Glossary

Version Control

Definition: Version control is a system that records changes to files over time, allowing developers to track history, revert mistakes and collaborate without overwriting each other's work.

Version control (also called source control or revision control) is a system that manages changes to source code or any set of files. It records every modification with a timestamp and author, creates a complete history, and enables multiple developers to work on the same codebase simultaneously without conflicts.

Git — The Industry Standard

Git, created by Linus Torvalds in 2005, is the dominant version control system. It is distributed — every developer has a full copy of the repository history on their machine.

Core Git Concepts

  • Repository (repo) — The project folder tracked by Git, containing all history.
  • Commit — A snapshot of the project at a point in time, with a message.
  • Branch — An independent line of development. main / master is the default.
  • Merge — Combine changes from one branch into another.
  • Pull Request (PR) — A request to merge a branch, typically reviewed by teammates.
  • Remote — A hosted copy of the repo (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket).

Common Git Commands

  • git init — Initialise a new repo.
  • git clone <url> — Copy a remote repo locally.
  • git add . — Stage all changes.
  • git commit -m "message" — Save a snapshot.
  • git push — Upload commits to the remote.
  • git pull — Fetch and merge changes from the remote.
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