What is GIT?
If you’re a developer, you’ve probably heard of GIT. It’s a powerful tool that helps you keep track of changes to your code over time. But if you’re new to GIT, you might be wondering what it is and how it works. In this beginner’s guide, we’ll cover the basics of GIT, including why it’s important, how to create and manage repositories, branches, and commits, and more.
What is GIT?
GIT is a version control system that allows you to keep track of changes to your code over time. It was created in 2005 by Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux operating system. GIT is now one of the most popular version control systems in use today.
Why is GIT important?
GIT is an essential tool for developers because it allows them to work collaboratively on code. With GIT, you can create a repository that contains your code, and then other developers can clone that repository to their own computers. Each developer can make changes to the code and then push those changes back to the repository. GIT keeps track of all these changes, so you can see who made what changes and when.
Creating a GIT repository
To get started with GIT, you’ll need to create a repository. A repository is a place where your code will be stored. You can create a repository using the GIT command line or by using a graphical user interface (GUI) tool like GitHub Desktop or Sourcetree.
To create a repository using the GIT command line, open a terminal window and navigate to the directory where you want to store your code. Then type the following command:
git initThis will create a new repository in the current directory.
Managing repositories
Once you have a repository, you can start managing your code. One of the most important tasks in GIT is creating and managing branches. A branch is a separate copy of your code that you can work on independently. This allows you to make changes without affecting the main branch of code.
To create a new branch, use the following command:
git branchThis will create a new branch with the name you specified. To switch to that branch, use the following command:
git checkoutNow you can make changes to your code on this new branch without affecting the main branch.
Making commits
Once you’ve made changes to your code, you’ll want to commit those changes to your repository. A commit is like a snapshot of your code at a specific point in time. When you make a commit, you’re essentially saving a new version of your code.
To make a commit, use the following command:
git commit -m "commit message"The commit message should be a short description of the changes you made. This will help you and other developers understand what changed in this version of your code.
GIT is a powerful tool that can help you keep track of changes to your code over time. In this beginner’s guide, we’ve covered the basics of GIT, including creating and managing repositories, branches, and commits. With these tools, you can work collaboratively with other developers and keep your code organized and up-to-date.