Git is a free and open-source version control system (VCS) that has become a creative and powerful tool for developers by providing great features and functionality. Reviewing any changes and updates related to codes and files makes the collaboration of different users and file sharing easier and faster.
Git is software that allows programmers to make changes and updates related to codes and helps them collaborate more easily and share their files without any problems.
Tracking code changes and debugging them with a more advanced trick is the main idea of this system. This article provides everything you need to know about Git, Github, and GitLab by teaching Git in programming. You will surely get more detailed and useful information about the use of this platform by studying these concepts. So don’t miss this article.
Learn about version control
To begin with, it is better to familiarize yourself with version control.
Familiarity with the version control system makes it easy to understand the importance and application of Git in programming.
Version control helps developers track and manage code changes to their software projects.
Branching and integration of project-related codes with the help of this system make changes in each part of the code proceed without affecting other parts of the project.
When a developer changes and updates a part of his code, he can re-integrate that code into the source code and proceed to the next steps.
Of course, all these changes can be tracked and reverted if necessary.
What is Git, and what does it do?
Today, Git is the world’s most widely used modern version control system, first developed in 2005 by Linus Torvalds.
By benefiting from Git’s distributed architecture, the user has a copy of the code as his Repository, which can easily access the complete history of changes to his files.
Features that Git has
Among the excellent features of this platform, the following can be mentioned:
Performance
Applying new changes, branching, merging, and comparing the current code with previous versions happens much more optimally and quickly with Git, which makes Git’s role in programming very prominent. Algorithms implemented in Git take advantage of deep knowledge about the characteristics of code file trees and how they change over time.
The Git repository file format uses delta encryption for compression, complete storage of content, and metadata version objects.
security
The security of file content, the real connection between files and directories, tags, commits, and all objects related to the Git repository is provided by a secure cryptographic hash algorithm called SHA1. This algorithm protects the code and history of changes against random and malicious changes and ensures their traceability.
flexibility
Another advantage of using Git in programming is its flexible design. Gate is flexible in various aspects, such as supporting different types of non-linear development workflows, its efficiency in small and large projects, and compatibility with existing systems and protocols.
In general, Git’s efficiency, security, and high flexibility in programming have made it necessary for most teams and developers.
Of course, note that:
Git and GitHub are two different terms. Git is a version control tool developed in 2005. In contrast, GitHub is a company founded in 2008 that makes tools that integrate with Git.
You don’t need GitHub to use Git, but you can’t use GitHub without Git. There are many alternatives to GitHub, such as GitLab. We will talk about them later.
A simple example of the version history of a file
You can synchronize code between multiple users using Git. Imagine you and your friend are collaborating on a project, and you are making changes to a file. Git receives the changes you and your friend applied separately and merges them in the Repository named “Master.”
So by using Git in programming, you can ensure that both of you are working on the latest repository version. So you don’t need to worry about sending files to each other and working on duplicate files from the original file.
What is meant by Repository and workflow?
The Repository is nothing but a collection of source code, But the four main elements of Gate Workflow are as follows:
If you consider a file in Working Directory, three modes are considered for this file:
staged
The file has been updated with new changes and is ready to be placed in the local Repository, but this has not been done yet.
modified
The new file has not been saved in the local Repository yet.
Committed
The updated file with new changes is completely and safely stored in the local Repository.
Git adds. It is a command to add a file from Working Directory to the staging section.
git commit
It is a command to add all the files in the staging section to the local Repository.
git push
It is a command to add all the files stored in the local Repository to the remote Repository. The remote Repository is the part where all files with changes are accessible to any person who has access to this Repository.
git fetch
It is a command to get files from a remote Repository and place them in a local Repository (not a working directory).
git merge
It is a command to get files from the local Repository and place them in the Working Directory.
git pull
It is a command to receive files from a remote Repository and place them directly in Working Directory. This command is equivalent to Git fetch and git merge commands.
What is GitHub?
GitHub is a popular programming resource used to share code. GitHub is a social network for programmers that many companies and organizations use to facilitate project management and collaboration.
GitHub is a Git repository hosting service that provides a web-based graphical interface. Placing a code file or project on GitHub increases its development and release speed and quality.
Programmers on this platform have access to source code in many different languages and can use git commands in programming to create and track changes.
Why use GitHub?
The reasons we tell you to use GitHub in this section will completely tempt you to use GitHub after this.
1. Easy project management
GitHub is where project managers and developers collaborate, coordinate, track and update their work. This process makes the project move forward more transparently and according to the plan.
2. Increasing the safety of packages
Packages related to the project can be published privately, in teams, and publicly. Reusing the packages available on this platform increases the speed and quality of work.
3. More effective management of teamwork
GitHub helps developers move their work forward in a coordinated and organized manner. Tools like Issue and Pull Request Locking allow better focus on the code.
4. Improved coding
Pull requests help organizations to propose and develop new code with a better review. Discussing any new actions and proposals before changing the source code increases the coordination and quality of the developers’ work.
5. Increased code safety
GitHub uses special tools to identify and analyze code vulnerabilities, and this feature makes the software production chain, from beginning to end, highly secure.
6. Easy code hosting
All code and documentation are in one place. There are millions of repositories that help you in hosting and publishing code.
If you have decided to use GitHub by reading these things, then read carefully about how to get started with GitHub.
How to get started with GitHub
GitHub is very easy to work with. To get started, go to GitHub and create an account. Then make sure Git is fully installed on your system.
Afterward, go to CMD or Terminal and introduce your username in each Repository to Git with the following command.
Git config –global user.name “<your_name_here>”
Make sure your username is correct. Then share your email address with Git. Note that you must enter the username and email associated with your GitHub account.
Git config –global user.email “<your_email@email.com>”
Now you’re ready to use Git!
But what is the use of GitLab?
GitLab is an application that covers the entire software development life cycle. This open-source code repository platform is used to develop large DevOps and DevSecOps projects.
Among the facilities that GitLab offers, the following can be mentioned:
- Save the code online
- Tracking problems and bugs
- Hosting chains and different versions during the development process
- Ability to review previous codes and reuse them if necessary
- Continuous integration (CI) support for automated code development and testing
A general overview of Git, GitHub, and GitLab
If you like to use Git for internal programming and use your server for application development, a local Git instance is all you need.
Also, if needed, you can use Git as a version control system focused on several systems related to yourself or the cloud. Using this technique, you can easily implement a project for your team and partners worldwide.
However, if you need a Git hosting service, you should consider GitHub and GitLab.
These two platforms have many similarities. Both offer a wide range of code development, integration, and sharing features, with issue tracking.
Also, command line interfaces (CLI) are advanced features of these two platforms for developers. Both platforms support open source.
But of course, these two platforms also have differences:
The main difference is that GitLab has built-in continuous integration and continuous delivery/development (CI/CD) tools and DevOps workflows. GitHub lets you work with CI/CD tools of your choice, but you have to integrate them yourself. Typically, GitHub users work with a CI program such as Jenkins, CircleCI, or TravisCI.
Another important difference is that GitHub prioritizes speed, while GitLab focuses on reliability.
In addition, GitLab offers you a complete software development solution. On the other hand, GitHub offers fewer services in its own app, but provides ways to integrate with many external apps and services.