Git and GitHub: Version Control and Professional Collaboration

At the beginning of my career as a programmer, I worked without version control. I saved code in folders with names like final_project, final_project2, DEFINITIVE_project… and I always ended up losing changes or not knowing which version was the right one. When I discovered Git, everything changed.

Git is the most widely used version control system in the world, and GitHub is the platform that takes it to the next level, facilitating collaboration, code review, and contribution to open source projects.

Why Git is essential

Git allows me to save the complete history of my code. Each commit is like a snapshot of the project at a specific moment. If something fails, I can go back. If I want to experiment with a new feature, I create a branch, and if it works, I merge it with the main branch. If it doesn’t work, I simply discard it.

This gives me freedom to experiment without fear of breaking anything.

GitHub and collaboration

GitHub not only hosts my code, but also facilitates collaboration with other developers. I can make pull requests, review others’ code, open issues to report bugs or propose improvements, and contribute to open source projects from around the world.

Additionally, GitHub is my public portfolio. Companies can see my projects, my coding style, my activity, and my contributions. It’s a fundamental tool for showing my work.

My workflow with Git

I use Git daily. My workflow is simple but effective:

1. I create a new branch for each feature (feature/feature-name)
2. I make small, descriptive commits while working
3. Before merging, I rebase or merge the main branch
4. I open a pull request for others to review my code
5. Once approved, I merge and deploy

Today, I can’t imagine working without Git. It’s the tool that allows me to be organized, professional, and collaborative.