What is Git? - Definition & Meaning

Definition

Git is a distributed version control system that allows developers to track changes in source code, collaborate on projects, and restore previous versions of files. Created by Linus Torvalds in 2005, Git is the most widely used version control system in the world.

Technical explanation

Git operates on a distributed model where every developer has a complete copy of the repository, including its full history. Changes are recorded as commits, which represent a snapshot of all files at a given point in time. Branches allow parallel work on different features or bug fixes without affecting the main codebase. Git uses a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) to track relationships between commits. Merging combines branches back together, with Git automatically reconciling changes or flagging conflicts. Rebasing rewrites commit history for a linear timeline. Remote repositories on platforms like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket facilitate collaboration through pull requests and code reviews. Git hooks automate tasks on specific actions, such as pre-commit checks for code quality. Strategies like Git Flow, GitHub Flow, and trunk-based development provide structure for team workflows. Stashing temporarily saves unfinished changes, and cherry-picking allows moving individual commits between branches.

How MG Software applies this

At MG Software, Git is the foundation of all our development workflows. We use GitHub as our remote platform and follow a trunk-based development strategy with feature branches and pull requests. Every change goes through a code review before being merged. We use Git hooks and GitHub Actions for automated linting, testing, and deployment. For our clients, we set up professional Git workflows so their teams can collaborate on code effectively and safely.

Practical examples

• A team of five developers working on different features simultaneously via Git branches and reviewing each other's code through pull requests on GitHub before merging changes.
• A company using Git tags to mark releases, enabling them to roll back to a previous stable version of their software at any time when a bug is discovered in production.
• An open-source project on GitHub where hundreds of contributors add new features through forks and pull requests while core maintainers ensure quality standards.

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