1 Introduction to Version Control

It starts innocently with adding “final” to the filename, which soon turns into “final_final,” and before you know it, you’re staring at “final_version_really_this_time.” Does this situation sound familiar? You’re not alone.

Having the ability to track versions of your project without a hassle and to collaborate with others without mixing up your work are critical requirements for any software project. This is where version control comes in. This chapter will introduce you to the basics of version control and one of the most popular version control systems, Git.

First, you will learn how to use Git from the command line. Then, you will learn how to use Git with a graphical user interface (GUI) tool. Finally, you will learn how to use Git with a web-based platform, Gitlab.

• 1.1 Git and the Command Line
• 1.2 Local repositories and commit
• 1.3 Branches
• 1.4 Merging Branches
• Setting up your GitLab account
• 1.5 Remote Repositories

References

• Skoulikari, A. (2023). Learning git: A hands-on and visual guide to the basics of git. O’Reilly.

• Using Git with VSC (Official Beginner Tutorial)