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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.

Without Version Control

Imagine you're working on a project, and you've just made a significant change to the code. You're not sure if it's the right approach, but you want to experiment with it. You make a copy of the entire project folder and start making changes. After a few days, you realize that the new approach isn't working as expected. You want to revert to the previous version, but you've made so many changes that it's hard to keep track of everything. You're now stuck with a mess of files and folders, and you're not sure how to proceed.

Similarly, if you're working with a team, you might run into conflicts when multiple people are working on the same file. You might accidentally overwrite someone else's changes, or someone else might overwrite yours. It's hard to keep track of who made what changes and when.

This is where version control comes in. 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.

Why Version Control?

Version control is important because it allows you to:

  • Collaborate with others
  • Keep track of changes
  • Revert to previous versions
  • Identify who, when, and why made the changes
  • Experiment with new features without breaking the existing code
  • Backup your code
  • Share your code with others
  • Work on multiple features at the same time

Some of the popular version control systems include:

  • Git: A distributed version control system that is widely used for open-source and commercial software development. It is designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency.
  • Others: Other version control systems include Subversion, Mercurial, Bazaar, and Perforce.