What Is Version Control? Git Basics Explained Simply

Before you write a single Git command, it helps to understand the problem Git is solving. Version control isn’t just a developer habit — it’s the answer to a frustrating experience that every programmer has had at least once.

The problem Git solves

Imagine you’re working on a Python project. Without Git, your project folder probably ends up looking like this:

my_script.py
my_script_v2.py
my_script_v2_final.py
my_script_v2_final_ACTUALLY_FINAL.py
my_script_backup_before_breaking_everything.py

Git solves this entire mess by tracking your changes properly, so you only ever need one file.

How Git works

Think of Git as taking snapshots of your code over time:

You write code — Make changes to your files as normal
You save a snapshot — This is called a “commit” in Git
Git remembers everything — Every snapshot, who made it, when, and why

Here’s a real example of what this means in practice:

# Monday: Your code works
def calculate_price(amount):
    return amount * 1.20  # 20% markup

# Tuesday: Boss wants 25% markup
def calculate_price(amount):
    return amount * 1.25  # Changed from 20% to 25%

# Wednesday: "Actually, can we go back to 20%?"
# With Git: Easy! Just go back to Monday's version
# Without Git: Hope you still have that file somewhere...

Key concepts you need to know

These six terms cover everything you’ll use on a daily basis: Repository (repo) — A project tracked by Git. Your python-for-ai folder can become a repository. Staging — Choosing which changes to include in your next snapshot. Like selecting items to put in a box before shipping. Commit — A saved snapshot of your code. Like saving in a video game — you can always go back to any save point. Push — Upload your commits to GitHub. This backs up your code online. Pull — Download changes from GitHub. How you get updates when collaborating. Clone — Copy an entire project from GitHub to your computer. This is how you download AI tools and examples.

First: Install Git

Check whether Git is already installed on your machine:

git --version

If you see a version number, you’re ready to go. If not, install Git using the instructions for your operating system:

Windows
macOS
Linux

Download the installer from git-scm.com/download/win
Run the installer
Keep all default settings — the defaults are fine
Restart VS Code after installation completes

Visit git-scm.com/downloads/mac for all installation options.Easiest method — install with Homebrew:

brew install git

Alternative — let macOS prompt you:

git --version

If Git isn’t found, macOS will offer to install the Xcode Command Line Tools, which include Git. Click Install and wait a few minutes.

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update
sudo apt install git

# Fedora
sudo dnf install git

# Arch
sudo pacman -S git

The simplest Git workflow

Once Git is installed, this is the core workflow you’ll repeat hundreds of times:

These are terminal commands, not Python code. Run them in VS Code’s integrated terminal (open it with Ctrl+`).

# 0. First time only — initialize Git in your project folder
git init

# 1. Stage all your changes
git add .

# 2. Save a snapshot with a message describing what changed
git commit -m "Add price calculation function"

# 3. Upload to GitHub (after connecting — see the next pages)
git push

That’s it. Three commands and your code is saved and backed up. You can run each command one at a time, or copy and paste all three lines at once — the terminal runs them in sequence.

If you see fatal: not a git repository, you need to run git init first. You only need to do this once per project, in the project’s root folder.

Common questions

Do I need to use the terminal?

No! VS Code has buttons for all Git operations. You’ll learn both approaches in this section, but you can stick to clicking if you prefer. The terminal commands are shown so you understand what’s happening underneath.

What if I mess up?

Git is very forgiving. Every commit is saved permanently, so you can always go back to a previous state. It’s actually harder to lose work with Git than without it.

Is Git the same as GitHub?

No. Git is the tool that runs on your computer and tracks changes. GitHub is a website that stores Git repositories online. You can use Git without GitHub, but GitHub makes sharing and backing up your work much easier.

What’s next?

Now that you understand how Git works, create your GitHub account so you have somewhere to store your code online.

GitHub Setup

Create your account and connect Git to GitHub in 5 minutes

Developer Tools

Project Structure

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What Is Version Control? Git Basics Explained Simply

The problem Git solves

How Git works

Key concepts you need to know

First: Install Git

The simplest Git workflow

Common questions

What’s next?

GitHub Setup

​The problem Git solves

​How Git works

​Key concepts you need to know

​First: Install Git

​The simplest Git workflow

​Common questions

​What’s next?

GitHub Setup

The problem Git solves

How Git works

Key concepts you need to know

First: Install Git

The simplest Git workflow

Common questions

What’s next?