Introduction

What is version control?

Version control also referred to by developers as source control or source code management is a system that records all changes and modifications to files for tracking purposes. The version control system is the source of truth across all code, assets and the team itself. The primary goal of any version control system is to keep track of changes. It achieves this by allowing developers access to the entire change history with the ability to revert or roll back to the previous state or point in time. There are different type of changes such as adding new files, modifying or updating files and deleting files. Working as a developer, you will need to be familiar with many different tools and version control is one of them.

What are the benefits of using version control?

For developers, especially those working in a team, there are many benefits to using version control. These are:

• Revision History
• Identity
• Collaboration
• Automation
• Efficiency

Let us now address each of them one after the other:

Revision History

Revision History provides a record of all changes in the project. It provides developers with the ability to revert to a stable point in time in cases where code edits cause issues or bugs. This allows teams to work faster and deliver code with more confidence.

Identity

Keeping a record of changes is great but it doesn’t have much value if you don’t know who’s responsible for adding or changing the record. Another great advantage of the version control system is the fact that all changes made are always recorded with the identity of the user that made them. Combining this features with the revision history allows teams to see not only when the changes occur but also who made the changes.

Collaboration

As a software developer, you will often work with a team to achieve a common goal. This could be adding new features to an existing project or creating an entirely brand new service. In all cases, a version control system allows the team to submit their code and keep track of any changes that need to be made. Another important aspect of the version control system is the PEER REVIEW. Developers working on a task can create a peer review once the code is ready for inspection. The peer review aims to get all the developers on your team to review the code and provide feedback when necessary.

Automation

The ability to create and deliver code on a wide scale is complex and time consuming. The version control system helps keep track of all changes and also plays an integral role in the explosion of development operations or DEVOPS as its commonly called.

Devops is a set of practices, philosophies and tools that increases an organisation’s ability to deliver applications or services to a high quality and velocity. Version control is a key tool in this process and it is used not only to track all changes but also to aid in software quality, release and deployments.

Efficiency

As a developer, you will always work on a project alongside many developers and team members with other skill set. You and your team needs to be efficient to make your project a success.

Conclusion

In this article, we learnt about the version control system, its features, benefits and how important it is for developers especially a team of developers. Version control also has various types and versions. This we shall discuss in the next article.