What is Git?

A beginner-friendly introduction to version control — the system that lets developers track, undo, and collaborate on code safely.

The simple explanation

Git is like "Save As" with a time machine. Imagine you are writing a book. Every time you finish a chapter, you save a snapshot of the entire manuscript. If you later decide chapter 5 was better two weeks ago, you can jump back to that exact snapshot. Git does this automatically for software projects.

Git is a version control system. That is a fancy way of saying it keeps a history of every change ever made to a project. Developers use it because:

  • Nothing is ever truly lost. Every version is saved and can be restored.
  • Multiple people can work at the same time without overwriting each other.
  • You can experiment safely. Try something wild; if it breaks, just go back.

Key concepts

Repository (repo)

A repository is your project folder — but with a hidden diary inside that records every change. Think of it like a shared Google Drive folder that also remembers who changed what and when.

Every BACON-AI project lives in its own repository. For example, the Mesh Hub project has one repository that contains all its code, configuration files, and history.

Commit

A commit is a save point — like pressing "Save" in a video game. It captures the exact state of every file at that moment. Each commit has a short message describing what changed, such as feat: add dark mode toggle.

Commits are the building blocks of Git history. You can think of them as entries in a logbook:

gitGraph commit id: "Initial setup" commit id: "Add homepage" commit id: "Fix typo" commit id: "Add sidebar" commit id: "Style updates"

Each dot is a commit — a snapshot of the entire project at a point in time. Time moves from left to right.

Branch

A branch is a separate line of work. We will cover this in depth on the next page, but here is the quick version:

Branches are like drafts of a document. You make a copy to try a new introduction. If you like it, you merge it back into the original. If not, you delete the draft. The original was never at risk.

How Git fits into the bigger picture

mindmap root((Git Concepts)) Repository Your project folder Contains all history Shared with the team Commit A save point Has a message Has a unique ID Branch Parallel timeline Safe to experiment Merges back later Remote Copy on GitHub Backup of your work Where others access it

The four core Git concepts and what they mean in plain language.

What about GitHub?

Git is the tool. GitHub is a website where teams store their Git repositories online. Think of it this way:

Git

The engine under the hood. Tracks changes, manages history, enables collaboration. Runs on your computer.

GitHub

The parking garage in the cloud. Stores your project online so the whole team can access it, discuss changes, and review work.

BACON-AI uses GitHub (at github.com/TheBacons) to store all project repositories. When a developer says "I pushed to GitHub", they mean they uploaded their latest commits to the online copy.

Key takeaways

Remember these three things:
  • A repository is a project folder with built-in history tracking.
  • A commit is a save point you can always return to.
  • Git never loses work — every version is preserved.