Git & GitHub

What is Git?

Git is a version control system that tracks changes in your code.

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Why Version Control is Important

Version control helps you manage your code safely and efficiently.

Key Benefits

• Track Changes – See what changed and when
• Undo Mistakes – Revert to earlier versions
• Collaboration – Work with others without overwriting work
• Backup – Your code history is stored and recoverable

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Traditional vs Modern Approach to Version Control

Traditional Approach

Say you have a text file called file.txt. You make a change to it but want to track that change, so you save it with a new name like file_v01.txt.

As you continue working, you might end up with:

file.txt
file_v01.txt
file_v02.txt
file_v02_FINAL.txt
file_v02_FINAL_REALLY.txt

Over time, this approach becomes difficult to manage.

Common Problems

• Hard to know which version is the most up-to-date
• No clear history of what changed between versions
• Difficult to collaborate with others
• Easy to accidentally overwrite or lose work
• No record of who made specific changes

Modern Approach (Using Git)

With Git, you keep a single file and track changes using commits.

file.txt

Git History:
o──o──o──o

Each point represents a saved version of your project.

Advantages of Git

• Tracks changes automatically
• Allows you to revert to previous versions at any time
• Makes collaboration easier and safer
• Records who made changes and why
• Keeps your project organized without duplicate files

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Visual Comparison

Traditional:                Git:

file_v1.txt                 file.txt
file_v2.txt                    |
file_v3.txt                    v
file_FINAL.txt              o──o──o──o

Instead of managing many confusing file copies, Git provides a clear and reliable history of your work—making it easier to organize, track, and collaborate on projects.

Visual: Git as a Timeline

Working Directory → Staging Area → Repository

   file.txt        git add          git commit
      |               |                 |
      v               v                 v
   (edited)      (staged)        (saved snapshot)

Think of Git as a time machine for your code.

What is GitHub?

GitHub is a cloud platform where you store and share your Git repositories.

Visual: Local vs GitHub

Your Computer (Local)        GitHub (Remote)
---------------------        ----------------
   Your Project   ───────▶    Online Repository
       ▲                         │
       └───────────────◀─────────┘
           push              pull

GitHub Features

In addition to version control management, GitHub offers:

• Issue tracking
• Project management
• Collaborations
• And many other features

Making Your Code Citable (Zenodo + GitHub)

While GitHub is great at keeping your code up-to-date, in research publication, you often want to create a snapshot of the code you used as part of your analyis. GitHub does offer ‘releases’, but in the academic world, DOIs (Digital Object Identifier) are the gold standard.

You can turn your GitHub repository into a citable research product using Zenodo.

How it Works

1. Create a repository on GitHub
2. Connect it to Zenodo (https://zenodo.org)
3. Create a release in GitHub
4. Zenodo assigns a DOI

Visual: Citation Workflow

Summary

• Version control keeps your work safe and organized
• GitHub enables collaboration and project management
• Zenodo allows your code to be cited like a research publication