Git & GitHub

Git is a distributed version control system (DVCS), which means it's a tool that runs on your local machine to track changes in your project files. It works by taking 'snapshots' of your project at different points in time. Each snapshot, called a 'commit', saves the state of all your files and is accompanied by a message describing the changes you made. This creates a detailed history, allowing you to see who changed what, when, and why. The basic Git workflow involves three stages. First, the 'working directory' is where your actual project files live. When you modify a file, you then add it to the 'staging area' using the `git add` command. The staging area is a pre-commit holding space where you can group related changes together. Finally, you use `git commit` to permanently store the staged changes in your local repository. While Git is fantastic for managing history on your own machine, GitHub is a web-based service that enhances Git's capabilities for collaboration. GitHub allows you to host your Git repositories on a remote server. You can 'push' your local commits to your GitHub repository, creating a backup of your work and making it accessible to others. Other developers can then 'clone' your repository to their own machines, make changes, and 'push' them back. GitHub also adds powerful features on top of Git, such as issue tracking, project management boards, and Pull Requests for code review.