who is Git?
Git is a version control system that was created in 2005 by Linus Torvalds who was also the brainchild behind the Linux kernel. It was originally created to help manage the task of developing the linux kernel because alot of geographically distributed programmers were being involved in developing the linux system.
Git is an open source and one of the most popular version control system with millions of projects under if’s care.
One advantage of Git is that it is a distributed system meaning that every person contributing to a project can maintain the copy of the project they send to a common reservoir in their own development machine.
Collaborators can share their work and be able to see what others are doing in the project anytime they need to do so. To enhance collaboration in a project, a common directory, usually refered to as the repository is setup on a server so as to act as a common point from which all participants can interact.
Git can work as a standalone program, as a server or as a client such that you can use it offline and then you can send (push) the files you have created to the online directory once you are connected.
You can use Git as a server on a machine where you want to host your repository and also as a client to access the repository from another machine or on the same machine.
Git uses http,ssh or it’s own special protocols to communicate with Git servers over the network.
Git is suitable for small projects that need one or few developers and also suitable for large project that brings together thousands of contributors. It is useful in tracking private work on personal projects but even more important, it is used to share work with others by hosting a code on public servers like Github,Gitlab and others.
You can find more about git on git-scm.com which is the official website for Git. Git-SCM stands for Git Source Control management which is the same as Version Control System(VCS).
One reason Git is soo popular is that it is has a multiplatform support and so it will fit in windows, macOS and linux with ease.
Installing Git
Git could already be installed in your computer. To check if it is already there, issue the following command:
git --versionTo install git, you can use package management systems like:
- apt or yum on linux
- Chocolatey on windows
- Homebrew on macOS
For windows installation, you will simply download an executable file and follow prompts. Windows installation comes with a preloaded with a MinGw64 that enables us to operate on windows with the same command and tools used on Linux.