Version Control Basics

Version control is a fundamental tool in software development that helps manage changes to source code over time. It allows developers to track modifications, collaborate with others, and revert to previous versions if needed. In this tutorial, we will explore the basics of version control using Git, a widely-used version control system.

Understanding Version Control

Version control systems, like Git, are designed to handle the following tasks:

Track Changes: Keep a history of all changes made to the codebase.
Collaboration: Enable multiple developers to work on the same codebase simultaneously.
Branching: Create separate lines of development that can be merged back into the main codebase.
Merge Conflicts: Resolve conflicts that arise when merging code from different branches.

Git Basics

Git is a distributed version control system, which means that every developer has a complete copy of the codebase on their local machine. Here are some basic Git commands:

git init: Initialize a new Git repository.
git clone <repository-url>: Clone a repository from a remote server.
git add <file>: Stage changes to be committed.
git commit -m "<commit-message>": Commit staged changes to the repository.
git push: Push local commits to a remote repository.
git pull: Pull changes from a remote repository.

Working with Branches

Branches in Git are used to create separate lines of development. Here's how you can work with branches:

git checkout -b <branch-name>: Create and switch to a new branch.
git merge <branch-name>: Merge a branch into the current branch.
git branch -d <branch-name>: Delete a branch.

Resolving Merge Conflicts

Merge conflicts occur when two branches have conflicting changes in the same file. Here's how to resolve merge conflicts:

git merge <branch-name>: Attempt to merge the branch.
Open the conflicting file and resolve the conflicts.
git add <file>: Stage the resolved changes.
git commit -m "Resolved merge conflict": Commit the resolved changes.

Learn More

For more detailed information on version control and Git, please refer to our comprehensive guide on Version Control with Git.