Version control system
A version control system (also known as a VCS) is a tool that helps you keep track of how your project changes over time. It remembers every edit, lets you go back to earlier versions, and makes it easier for people to work together without stepping on each other's toes.
In the early days, these systems were centralized—everything lived on one main server. You had to stay connected to it to make changes, and if that server went down, the whole team stopped working.
Modern systems are distributed. Everyone has their own complete copy of the project and its history on their computer. You can make changes, explore ideas, and share your work whenever you're ready. It's faster, more flexible, and far more resilient.
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It lets you work offline. You've got the whole project on your computer, so even on a plane or somewhere without internet, you can keep making progress, saving your work, and exploring past versions without interruption.
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It gives developers room to experiment. Everyone can have their own space to try new ideas without touching the main code base. You can test wild ideas, refactor fearlessly, and only merge into main when things are solid. Collaboration becomes exploration, not risk.
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It offers built-in redundancy. Every developer's copy is a complete backup of the project, not just a snapshot. If a server crashes or a repo disappears, any clone can bring it all back to life in minutes.
The most popular version control system today is Git, which is a distributed version control system (yay!).