blog.
By the end of this blog, You will know exactly what a Version Control System is, and you will be able to give your friends a brief overview of Git and GitHub and debate why they are not the same. So let's dive right in
Firstly, What is a Version Control System (VCS)
You can consider VCS to be a system that keeps track of changes to your code over time. It logs every change made to the code, as well as who made the change and why. This makes it simpler to collaborate with other developers on the team since everyone can see what changes were made when they were made, and who made it. It also aids debugging by allowing you to simply roll back to a prior version of your code if something goes wrong.
So putting it in very simple words, Whenever you make changes in your project folder, VCS records those changes. So even if you made a change and your project started to behave in a weird way that you can’t figure out. You can just go back in history and see which change caused the issue or just set the current version of your project to the previous version that was stable.
Why is Version Control System?
At this point, you should already know why this VCS thing is needed. And even if you don’t just don’t worry. I assure you that you will not have any doubts after the completion of this blog.
VCS is essential for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it aids in teamwork. When working on a project with other developers, it’s critical to keep track of changes and avoid conflicts. With VCS, everyone can work on the same codebase without stepping on each other’s toes. It also aids in code management. It gets more difficult to maintain track of changes and updates as your codebase increases in size. VCS makes it easy to manage, organize, and monitor all changes to your code.
What is Git?
Let us now discuss Git. Linus Torvalds, the developer of Linux, invented Git, a distributed version control system. It is extensively used by developers worldwide and has become the industry standard for version control. Git is quick, efficient, and can easily manage massive codebases. It’s also open-source, which means anybody can use it and contribute to its growth.
Compared to other VCS systems, Git provides a number of benefits. First and foremost it is distributed. Every developer has access to the whole codebase, and offline modifications are also possible. This makes working on projects even when there is no internet simple. Git’s effective algorithms make it quick as well. As a result, even big codebases can be easily handled. Also, Git is simple to learn and use all thanks to the huge and strong community and a lot of online resources.
Now imagine you are working on a group project with your friends. You all need to collaborate and work on the same code throughout. Managing this becomes very easy with Git and how to do it is a topic for some other day.
You know that you can manage your large codebases using Git, but how will you share your code with your team members? Here enters GitHub
You see how this all gets connected ;)
What is GitHub?
I already gave a scenario where you would use GitHub and why. So what exactly is GitHub? You can think of GitHub as an Online Git Repository (Your project folder) hosting platform. Developers like you and I can host Git repositories and collaborate with other developers. It is like a social network for developers. You can work with others, share your code, and even support open-source projects.
GitHub also has a lot of features, such as issue tracking, pull requests, and code reviews. This makes it easy to collaborate with other developers and manage your codebase
Conclusion
In conclusion, VCS is a crucial tool for every developer, especially when working with a team. It allows you to keep track of your code changes, collaborate with others, and manage different versions of your code. Git and Github have transformed the world of software development by simplifying the process of managing large codebases and working with other developers. If you haven’t tried Git and GitHub yet, it’s time you give it a try. With its user-friendly interface and powerful features, Github has become the go-to platform for developers worldwide. So, start exploring Git and GitHub today to boost your productivity as a developer.
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