Version control systems track code changes, enable collaboration, and maintain project history. Git and modern platforms like GitHub transform how development teams work together on software projects.

Core Git Concepts

• Repositories: Store complete project history and all file versions.

• Branches: Parallel development lines for features and experiments.

• Commits: Snapshots of code changes with descriptions and metadata.

• Merges: Combine changes from different branches into unified code.

• Pull Requests: Code review mechanism before merging changes.

Collaboration Workflows

Feature branches isolate development work, trunk-based development maintains single main branch, GitFlow provides structured release management, pull requests enable peer review, and continuous integration runs automated tests on commits.

Best Practices

Write clear, descriptive commit messages, make small, focused commits, review code before merging, use meaningful branch names, maintain clean commit history, and protect main branch with review requirements.

Advanced Techniques

Use rebase for clean history, implement Git hooks for automation, leverage tags for releases, utilize Git bisect for bug finding, and manage large files with Git LFS.