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Git vocabulary

Clone / Cloning

A clone is a copy of a remote repository on your computer instead of on a server somewhere.

Cloning is the act of making that copy.

Commit

The action of submitting a change for permanent tracking by Git.

Git

Free and open-source software that keeps track of changes to files and directories.

A reference variable that always points to the tip of the current branch in the repository.

Main

The default development branch. Whenever you create a git repository, a branch named "main" is created, and becomes the active branch.

Repository

A directory that has been identified by Git so that it can track changes made within the directory.

SHA

The hash algorithm that Git uses to generate a checksum number for each change in a document.

Staging

One tree in the three-tree architecture of Git that is an index of changes made to a working directory and are ready to commit.

Version control

The process of being able to track, view, apply, or undo changes to a document.

Version control system (VCS)

A tool for managing source code. With a VCS, you can share files, track changes, and manage changes from different authors.

Working directory

One tree in the three-tree architecture of Git containing all the changes that have not yet been tracked.

Sources