**Course Title:** Mastering Ruby on Rails: Building Scalable Web Applications **Section Title:** Version Control, Deployment, and CI/CD **Topic:** Introduction to Git and GitHub for version control **Introduction** In this topic, we will introduce you to the world of version control using Git and GitHub. Version control is a crucial aspect of software development, as it allows multiple developers to collaborate on a project while maintaining a record of all changes made. Git and GitHub are the most popular version control systems, and understanding how to use them is essential for any Ruby on Rails developer. **What is Git?** Git is a free and open-source version control system that allows you to track changes made to your codebase over time. It was created by Linus Torvalds in 2005 and has since become the most widely used version control system in the world. **Key Concepts** Before we dive into the details of Git, let's cover some key concepts: * **Repository**: A repository, or repo, is the central location where all the files and history of a project are stored. * **Commit**: A commit is a snapshot of a project at a particular point in time. It includes all the changes made since the last commit. * **Branch**: A branch is a separate line of development in a repository. It allows you to work on a new feature or bug fix without affecting the main codebase. * **Merge**: A merge is the process of combining two branches into a single branch. **Installing Git and GitHub** To get started with Git and GitHub, you'll need to install them on your local machine. Here's how: 1. Go to the Git website ([https://git-scm.com/downloads](https://git-scm.com/downloads)) and download the latest version of Git for your operating system. 2. Follow the installation instructions to install Git. 3. Go to the GitHub website ([https://github.com/](https://github.com/)) and create a new account. 4. Install the GitHub Desktop application on your local machine. **Basic Git Commands** Here are some basic Git commands to get you started: * `git init`: Initializes a new Git repository. * `git add`: Adds files to the staging area. * `git commit`: Commits changes to the repository. * `git log`: Displays a log of all commits made to the repository. * `git branch`: Creates a new branch or switches to an existing one. * `git merge`: Merges two branches into a single branch. **GitHub Basics** Here are some basic GitHub concepts: * **Repository**: A repository is the central location where all the files and history of a project are stored. * **Fork**: A fork is a copy of a repository that you can use to work on a new feature or bug fix. * **Pull request**: A pull request is a request to merge changes from a fork into the original repository. **Practical Takeaways** Here are some practical takeaways from this topic: * Use Git to track changes made to your codebase. * Create a new branch to work on a new feature or bug fix without affecting the main codebase. * Use the `git add` and `git commit` commands to stage and commit changes. * Use the `git log` command to display a log of all commits made to the repository. * Use GitHub to collaborate with others on a project. **Exercise** Create a new Git repository and add a few files to it. Then, commit those files and create a new branch to work on a new feature. Finally, merge the new branch into the main branch and push the changes to GitHub. **Comment/Ask for Help** Please leave a comment or ask for help if you have any questions or need further clarification on any of the concepts covered in this topic. **Next Topic** In the next topic, we will cover "Collaborating on Rails projects using branches and pull requests."