Git Version Control Basics: Core Differences Between Distributed and Centralized Systems

Version control is a core tool for managing code changes in software development, addressing issues such as multi-person collaboration and version rollback. This article compares centralized and distributed version control: Centralized version control systems (e.g., SVN) rely on a central repository, where all code must be uploaded and downloaded through a central server. They depend on network connectivity, have weak offline capabilities, and often lead to file conflicts when multiple users modify the same file simultaneously, which require manual resolution. In distributed version control systems (e.g., Git), each developer maintains a complete local repository, while the central server merely acts as a data synchronization hub. Git supports robust offline operations, enabling local commits and branching. It facilitates flexible collaboration, with conflicts marked by the system for autonomous merging, and ensures high data security due to multiple local backups. Key differences: Centralized systems depend on a central repository, whereas distributed systems feature local independence; centralized systems are constrained by network connectivity, while distributed systems allow seamless offline work; centralized collaboration requires central coordination, whereas distributed systems offer greater flexibility. As a mainstream distributed tool, Git excels with its local repository, offline functionality, and flexible collaboration, making it a standard in development. Beginners should master its basic operations.