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4. Introduction to Git

What is Git?

Git is a distributed version control system that tracks changes in your code over time. It was created by Linus Torvalds in 2005 for developing the Linux kernel.

Why Use Git?

1. Track Changes

Git keeps a complete history of every change made to your code:

bash
1# See the history of changes
2git log
3
4# Output shows all commits with dates and authors
5commit a1b2c3d4e5f6...
6Author: John Doe <john@example.com>
7Date:   Mon Jan 15 10:30:00 2024
8
9    Added user authentication feature

2. Collaborate with Others

Multiple developers can work on the same project:

bash
1# Get changes from teammates
2git pull
3
4# Share your changes
5git push

3. Experiment Safely

Create branches to try new ideas without affecting the main code:

bash
1# Create a new branch for experiments
2git checkout -b experiment-feature
3
4# If it works, merge it. If not, delete it!

4. Recover from Mistakes

Made a mistake? Git lets you go back:

bash
1# Undo the last commit
2git revert HEAD
3
4# Go back to a specific point in time
5git checkout a1b2c3d

Git vs Other Version Control Systems

FeatureGitSVNCVS
Distributed✅❌❌
BranchingFastSlowSlow
Offline Work✅❌❌
SpeedFastMediumSlow

Key Concepts

Repository (Repo)

A repository is a folder tracked by Git. It contains:

  • Your project files
  • A hidden .git folder with history

Commit

A commit is a snapshot of your code at a specific point in time:

bash
1git commit -m "Added login feature"

Branch

A branch is an independent line of development:

main ──●──●──●──●──● \ feature ●──●──●

Remote

A remote is a copy of your repository on a server (like GitHub):

bash
1git remote add origin https://github.com/user/repo.git

The Git Workflow

  1. Modify files in your working directory
  2. Stage changes you want to commit
  3. Commit staged changes to your local repository
  4. Push commits to a remote repository
Working Directory → Staging Area → Local Repo → Remote Repo (edit) (git add) (git commit) (git push)

Who Uses Git?

Git is used by:

  • 🏢 Tech giants (Google, Microsoft, Facebook)
  • 🚀 Startups
  • 📦 Open source projects
  • 👩‍💻 Individual developers
  • 📚 Students learning to code

Summary

Git is essential for modern software development because it:

  • Tracks all changes to your code
  • Enables collaboration
  • Provides safety through branching
  • Allows recovery from mistakes

In the next lesson, we'll explore the Git workflow in more detail.