Version control is the management of changes to code over time, enabling tracking history, reverting changes, and coordinating work among multiple developers. Version control systems (VCS) record every change, who made it, when, and why. Version control is fundamental to software development, enabling collaboration, preventing lost work, and maintaining code history for auditing and debugging.
Why Version Control Matters
Essential aspects:
Collaboration - Multiple developers working on the same codebase simultaneously.
History - Complete history of changes enables understanding evolution and debugging issues.
Rollback - Reverting problematic changes quickly.
Branching - Working on features independently without affecting main code.
Conflict resolution - Merging changes from multiple sources.
Code review - Reviewing changes before merging.
Auditing - Tracking who changed what and when.
Version control is essential for any team project.
Centralised vs. Distributed
Two architectural approaches:
Centralised - Single server repository. CVS, Subversion exemplify this.
Distributed - Every developer has complete repository copy. Git exemplifies this.
Distributed systems enable working offline and are now standard.
Git Fundamentals
Core Git concepts:
Repository - Local copy of code and complete history.
Commits - Snapshots of code at points in time.
Branches - Independent lines of development.
Remote repositories - Central repositories enabling collaboration.
Staging area - Selecting which changes to commit.
Merging - Combining branches.
Tags - Marking specific commits (releases).
Git Workflows
Different approaches to using Git:
Feature branches - Developing features in isolated branches.
Git flow - Formal branching strategy with develop and main branches.
GitHub flow - Simple flow where main is always production-ready.
Trunk-based development - Keeping main branch relatively stable, short-lived feature branches.
Choosing appropriate workflows improves team efficiency.
Commits and History
Good commit practices:
Atomic commits - Commits represent complete logical changes.
Commit messages - Clear, descriptive commit messages.
History readability - Clean, understandable history.
Interactive rebase - Cleaning up local commits before pushing.
Signing commits - Verifying commit authenticity.
Good commit practices make code history valuable.
Branching Strategies
Organising parallel development:
Feature branches - One branch per feature.
Bug fix branches - Branches for fixing bugs.
Release branches - Branches for release preparation.
Hotfix branches - Branches for emergency fixes.
Long-lived branches - Persistent branches (main, develop).
Strategic branching enables coordinated development.
Merging
Combining changes:
Merge commits - Explicit commits recording merges.
Squash merging - Combining commits before merging.
Rebase merging - Replaying commits on top of base.
Conflict resolution - Resolving conflicting changes.
Merge strategies - Different algorithms for merging.
Careful merging prevents introducing errors.
Remote Repositories
Enabling collaboration:
Push - Sending local commits to remote repository.
Pull - Fetching remote changes and merging.
Fetch - Getting remote changes without merging.
Central repository - Server-hosted repository.
Peer-to-peer sharing - Sharing between local repositories.
Remote repositories enable team coordination.
Code Review
Evaluating changes:
Pull requests - Proposing changes for review.
Code review feedback - Reviewers suggesting improvements.
Approval gates - Requiring approval before merging.
CI/CD integration - Running tests on pull requests.
Automated checks - Linting and security scanning.
Code review catches issues and shares knowledge.
GitHub and GitLab
Popular platforms:
GitHub - Most popular Git platform with strong community.
GitLab - Comprehensive DevOps platform.
Bitbucket - Atlassian's Git platform.
AWS CodeCommit - AWS's managed Git service.
Both GitHub and GitLab add collaboration features on top of Git.
Version Control at PixelForce
PixelForce uses Git for all code management. GitHub enables collaboration, code review, and CI/CD integration. Feature branches enable parallel development. Clear commit messages and history enable understanding changes. Code review gates ensure quality.
Tagging and Releases
Marking versions:
Release tags - Marking release points.
Semantic versioning - Version numbering indicating compatibility.
Release notes - Documenting changes in releases.
Release branches - Branches for release preparation.
Changelog - Recording significant changes over time.
Proper versioning enables tracking releases and managing dependencies.
Undoing Changes
Fixing mistakes:
Revert - Creating new commits undoing previous changes.
Reset - Moving branch pointer to earlier commit.
Checkout - Viewing previous versions.
Reflog - Recovering lost commits.
Git provides many ways to recover from mistakes.
Large File Handling
Managing non-text files:
Git LFS - Git Large File Storage for large files.
Artifact storage - Storing build artifacts separately.
Binary files - Treating binaries specially.
Standard Git handles large files inefficiently; solutions exist.
Best Practices
Effective version control:
- Commit frequently with clear messages
- Pull frequently to stay synchronised
- Use branches for features and bug fixes
- Review code before merging
- Keep main branch stable and production-ready
- Tag releases
- Maintain clear history
- Use meaningful commit messages
Conclusion
Version control is fundamental to software development, enabling collaboration, tracking history, and preventing lost work. Git has become the standard, offering distributed version control with powerful branching and merging capabilities. By using version control effectively with clear workflows, good practices, and code review discipline, teams build better software more efficiently.