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Introduction to Git

What is Git?

Git is a version-control system, which means that you can track and monitor changes on your code. Git has other features like issues and pull requests too. Git is usually used for source code and collaboration between programmers, but you can use it to do whatever you want.

Git logo

Repositories

One of the most important concepts in Git is the repository. The word "repository" means a place where something is stored. In Git, repositories (often shortened to "repos") are where your code (or whatever you're making) is stored.

Commits

Commits are the other very important concept in Git. If you want to change the content of a repository, you need to make a commit. The word "commit" means to do something (usually bad). So, if you want to do something with the repository's content, you need to commit to it.

Why use Git?

Because practically everyone else uses it. There are other version-control systems out there, like BitKeeper and Mercurial, but they are pretty much non-existent.

History

Git was created by Linus Torvalds, who also created Linux, in 2005 because at the time, Linux's version control system was BitKeeper, which was proprietary. Git's lead maintainer is curently Junio Hamano.