The Ultimate Git Tutorial for Beginners - A Step-by-Step Guide
Git is a version control system commonly used for software development and collaboration. As you probably already know, version control is essential for storing, tracking, and recovering files when collaborating with team members on a project. You may not need to use Git every day, but it’s an incredibly useful tool for any software engineer or developer. It’s also fairly simple once you understand the basics. This guide will help you understand what Git is, why it’s useful, how to install it on your computer, and how to use it effectively to store your code safely while keeping track of changes. Let’s get started!
What is Git?
Git is a source code management (SCM) tool. It is used to track changes in code over time and to collaborate with others on code-based projects. It is also commonly used to refer to the computer program that enables these functions. Git is primarily used for software source code management, but it can be applied to almost anything that is stored as digital data, not just code. It's a version control system, which means it keeps track of all the versions of a single file/resource over time. Think of it as a history of all of the changes made to one particular file/resource. This is really helpful if you need to go back to a previous version, or if you and a team of people are working together on one file/resource and need to track who did what and when.
Why use Git?
Git is a distributed revision control system. This means that the system can be run independently on each user’s computer, and all the results are combined by a central server. For this reason, it is easy to share code, track changes, and collaborate with others. Git also allows you to see who changed what and when. This makes it simpler to debug issues as they arise and to understand the context in which changes were made.
Installing Git
There are many different ways to install Git. The easiest way to install Git on your computer is to use a software tool that manages it for you. - Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) include tools like Visual Studio and Xcode that allow you to write code, run tests, and view your results all within the same program. Many IDEs also include Git functionality. - Downloading and installing the standalone version of Git on your computer is another easy option. This can be installed on Windows, macOS, and Linux computers.
How to Use Git
Once you’ve installed Git on your computer, there are two main functions that you’ll use most often:
- Staging your code
- You can stage your code to mark it as “in progress” or “ready” for committing to the repository (storing it for the long term). On a very simple level, you could think of this as clicking “Save” on your keyboard.
- Committing your code
- You commit your code to the repository (store it for the long term) when you are happy with your progress. Committing your code is like a save and a “Save as” all in one: it’s saving your work to keep it safe, and it’s marking that work as the final version of what you wanted to achieve.
Tips for Beginners Using Git
- Use a “save often” approach. Saving often is the best way to protect yourself against any errors or mistakes that might occur while programming. This is especially true when you’re first learning how to use Git. - Keep a detailed commit history. This is helpful for anyone who looks back at your code. If you choose to leave out important commit messages, then others will only be able to piece together a general idea of what you were doing. - Don’t try to make your code perfect on the first try. It’s very easy to get trapped in analysis paralysis while trying to get everything perfect on the first try. This can be a real problem when you’re learning to use Git, as you will often run into issues that you don’t know how to solve. Instead, focus on making steady progress.
Conclusion
Git is a version control system commonly used for software development and collaboration. It is easy to learn, but takes a bit of practice to master. It is essential to track changes in your code so you can see who made changes, when they were made, and why they were made. Git can be installed on your computer using an IDE, a standalone installation, or a hosted service. Once you’ve installed Git, you can use it to stage your code and commit changes.