Definition
Git records snapshots of your project over time. You commit changes locally, branch to experiment safely, and merge when ready. Remote hosts like GitHub enable team collaboration and CI.
It is the industry standard for software, data science notebooks, and ML experiment tracking.
In simple terms
Git is save points in a video game — you can try a risky path on a branch and return to an earlier save if it fails.
Where you see it
- Open-source AI repos on GitHub use Git for contributions.
- Teams review code via pull requests before merging.
- Reproducible ML requires pinning code versions with Git tags.
How it works
1.Commit
Snapshot staged changes with a message.
2.Branch
Isolate feature work from mainline.
3.Merge / rebase
Integrate branches back together.
4.Push / pull
Sync with remotes like GitHub.
Why it matters
- Git is non-negotiable for professional development and open-source AI work.
Often confused
Git and GitHub are the same thing.
Git is the tool; GitHub is one hosting service for Git repositories.