Introduction To Version Control

What is Version Control?

Version control is a system that records changes to a file or set of files over time so that you can recall specific versions later. It allows multiple people to collaborate on a project, tracks the history of changes, and helps in managing different versions of the project efficiently.

Why Use Version Control?

Here are a few reasons why version control is essential:

Collaboration: Multiple people can work on the same project simultaneously.
History: Every change is recorded, so you can revert to previous versions if needed.
Backup: Version control systems serve as a backup of your project.
Branching and Merging: Work on different features or fixes in isolation and merge them when ready.

Types of Version Control Systems

There are several types of version control systems, but the most common ones are:

Local Version Control Systems: These keep track of files locally on your computer.
Centralized Version Control Systems (CVCS): These systems use a central server to store files and enable collaboration.
Distributed Version Control Systems (DVCS): These systems allow multiple repositories, with each user having a complete copy of the repository.

Popular Version Control Systems

Some of the popular version control systems are:

Git: A distributed version control system widely used in open-source and commercial projects.
Subversion (SVN): A centralized version control system.
Mercurial: Another distributed version control system similar to Git.

Basic Git Commands

Let's go through some basic Git commands to get you started:

Initialize a new Git repository:

git init

Clone an existing repository:

git clone <repository_url>

Check the status of your repository:

git status

Add changes to the staging area:

git add <file_name>

Commit changes:

git commit -m "commit message"

Push changes to a remote repository:

git push origin <branch_name>

Examples in Ansible

Let's see how version control can be beneficial for managing Ansible playbooks:

Creating a new repository for Ansible playbooks:

mkdir ansible-playbooks
cd ansible-playbooks
git init

Adding a playbook to the repository:

git add my-playbook.yml

Committing the playbook:

git commit -m "Add initial playbook"

Checking the repository status: