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Versioning Best Practices

Versioning is an important aspect of software development. It allows developers to keep track of changes made to their code and roll back to previous versions if necessary. In this tutorial, we will cover the best practices for versioning when using Git as your version control system.

Understanding Versioning in Git​

In Git, every time you commit changes to your project, Git creates a unique ID (also called a hash) for that commit. This ID allows you to refer back to that specific version of your project in the future. However, remembering and referencing these IDs can be cumbersome. Therefore, Git also allows you to tag specific commits with a human-readable name.

Semantic Versioning​

Semantic versioning, or SemVer, is a versioning scheme for software that aims to convey meaning about the underlying changes with a version number. A semantic version number is made up of three parts: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH.

  • MAJOR version indicates that there are incompatible changes in the API.
  • MINOR version means that a new feature was added in a backwards-compatible manner.
  • PATCH version means that backwards-compatible bug fixes were introduced.

Tagging in Git​

You can create a new tag in git with the git tag command followed by the tag name. For example:

git tag v1.0.0

This command creates a new tag named v1.0.0. You can then push the tag to the remote repository with the git push command:

git push origin v1.0.0

Best Practices​

Here are some best practices for versioning in git:

  1. Use Semantic Versioning: Semantic versioning helps you and others understand how the software has changed from one version to another.

  2. Tag All Releases: Whenever you release a new version of your software, make sure to tag it in Git. This makes it easy for others to download and use specific versions of your software.

  3. Write Good Commit Messages: Each commit is a new version of your software. So, it's important to write clear, descriptive commit messages that explain what changes were made.

  4. Don't Alter Published History: Once you've pushed a commit (or any Git object) to a public repository, don't change it. Changing published history can cause problems for others.

  5. Keep a CHANGELOG: A CHANGELOG file helps other people see what notable changes have been made between each version of your software.

Remember, versioning is not just about keeping track of different versions of your software. It's about communicating changes and ensuring that your users and your team are all on the same page. Happy versioning!