Version Control Systems

What are Version Control Systems (VCS)

• Tracking and managing changes:

  • Work fasert and more reliably

• Keeps track of all code modifications:

  • Specialised Database (Repository)

• Solves Common Team Problems:

  • Conflicitng concurrent work,
  • incompatiables due to concurrent working,
  • having unstable releases

Common Benefits of VCS

Historical information​ : Looking at the history of changes it is a lot easier to find where bugs have originated. Also, it might be easier to find the right team member best suited to fix an error.​

Branching​: Working concurrently on multiple issues, without interference.​ Working on different types of releases.​

Merging​ : Making sure that team members work does not interfere with each other.​

Traceability​ : Team members work more fluently together.​

Testing and Documentation​: Comments for each change and its association help producing better documentation​. Creating tests is easier​.

Types of VCS

• Local:

  • Creates a database on the hardware ​

• Centralised​:

  • History of changes kept in a single database in a central server.​
  • Clients need to constantly communicate with the database and receive a partial working copy.​

• Distributed​:

  • Single database in a central server that is also distributed among all clients​
  • Each client has a full working copy of the repository​

Git

• Version Control Systems: How to safely organise and backup your software code

• Git: Most popular Version Control System

• GitHub: Version Control System host

Git Characteristics

• A very popular VCS
• Performance
  • Better performance compared to competitors
  • Deals with the data in the file rather than the file properties
• Security
  • Designed to provided security
  • Uses SHA-256
• Flexibility
  • Non-linear development
  • Detailed log information

GitHub - What is it and features?

• Web-based graphical user interface (GUI)
• Features
  • Can act as a project manager
  • Hosts Git repositories
  • Secure with keys
    

Fundemental Git Functions

All commands are prepended with git

• fetch, pull: Get a working copy of a repository

• add,commit,push: Record a change or changes in at least one of the files stored in the repository.

• branch: Create a copy of a repository to be worked independently.

• merge: Collates changes of two different copies of a repository.

• log: Records information of each change within a repository

Git - Branching

• Main: The default development branch. Whenever you create a Git repository, a branch named "master" is created, and becomes the active branch.

• Develop: This is another branch, which is a way to edit/develop/test code without changing the Master branch. T

• Topic: A regular Git branch that is used by a developer to identify a conceptual line of development.

Git Commands Explained

clone​: Get a working copy of the repository​

fetch: Update the working copy of the repository without copying or removing any files.​

pull: Update the working copy of the repository with copying and removing any files necessary.​

commit: Update the working copy with all changes​

push​: to the main repository all changes that have been committed to the local working copy.​

branch​: Creates a copy of the repository that can be worked independently from the main branch​

Merge: Combine two copies of a repository.​ Conflicts may be present.​

Git Repository Staging Area

As part of the version control features there is the Staging Area. ​

This is feature enables the developer to move files independently of each other git add <filename> to the repository. Of course you can do this all in one go with git commit -a​

Git Flow Diagram

Git Beyond Software Development

• ​Developers​

• Marketing​

• Management​

  • Human Resources​

  • Product Management​

  • Project Budget​

• Customer Support​

Learning Git

https://learngitbranching.js.org/​