Intro to Git and GitHub

Version Control

Version Control is a system that records changes to file(such as source code, documentation, or designs) over time, so you can track history, collaborate with others, and restore previous versions when needed. It's like a digital history book for our project. Every update, correction, or experiment is saved as a version that we can revisit anytime.

Importance of Version Control

1. Tracks History : it keeps a detailed log of who changed what, when and why.

2. Collaboration Made Easy : Multiple Developers can work on the same project without overwriting each other's work.

3. Error Recovery : Mistakes or broken code can be rolled back to a working version.

4. Experiment Safely : Developers can create branches to try new features without affecting the main project.

5. Efficient Project Management : Helps in organizing, reviewing, and merging code in a structure way.

6. Industry Standard : Used by almost all software teams, open-source communities, and enterprises to manage codebases.

Centralized Vs Distributed Version Control System

Feature	Centralized VCS 📡	Distributed VCS 🌐
Code storage	On central server only	On every developer’s machine
Offline work	❌ Not possible	✅ Fully possible
Risk if server fails	❌ High	✅ Low (everyone has backup)
Speed of operations	Slower	Faster
Examples	SVN, CVS	Git, Mercurial

What is Git ?

Git is a distributed version control and source code management system. It helps developers track and manage different versions of a project’s source code. Git also makes it easier to collaborate with others, maintain a history of changes, and even serve as a backup for source code.

• Version : different iteration of same things

Example of Version in real life

Do you know ?: In 2005, the Linux kernel development team faced a challenge. They needed a fast, reliable, and distributed version control system after a conflict with their then-current tool, BitKeeper. Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, took on the task and developed Git.

Why do we need Git ?

• It Provides Version control

• It provides the branching

• It offers collaboration

• It offers merging

• It provides Backup & Safety

Workflow of Git

What is GitHub ?

GitHub is a web-based platform used for version control and collaborative software development. It allows developers to store, manage, and track changes to their code using Git, a distributed version control system.

What we can do in GitHub ?

Action	What It Means
Create a repository	Start a new project
Clone a repository	Download the project to work on it locally
Commit changes	Save a snapshot of your changes
Push to GitHub	Upload your changes to the GitHub website
Fork a repo	Copy someone else’s project to make your own version
Open a pull request	Suggest changes to someone else’s project
Merge code	Combine changes from different contributors

Differences Between Git and GitHub

Feature	Git	GitHub
Type	Version Control System (VCS)	Cloud-based Git repository hosting service
Purpose	Track and manage changes to files/code	Host, share, and collaborate on Git repositories
Created By	Linus Torvalds (2005)	Tom Preston-Werner, Chris Wanstrath, etc. (2008)
Owned By	Open-source community	Microsoft (since 2018)
Works Offline	Yes	No (requires internet access)
Installation	Installed on your local machine	Accessed via web browser (no installation needed)
Primary Use	Local version control	Remote collaboration and repository hosting
User Interface	Command Line / GUI Tools	Web Interface (plus GitHub Desktop)
Collaboration Tools	Not built-in (only local operations)	Pull requests, issues, discussions, teams
CI/CD & Automation	Not included	Available via GitHub Actions
Security	Local only (you control everything)	Offers access control, authentication, and permissions