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Introduction to Version Control

What is Version Control?

Version control is a system that records changes to a file or set of files over time so that you can recall specific versions later. It allows you to revert files back to a previous state, revert the entire project back to a previous state, compare changes over time, see who last modified something that might be causing a problem, who introduced an issue and when, and more.

From the scientific perspective, version control is essential for reproducibility. It allows you to track changes to your code and data, and it is a key component of the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).

What is git?

Git is a distributed version control system that is widely used in the software development industry. It was created by Linus Torvalds in 2005 to manage the development of the Linux kernel. Git is free and open-source software, and it is available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

Git is designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency. It is easy to learn and has a small footprint with lightning-fast performance.

Why use git?

  • Collaboration: Git allows multiple developers to work on the same project simultaneously. It enables developers to work on different features or bug fixes independently and merge their changes later.

  • History: Git keeps a complete history of changes to the project. You can see who made a change, when it was made, and what was changed.

  • Branching: Git allows you to create branches to work on new features or bug fixes without affecting the main codebase. You can merge branches back into the main codebase when the changes are ready.

  • Revert: Git allows you to revert changes to a previous state. If something goes wrong, you can easily roll back to a known good state.

  • Distributed: Git is a distributed version control system, which means that every developer has a complete copy of the project's history. This makes it easy to work offline and collaborate with others.

git vs GitHub

Git is a version control system, while GitHub is a platform that hosts git repositories. GitHub provides a web-based interface to manage git repositories, collaborate with others, and track issues and pull requests.

GitHub is not the only platform that hosts git repositories. There are other platforms like GitLab, Bitbucket, and more. However, GitHub is the most popular platform for open-source projects and has a large community of developers.