Version control

Definition: The practice of managing and recording changes to digital resources (e.g. files, websites, programmes, etc.) over time so that you can recall specific versions later. Version control systems are designed to record the history of changes (who, what and when), and help to avoid human errors (e.g. working on the wrong version). For example, the Git version control system is a widely used software tool that originally helped software developers to version control shared code and is now used across many scientific disciplines to manage and share files.

Related terms: Git, Reproducibility, Software configuration management, Source code management, Source control

Reference: https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Getting-Started-About-Version-Control

Drafted and Reviewed by: Mahmoud Elsherif, Sarah Ashcroft-Jones, Thomas Rhys Evans, Helena Hartmann, Matt Jaquiery, Adam Parker, Charlotte R. Pennington, Robert M. Ross, Timo Roettger, Andrew J. Stewart

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