Introduction
1. Prerequisites
Before beginning this tutorial, it is highly recommended that you have a solid understanding of the Terminal (for Mac) or Command Line (for Windows and Linux).
2. Version Control
Version Control is a system that allows you to revisit various versions of a file or set of files by recording changes. Here are the types of it :
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Local Version Control
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Centralized Version Control
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Distributed Version Control
What is Git? 🤔
1. Snapshots
Git is a DVCS that stores data in a file system made up of snapshots , Git creates a snapshot of the file and stores a reference to it , Git only stores a reference to the already-stored identical version of it.
2. Local Operations
This allows for process expediency because a project’s history resides on the local disk, eliminating the need to fetch history information from the server, and allowing one to continue work on a project even when not online or on a VPN.
3. Tracking Changes
Every single change applied to any file or directory is tracked by Git. And, as the gatekeeper, Git will always detect file corruption or loss of information in transit.
4. Loss of Data 🗑️
Git is set up to greatly minimize the possibility of irreversible damage to files, such as accidentally lost data. Git makes it extremely difficult for a snapshot of your file that is committed to be lost.
4. state
Files in Git can reside in three main states: committed, modified and staged.
How to start 🔰
Download Git
In order to use Git, your computer must have it available. If you already have Git on your computer, you should make sure you have the latest version.
Git can be installed in three ways:
- Install as a package
- Install via another installer
- Download and compile the source code.
Mac OS X
Git Website
You can also download Git by visiting this link and following the posted directions:
GitHub
A third option is to install Git as part of the GitHub for Mac install. GitHub is repository hosting service, which we will discuss in a future section.
Download GitHub for Mac via the following link:
Windows
Git Website
You can download Git by visiting this link and following the posted directions:
GitHub
Install Git as part of the GitHub for Windows install.
Linux
Git Website
To download Git for Linux, visit this link and follow the posted directions: