Git is a distributed version control system (VCS) that helps track changes in source code, collaborate with teams, and manage different versions of a project efficiently.
Key points: Every developer has a full copy of the repository (not just a central one). You can track history, revert mistakes, and experiment safely with branches. It’s the backbone for tools like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket.
DevOps = Development + Operations. Git sits at the center of this collaboration. Here’s how:
-
Source Code Management (SCM) DevOps engineers often manage not just app code but also infrastructure code (Terraform, Ansible, Helm, Kubernetes YAML). Git ensures everything is version-controlled, reproducible, and auditable.
-
Collaboration Teams can work on the same project simultaneously using branches. Git workflows (like GitFlow, trunk-based) help manage releases and hotfixes.
-
CI/CD Pipelines Tools like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and CircleCI integrate directly with Git. A new commit/push can automatically trigger builds, tests, and deployments.
-
GitOps A modern DevOps practice where Git is the single source of truth for infrastructure and deployments. Tools like ArgoCD and Flux continuously sync Git with Kubernetes clusters.
-
Audit & Rollback If something breaks, you can quickly roll back to a previous commit/tag. Provides a clear audit trail of who changed what and when.
Git is the foundation of DevOps workflows. Without Git, CI/CD pipelines, GitOps, collaborative coding, and version-controlled infrastructure wouldn’t exist.
- Branching & Experimentation
DevOps engineers can test infrastructure or configuration changes in feature branches before merging to production.