Introduction to Git

What is Git?

Git is an open source, distributed version control system designed for speed and efficiency.

What does this mean?

No network required

• Commit changes
• View file history
• Perform a diff
• Merge branches
• Obtain other revisions of a file

Git at a high-level

• Git takes a snapshot of what your files look like at a given point in time

• You decide when to take a snapshot and which files to include

• You have the ability to go back in time and review previous snapshots

What is a repository?

• Often shorted to 'repo'
• A collection of all files and their history
• Exists on a local machine or remote server
• The act of copying a repo is called cloning
• Downloading changes is called pulling
• Uploading local changes is called pushing

What is a commit?

• The act of creating a snapshot
• Records changes in a repository
• Contains author, message, and timestamp
• Can be a noun or a verb
• A project is made up of many commits
• Identified by a SHA-1 hash

Git commands

Demo

https://github.comcast.com/BSD-Digital/git-workshop

Practical Git tips

• Commit early and often
• Keep messages short and descriptive
• Use the imperative mood
• Branch freely
• Pull frequently
• Use aliases for common commands

That's all, folks!