Version Control System

Noun · Development

Definitions

  1. Software that manages changes to a collection of files by recording each revision as a snapshot or set of diffs, supporting branching, merging, and history inspection. Modern systems like Git are distributed (every clone has full history), while older systems like SVN use a centralized server model.

    In plain English: A tool — like Git — that keeps a complete history of every change to your project files, letting teams collaborate and undo mistakes.

    Example: "Git became the dominant version control system because it made branching cheap and merging actually work."

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