What Is Git?
Git is a version control system: software that tracks every change to a set of files and records who changed what, when and why. Linus Torvalds, who also created Linux, wrote it in 2005 to manage the development of the Linux kernel, and today it is developed by an open-source community. It's used for code of every kind, from small websites to operating systems.
Work is saved as commits: snapshots of the project, each with a short message explaining the change. Branches let several lines of work run side by side, a new feature here and a bug fix there, and merge back together when they're ready. Git is distributed, so every copy of a project, called a repository, holds its complete history and keeps working offline.
Git is free, open-source software released under the GPL license, and it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. It works on its own on any computer, but it's usually paired with an online service that stores repositories and adds tools for working together. We use GitHub for this, so every project also has a safe copy away from our own computers.
Where We Use Git
Every project we build lives in Git from its first day. This is what it does for you:
A Record of Every Change
Each change, from a new page to a corrected phone number, is saved with a message that explains it. Months later we can still see what changed, when and why.
Parallel Work on Branches
New features and design changes are built on separate branches, so several people can work at once while the live site stays untouched until the work has been checked and approved.
Safe Rollbacks
If an update causes a problem, we can quickly return to the last working version without guessing which files changed. Nothing is overwritten or lost along the way.
Full History at Handover
At handover you receive the repository with its complete history, not just the final files. Whoever looks after the site next can see how it was built and why.
Why Git?
Nothing Gets Lost
Every copy of a repository contains the whole history. Even if a computer breaks down, the project and every earlier version are safe in the other copies.
Clear Responsibility
Each change carries its author, date and description, so the work is transparent. Questions like “when did this text change?” have a precise answer.
Free and Widely Known
Git is free and open source, with no license fees, and it's so widely used that developers you work with in future will almost certainly know it already.
How We Work on Your Project
We create the repository on the first day and set up the main branch, which always holds the version that's live or ready to go live. Each task gets its own branch; when it's finished, another team member reviews it before it's merged, and only then is it published.
Before launch we tag the version that goes live, so it can always be found again, and check that no passwords, API keys or other secrets have entered the history. At handover we transfer the repository with its full history to you and show you how to read it.
