Git and Version Control: A Complete Guide

Version control is essential for developers. Learn Git to manage your code effectively.

What is Git?

Git tracks changes in code, enabling collaboration and history management.

Setting Up Git

bash
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your@email.com"

Basic Commands

Initialize Repository

bash
git init

Stage and Commit

bash
git add .           # Stage all changes
git commit -m "message"  # Commit changes

Check Status

bash
git status

View History

bash
git log --oneline

Branching

bash
git branch feature     # Create branch
git checkout feature   # Switch branch
git merge feature      # Merge branch

Remote Repositories

bash
git remote add origin https://github.com/user/repo.git
git push -u origin main
git pull origin main

.gitignore

Tell Git which files to ignore:

node_modules/
.env
*.log
dist/

Best Practices

1. Commit often with meaningful messages
2. Use branches for features
3. Pull before pushing
4. Review code before merging
5. Keep commits atomic