Version Control & Git

Snapshots, the commit DAG & branching

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How Git records every change as a hashed snapshot in a commit DAG, how branches and HEAD work as movable pointers, and how teams collaborate through staging, merging, rebasing, and pull requests.

By the end, you can

Explain what problem version control solves and name three failure modes of working without it.
Distinguish a centralized VCS from a distributed one, and explain what "distributed" enables offline.
State what a Git commit actually stores (a full snapshot, not a diff) and how it is named.
Name Git's four object types and describe what each stores.
Trace how the branch pointer and HEAD move when you make a new commit.
Walk a change through the three Git areas using the correct commands at each step.
Explain the purpose of the staging area and why it exists.
Describe what a merge commit is and when a merge conflict occurs, and outline the steps to resolve one.
Contrast merge and rebase, including the "golden rule" of rebasing.
Identify what git pull does under the hood.
Explain the role of a pull request in a collaborative workflow.
State what belongs in a .gitignore and the difference between annotated and lightweight tags.
Recite the everyday Git command loop in order: clone, add, commit, push/pull.

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