Git Introduction

What is Git?

Git is a distributed version control system that lets developers track changes in their codebase, collaborate efficiently, and roll back if necessary.

Core Git Concepts

Repository: A dedicated folder where Git manages your project's files along with its complete history.
Clone: Creating a local copy of a remote repository on your machine to work with.
Stage: Selecting specific changes you want Git to prepare for committing, acting as a preparation step.
Commit: Recording a snapshot of your staged changes into the repository for historical tracking.
Branch: Diverging from the main codebase to work on different features or versions independently.
Merge: Combining changes from separate branches back into a single, unified branch.
Pull: Fetching and integrating updates from a remote repository to keep your local version current.
Push: Sending your committed changes from your local machine to a remote repository for sharing and backup.

Working with Git

Start by initializing Git in any folder, which turns it into a repository. Git creates a hidden folder to manage all change history.
When you modify, add, or delete files, they are labeled as "modified" in Git.
Next, you need to select these changed files for the next snapshot—this is called "staging."
Staged files are then committed by Git, capturing a permanent version of the current state.
Git keeps a detailed history of every commit, allowing you to review what changes were made and when.
You can also reverse to any previous commit if needed, restoring your project to an earlier state.
Instead of copying entire files with each commit, Git tracks incremental changes, making version control efficient.

Basic Git Workflow

Initialize a repository: git init
Track files: git add filename or git add .
Commit changes: git commit -m "message"
View history: git log

Common Git Commands

git status – Show current changes and status
git diff – Show file differences
git clone <repo-url> – Copy a repository
git push – Upload local commits to remote
git pull – Fetch and merge from remote