Definition
Git is a version control system: software that records every change made to a set of files, who made it and why, and lets you go back to any earlier state. Created by Linus Torvalds in 2005 for Linux development, Git is now the standard for nearly all software teams. It allows many developers to work on the same codebase at once, in separate branches, and to merge their changes safely. Platforms such as GitHub and GitLab host Git repositories and add collaboration features.
In a company, Git is the memory and the audit trail of your software. Every feature, fix and configuration change is a commit that can be reviewed, traced and reverted. It enables code review before changes reach production, automated testing on every change, and recovery when something breaks. Beyond code, teams use Git for infrastructure definitions, documentation and increasingly for the prompts and configurations of AI systems.
Git remains unchallenged as the version control standard, and its hosting platforms have become the centre of the development workflow, integrating CI/CD, security scanning and AI coding agents that open and review pull requests. The misconception is that Git is only for developers. Any asset that changes over time and matters, from legal templates to AI prompts, benefits from the same discipline of tracked, reviewable change.
In practice
A bug reached production after a rushed change. Because every change was in Git, the team identified the exact commit in minutes, reverted it, and restored service before most customers noticed, then fixed it properly with a reviewed change.
Why it matters
Git is what makes your software auditable and recoverable. If your company builds software and does not use version control with code review, that is a risk you should fix this month.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between Git and GitHub?
- Git is the version control software that runs on a developer's computer and tracks changes. GitHub is a company and website that hosts Git repositories online and adds features such as pull requests, issue tracking, code review and automation. Alternatives to GitHub include GitLab and Bitbucket.
- Why is version control important for a business?
- It gives you a complete history of your software, protects against lost work, lets several people collaborate without overwriting each other, supports review before changes go live, and makes it possible to roll back quickly when something fails. It is the foundation of reliable software delivery.