Git Course Lecture Notes

Introduction to Git

• Purpose of Git: Version control and collaboration.
• Usage Context: Applicable for various applications: mobile, web, enterprise.
• Focus: Commands and practical learning.
• Course Structure:
  • Understanding Git basics
  • Setting up Git and GitHub accounts
  • Creating repositories
  • Committing and pushing code
  • Branch management

Understanding Version Control

• Version Control Definition: Managing changes to a project over time.
• Typical Workflow:
  • Creating different versions (or updates) of a project.
  • Importance of saving previous versions to recover from errors.

Types of Version Control Systems

1. Local Version Control: Only available on the developer's machine.
   • Issues with collaboration and data loss if the machine fails.
2. Centralized Version Control (CVCS): Rely on a central server for version control.
   • Allows access to a shared repository but risks data loss if the server fails.
3. Distributed Version Control System (DVCS): Each developer has a complete local copy of the repository.
   • Enables working offline and greater collaboration.

Git Overview

• Git: A distributed version control system.
• Remote Repositories: Examples include GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket.
• Core Commands: git init, git add, git commit, git push, git pull, git branch, etc.

Setting Up Git

• Installation: Check for Git installation using git version command.
• Configuration: Set user name and email for commits.

Creating Your First Project

• Initializing a Repository: Use git init to create a local repository.
• Staging Files: Stage files using git add <filename>.
• Committing Changes: Use git commit -m "message" to save changes with a message.

Branching in Git

• Branches: Used to work on features independently without affecting the main codebase.
• Creating a Branch: Use git branch <branch-name> or git checkout -b <branch-name>.
• Switching Branches: Use git checkout <branch-name> or git switch <branch-name>.
• Merging Branches: Combine changes from one branch into another using git merge <branch-name>.

Viewing Branches

• Checking Current Branch: Use git branch to list branches.
• Visualizing History: Use git log --graph to visualize commits in a branching structure.

Remote Repositories and Collaboration

• Pushing Changes: Use git push origin <branch-name> to push local changes to the remote repository.
• Pulling Changes: Use git pull origin <branch-name> to fetch and merge changes from the remote.
• Managing Collaborations: Ensure to pull changes before merging to avoid conflicts.

Tags in Git

• Tagging: Used to mark specific points in the repository’s history as important (like releases).
• Creating Tags: Use git tag -a <tag-name> -m "message" to create an annotated tag.
• Pushing Tags: Tags need to be pushed separately using git push origin <tag-name>.

Best Practices

• Commit Often: Frequent commits help maintain a clear history.
• Meaningful Commit Messages: Use informative messages to improve readability of commit history.
• Pull Before Pushing: Always pull changes from the remote before pushing your own to avoid conflicts.