Git fundamentals and design overview

Git as distributed version control system

Git is a distributed version control system used to manage versions of source code or other data, enabling collaborative development. Unlike traditional client–server systems, Git keeps a full local copy of the repository (including its history) on each developer’s computer, so work and history tracking can continue without network access or a central server. Repositories can synchronize changes with other repositories that share history, and while peers are technically equal, teams often use a central server to host an integrated copy. Git was originally created by Linus Torvalds in 2005 for Linux kernel development, with design goals focused on speed, data integrity, and strong support for distributed, non-linear workflows (such as many parallel branches). Its design emphasizes lightweight branching and merging, cryptographic integrity of commit history (commit IDs depend on the full history), and efficient handling of large projects through snapshot-based storage and mechanisms like garbage collection and packfiles. Git also supports multiple merge strategies and provides compatibility with existing systems and protocols (e.g., CVS emulation and git-svn).

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Local repository and full history copies

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