Programming Languages and Paradigms
Programming Languages and Paradigms
Programming Languages and Paradigms
Let’s highlight three key reasons why version control is important to both
software developers and product/project managers:
1. Streamlined release management
One key advantage of version control is its facilitation of release
management. It helps in maintaining different versions of software releases.
These releases encapsulate various enhancements and features developed for
different customers, aligning with the release roadmap.
2. Conflict prevention
Version control helps avoid code conflicts within the source code base. By
maintaining separate branches for different releases, it minimizes the chance of
changes overlapping and causing conflicts.
3. Tracking changes to digital artifacts
In addition to source code, version control helps track changes to other
digital artifacts involved in software development. This could include technical
design specifications, requirement documents, or any other deliverables that may
be subject to multiple iterations.
Types of version control
Version control systems come three main forms, each with its own set of
advantages and drawbacks:
1. Local version control
In local version control, changes are stored locally in the files as a hotfix or
patch before being pushed to a single version of code in a database. If any local
versions or the single code version become corrupted, retrieving changes can be
a challenge.
2. Central version control
Central version control hosts different versions of the code in a centralized
repository. Users can access these versions, and push or pull changes as
needed.
However, if the centralized repository becomes corrupted, retrieval can be
difficult.
3. Distributed version control
Distributed version control is the most sophisticated of the three. Here,
each local repository fully mirrors the central repository, including its history.
This means that even if the central repository becomes corrupted, it’s not a
problem. Any local servers can send a copy of the history and repository to other
local servers or back to the central server.