Key Features of Git

1. What are Core concept of GIT?

Git is a distributed version control system that fundamentally changes the way developers collaborate on code. At its core, Git manages and stores revisions of projects, which allows multiple people to work on the same code without conflict. The key concepts include repositories, which are storage spaces for projects; commits, which are snapshots of changes; branches, which allow for divergent work from the main project; and merging, which integrates changes from different branches. Understanding these concepts is crucial for efficient version control and collaboration in software development.

2. Features of GIT

• Distributed version control: Allows multiple users to work on a project simultaneously without interfering with each other.
• Compatibility with various operating systems: Works across different platforms, enhancing its versatility.
• Support for non-linear development: Facilitates numerous parallel workflows, such as branching and merging.
• Efficient handling of large projects: Designed to perform with speed and efficiency, regardless of project size.
• Data integrity: Maintains a local copy of the entire development history, ensuring data is preserved and secure.
• Collaboration features: Enables teams to work together and manage changes to shared files effectively.
• Backup and restore capabilities: Changes are mirrored across all user repositories, safeguarding against data loss.
• Scalability: Can handle small to very large projects with ease.
• Free and open-source: Accessible to everyone and can be modified to suit specific needs.

3. GIT Commands

Here's a list of basic Git commands to used for startup:

git init: Initialize a new Git repository        

git clone [url]: Clone a repository into a new directory        

git add [file]: Add a file to the staging area        

git commit -m "[message]": Commit changes with a message        

git status: Check the status of changes as untracked, modified, or staged        

git push [alias] [branch]: Push your committed changes to a remote repository        

git pull [alias] [branch]: Update your local repository to the newest commit from a remote        

git branch: List your branches. a * will appear next to the currently active branch        

git checkout [branch-name]: Switch to another branch and check it out into your working directory        

git merge [branch]:  Merge another branch into your active branch        

4. Comparison in GIT

• Git diff: A command used to compare changes in the codebase, showing differences between commits, branches, or files.
• Usage: Can be used to compare the working directory with the staging area, or to compare changes between two branches or commits.
• Options: Includes a variety of options such as --cached to compare staged changes, or --no-index to compare files on the filesystem.
• Understanding Output: The output shows the differences line by line, with a minus sign (-) indicating removal and a plus sign (+) indicating addition.
• Branch Comparison: To compare two branches, use git diff branch1 branch2, which will display differences from the tip of each branch.
• Commit Comparison: For comparing two commits, use git diff <commit_hash1> <commit_hash2>, which is useful for reviewing changes before merging.

5. Branching & Merging in GIT

• Branching in Git:

- Allows multiple developers to work on different features simultaneously.

- Isolates new development from finished work.

- Enables experimentation by creating separate branches for trial ideas.

• Merging in Git:

- Combines the changes from different branches into a single branch.

- Can be performed automatically or may require manual conflict resolution.

- Ensures that all the features developed in branches are integrated into the main codebase.

6. Merge Conflicts

Following commands are used to manage the Merge Conflict.

7. GIT Stashing

• Git stashing is a useful feature that allows developers to temporarily store changes made to the working directory and index, enabling them to switch contexts without committing incomplete work.
• The git stash command is used to stash changes, which can be reapplied to the working directory at a later time, even on a different branch.
• Stashed changes are stored on a stack, where they can be managed and viewed using commands like git stash list, git stash apply, and git stash pop.
• By default, git stash does not include untracked or ignored files. To include these in a stash, the -u or --include-untracked option can be used.
• It's important to note that stashes are local to the repository and are not transferred to the server when pushing changes with git push.

8. How to apply GIT Stashing?

To apply a specific stash in Git, follow these steps:

• List all stashes.
• Identify the stash that want to apply, which is indicated by a stash index, such as stash@{0}.
• Apply the stash using git stash apply stash@{index}, replacing index with the actual number of the stash you wish to apply.
• If you want to apply the stash and remove it from the stash list, use git stash pop stash@{index} instead.
• Remember to resolve any conflicts that may arise after applying a stash, just as when merging branches.

9. Summary

This article provides an in-depth overview of Git, a distributed version control system essential for modern software development. It covers core concepts like repositories, commits, branches, and merging, and highlights key features such as data integrity, scalability, and collaboration capabilities. It also presents a list of fundamental Git commands for beginners, along with detailed explanations of branching, merging, comparing differences with `git diff`, and managing merge conflicts. Additionally, it delves into Git stashing, explaining how to temporarily store and apply changes using `git stash`.