the_information_nexus/tech_docs/git_overview.md

Understanding Git lingo is a crucial step toward mastering version control with Git. Here's a breakdown of some essential terms, including checkout, and how they fit into the Git workflow:

1. Checkout

• What It Is: The git checkout command is used to switch between branches or revert files in your working directory to a previous state.
• How It Fits: If you want to switch your focus from one branch to another, or if you need to restore previous versions of files, you'll use checkout.

2. Pull

• What It Is: git pull is a command that fetches the latest changes from a remote repository and integrates them into your current branch.
• How It Fits: This is commonly used to synchronize your local repository with updates from others in your team.

3. Push

• What It Is: git push uploads your local branch updates to a remote repository.
• How It Fits: After committing your changes locally, use push to share your changes with teammates or to backup your commits on a remote server.

4. Clone

• What It Is: git clone is used to create a local copy of a remote repository.
• How It Fits: This is typically the first step when you start working on a project that's stored in a remote repository.

5. Commit

• What It Is: A git commit takes a snapshot of your staged changes. It’s like saving a version of your files at a specific point.
• How It Fits: Commits form the backbone of your project’s history. Before you can push updates to a remote repository, you need to commit them locally.

6. Branch

• What It Is: Branching means diverging from the main line of development and continuing to work without messing up that main line.
• How It Fits: Branches are used to develop features isolated from each other. The master branch (now commonly called the main branch) is the "default" branch when you create a repository.

7. Merge

• What It Is: git merge integrates changes from one branch into another. This can be a feature branch into the main branch, for example.
• How It Fits: After a feature is developed in a branch, it is merged back into the main branch.

8. Fetch

• What It Is: git fetch downloads commits, files, and refs from a remote repository into your local repo.
• How It Fits: Fetching allows you to see what others have done, without merging those changes into your own branch.

9. Stash

• What It Is: git stash temporarily shelves (or stashes) changes you've made to your working directory so you can work on something else, then come back and re-apply them later on.
• How It Fits: Stashing is useful if you need to quickly switch context and work on something else, but you're not ready to commit your work.

10. Rebase

• What It Is: git rebase is a way to move or combine a sequence of commits to a new base commit.
• How It Fits: Rebasing is used to maintain a clean project history by integrating changes from one branch into another through a series of patches.

Understanding these terms and how they fit into the Git lifecycle will help you effectively manage your projects and collaborate with others. Each command plays a specific role in the workflow of version control, enabling a smooth development process across different branches and with multiple collaborators.