2.1 Why Git — zip folders vs history
Friends still send badge_final.zip, then badge_final_v2.zip, then menu_USE_THIS.zip. Nobody knows which file is live. Nobody knows who changed the badge field.
Git is a version control system — software that stores snapshots of your project files and the story of how they changed. Each snapshot is a commit (a saved checkpoint with a message and an author).
Why it matters for an Instagram-style badge API : two people can edit the badge API without overwriting each other blindly. You can answer, "What changed on Tuesday?" and "How do we go back?"
| Zip / copy folder | Git repository |
|---|---|
| One folder = one moment | Many commits = full timeline |
| Easy to lose "which is final" | main (or master) points at the current line |
| Hard to merge two edits | Git can merge histories (next chapter) |
| Secrets often copied by accident | .gitignore keeps junk and secrets out |
Git runs on your laptop. GitHub (and similar hosts) store a copy online so the team can share. This chapter is mostly local Git. Remotes and pull requests come next.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
Khup students Git aani GitHub ekach vastu samajtat. Git = tool on your machine. GitHub = website that hosts Git repos. Offline pan git commit chalto. Lakshat theva!