Get started with Git
Get Ready
Git comes up all the time in discussions of Linux, but in our new world of repositories and package managers, many users are still unfamiliar with it. Read on to get started with this powerful version control environment.
Code and version management used to be difficult and risky. Users were never quite sure whether they would keep or lose their last changes when switching to a different development branch. Attempts to merge the results of hours of work could sometimes lead to unexpected results.
Before Git [1] became the de facto standard, CVS [2] was the most widely used version management system. In CVS, all changes must be uploaded to a central server and the user needs a functioning network connection. In addition, CVS only saves the individual changes and never a complete version of the code. When merging the work of two developers, branching can lead to conflict situations that can be very time consuming to resolve. Other systems such as Subversion (svn) [3] or Mercurial (hg) [4] brought about significant improvements, but at the end of the day, Git worked best and is the most widely accepted option.
Git offers a revolutionary, decentralized approach: mirroring the entire repository, including the complete history of all files, on the computers of all users. At the same time, Git always creates complete snapshots of the entire repository.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.
-
AerynOS Alpha Release Available
With a choice of several desktop environments, AerynOS 2025.08 is almost ready to be your next operating system.
-
AUR Repository Still Under DDoS Attack
Arch User Repository continues to be under a DDoS attack that has been going on for more than two weeks.
-
RingReaper Malware Poses Danger to Linux Systems
A new kind of malware exploits modern Linux kernels for I/O operations.
-
Happy Birthday, Linux
On August 25, Linux officially turns 34.
-
VirtualBox 7.2 Has Arrived
With early support for Linux kernel 6.17 and other new additions, VirtualBox 7.2 is a must-update for users.
-
Linux Mint 22.2 Beta Available for Testing
Some interesting new additions and improvements are coming to Linux Mint. Check out the Linux Mint 22.2 Beta to give it a test run.
-
Debian 13.0 Officially Released
After two years of development, the latest iteration of Debian is now available with plenty of under-the-hood improvements.
-
Upcoming Changes for MXLinux
MXLinux 25 has plenty in store to please all types of users.