Version control systems play an essential role for developers.
First up, they allow developers to safely store successive versions of source code. Besides providing a secure backup of the source code, this type of software lets developers revert back to a stable release if subsequent code changes have unforeseen consequences.
Equally important, revision control tools enable team members to work simultaneously on a project's code. If you have ever collaborated with other people on a project, you will appreciate the frustration caused by swapping files. Revision control is an excellent way to combat the problem of sharing files between developers without treading on each other's toes. For open source projects having tens/hundreds of people working on the same code base, revision control software is essential.
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