This is called staging and uses the add command. Think of Git as keeping a list of changes to files. So how do we tell Git to record our changes? Each recorded change to a file or set of files is called a commit.īefore we make a commit, we must tell Git what files we want to commit. git folder in the macOS Finder unless you show hidden files, but it’s there! You might be able to see it in some code editors. On Unix-based operating systems such as macOS, files and folders that start with a period (.) are hidden, so you will not see the. git subfolder, which contains all of the Git metadata for tracking changes. You’ll take an ordinary folder of files (such as a website’s root folder), and tell Git to make it a repository. Git is software that you can access via a command line (terminal), or a desktop app that has a GUI (graphical user interface) such as Sourcetree shown below.Ī Git repository (or repo for short) contains all of the project files and the entire revision history. Git can automatically merge the changes, so two people can even work on different parts of the same file and later merge those changes without loosing each other’s work! Ways to Use Git Having a centrally located place where you can upload your changes and download changes from others, enable you to collaborate more easily with other developers. You can also use online hosts (such as GitHub or Bitbucket) to store a copy of the files and their revision history.

Your files and their history are stored on your computer.

So regardless of whether you write code that only you will see, or work as part of a team, Git will be useful for you.

Git also makes collaboration easier, allowing changes by multiple people to all be merged into one source. Git tracks the changes you make to files, so you have a record of what has been done, and you can revert to specific versions should you ever need to. Git is the most commonly used version control system. So what’s it all about and why should you start using it? What is Git? From web developers to app developers, Git is useful to anyone who writes code or track changes to files.

Githue what is the purposes of branches