What is Version Control System?
Version control systems(VCS) are softwares that help Teams manage there code changes over time. The VCS keeps track of every change done to the code in a special database. If an error is made, developers can compare earlier versions of the code to help fix the error while minimizing disruption to all team members.
Software developers working in teams are continually writing new source code and changing existing source code. The code for a project, app or software component is typically organized in a folder structure or “file tree”. One developer on the team may be working on a new feature while another developer fixes an unrelated bug by changing code, each developer may make their changes in several parts of the file tree. Version control helps teams solve these kinds of problems, tracking every individual change by each contributor and helping prevent concurrent work from conflicting.
VCS are sometimes known as SCM (Source Code Management) tools or RCS (Revision Control System). One of the most popular VCS tools in use today is called Git. Git is a Distributed VCS, alse known as DVCS. Git is Free and Open Source like many of the most popular VCS systems available today,.
As software projects grow in lines of code and contributor head count, the costs of communication overhead and management complexity also grow. SCM is a critical tool to alleviate the organizational strain of growing development costs.
Source code management best practices
Commit often
Commits are cheap and easy to make. They should be made frequently to capture updates to a code base. Each commit is a snapshot that the codebase can be reverted to if needed. Frequent commits give many opportunities to revert or undo work. A group of commits can be combined into a single commit using a rebase to clarify the development log.
Ensure you’re working from latest version
SCM enables rapid updates from multiple developers. It’s easy to have a local copy of the codebase fall behind the global copy. Make sure to git pull or fetch the latest code before making updates. This will help avoid conflicts at merge time.
Make detailed notes
Each commit has a corresponding log entry. At the time of commit creation, this log entry is populated with a message. It is important to leave descriptive explanatory commit log messages. These commit log messages should explain the “why” and “what” that encompass the commits content. These log messages become the canonical history of the project’s development and leave a trail for future contributors to review.
Review changes before committing
SCM’s offer a ‘staging area’. The staging area can be used to collect a group of edits before writing them to a commit. The staging area can be used to manage and review changes before creating the commit snapshot. Utilizing the staging area in this manner provides a buffer area to help refine the contents of the commit.
Use Branches
Branching is a powerful SCM mechanism that allows developers to create a separate line of development. Branches should be used frequently as they are quick and inexpensive. Branches enable multiple developers to work in parallel on separate lines of development. These lines of development are generally different product features. When development is complete on a branch it is then merged into the master line of development.
Agree on a Workflow
By default SCMs offer very free form methods of contribution. It is important that teams establish shared patterns of collaboration. SCM workflows establish patterns and processes for merging branches. If a team doesn’t agree on a shared workflow it can lead to inefficient communication overhead when it comes time to merge branches.