Git

Git is a distributed version control system created by Linus Torvalds in 2005. Every developer has a full copy of the project and its history on their own machine, and changes are shared by pushing and pulling between repositories.

Why it matters

Git is the standard tool for software teams. Its cheap branching makes it easy to try ideas in isolation, and its distributed design means you can commit, browse history and switch branches offline. Hosting services such as GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket build pull requests, reviews and automation around it.

Example

$ git clone https://example.com/team/site.git
$ git switch -c fix-footer
$ git add footer.html
$ git commit -m "Fix footer link"
$ git push origin fix-footer

This copies the repository, creates a branch, records a change and uploads the branch so others can review it.

Common mistakes

• Confusing Git with GitHub; Git is the tool, GitHub is one hosting service.
• Running git push --force on a shared branch and overwriting teammates' commits.
• Committing secrets, then deleting the file and assuming it is gone from history.

Related

• Version control
• Git branch
• Git commit
• Merge conflict

This page is general information written by our editorial team and updated when documentation changes. Servers and providers differ, so test changes safely first. See our editorial policy and disclaimer.