**Course Title:** Mastering Django Framework: Building Scalable Web Applications **Section Title:** Version Control and Deployment **Topic:** Introduction to Git and GitHub for version control **Overview** In this topic, we will introduce you to Git and GitHub, a powerful version control system that helps you manage changes to your codebase. Understanding Git and GitHub is essential for any developer, especially when working on collaborative projects. By the end of this topic, you will have a solid grasp of the basics of Git and GitHub, and be able to apply them to your Django projects. **What is Git?** Git is a free and open-source version control system that helps you can use to track changes in your codebase. It was created by Linus Torvalds in 2005 for the Linux kernel project. Git is a distributed version control system, which means that every developer working on the project has a full copy of the entire project history. **Key Concepts** Before we dive into the details of Git, let's cover some key concepts: * **Repository (Repo)**: A repository is the central location where all the files and history of a project are stored. * **Commit**: A commit is a snapshot of your codebase at a particular point in time. You can think of it as a save point. * **Branch**: A branch is a separate line of development in your repository. You can use branches to work on new features or fix bugs without affecting the main codebase. * **Merge**: A merge is the process of combining changes from one branch into another. **Getting Started with Git** To get started with Git, you need to install it on your computer. You can download the latest version of Git from the official Git website: <https://git-scm.com/downloads> Once you have installed Git, you can create a new repository using the following command: ```bash git add . git commit -m "Initial commit" git branch -M main ``` This will create a new repository, add all the files in the current directory, commit the changes, and create a new branch called `main`. **GitHub** GitHub is a web-based platform that allows you to host and manage your Git repositories. It provides a user-friendly interface for collaborating with others, tracking changes, and managing issues. To create a new repository on GitHub, follow these steps: 1. Go to the GitHub website: <https://github.com> 2. Click on the "+" button in the top right corner to create a new repository. 3. Fill in the required information, such as repository name, description, and visibility. 4. Click on the "Create repository" button to create the repository. **Collaborating on Django Projects using Git** In the next topic, we will cover how to collaborate on Django projects using Git. We will discuss how to create a new repository, add team members, and manage changes using Git. **Practical Takeaways** * Git is a powerful version control system that helps you manage changes to your codebase. * Understanding Git and GitHub is essential for any developer, especially when working on collaborative projects. * Create a new repository using the `git add .`, `git commit`, and `git branch` commands. * Host your repository on GitHub using the GitHub website. **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.**