Git is a popular version control system designed to handle very large projects with speed and efficiency; it is used for many high profile open source projects, most notably the Linux kernel.
It has an unusually rich command set that provides both high-level operations and full access to internals.
Git falls in the category of distributed source code management tools. Every Git working directory is a full-fledged repository with full revision tracking capabilities, not dependent on network access or a central server.
Key Features
- Distributed development. Git gives each developer a local copy of the entire development history, and changes are copied from one such repository to another.
- Strong support for non-linear development. Git supports rapid and convenient branching and merging, and includes powerful tools for visualizing and navigating a non-linear development history.
- Efficient handling of large projects. Git is very fast and scales well even when working with large projects and long histories.
- Cryptographic authentication of history.
- Repositories can be published via HTTP, FTP, rsync, or a Git protocol over either a plain socket or ssh.
- Toolkit design. Git is a collection of many small tools written in C, and a number of scripts that provide convenient wrappers.
- Pluggable merge strategies.
Website: git-scm.com
Support: Documentation
Developer: Junio Hamano, Linus Torvalds and many others
License: GNU General Public License v2.0
Git is written in C. Learn C with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| Revision Control Tools | |
|---|---|
| Git | Used in high profile open source projects, most notably the Linux kernel |
| Jujutsu | Powerful version control system for software projects |
| Mercurial | Fast, lightweight Source Control Management system |
| Subversion | General system that can be used to manage any collection of files |
| Darcs | An advanced revision control system |
| Fossil | Distributed version control system |
| dat | Distributed data community for the next generation Web |
| Sapling | Scalable, user-friendly source control system |
| Pijul | Sound and fast distributed version control system |
| CVS | Concurrent Versions System |
| Breezy | Decentralized revision control system supporting Bazaar and Git formats |
| Monotone | Especially strong in its support of a diverge/merge workflow |
| Game of Trees | Prioritizes ease of use and simplicity over flexibility |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
 Explore our comprehensive directory of recommended free and open source software. Our carefully curated collection spans every major software category.This directory is part of our ongoing series of informative articles for Linux enthusiasts. It features hundreds of detailed reviews, along with open source alternatives to proprietary solutions from major corporations such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. You’ll also find interesting projects to try, hardware coverage, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. Discovered a useful open source Linux program that we haven’t covered yet? Let us know by completing this form. |