Introduction

In this chapter, we will learn how to set up a popular version control system: Git. A version control system, also known as revision control system, can be thought of as a repository of files that record every single change in a file. Every update to a file or set of files is recorded as a new version, with some metadata about that specific modification. Metadata contains details of who made the change, a small comment explaining why the change was made, details on exactly what changed in each file, and a timestamp. You can easily switch back to an older version when needed.

Version control systems are generally used to track software source code, but they can be used with virtually any type of file. It is necessary for collaborative work where two or more people are working on the same file. Everyone maintains their own local copy of each file and works on them. When a person satisfactorily completes his work, he sends the updated file to the central repo. Others can synchronize...