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1. Getting Started
- 1.1 About Version Control
- 1.2 A Short History of Git
- 1.3 Git Basics
- 1.4 Installing Git
- 1.5 First-Time Git Setup
- 1.6 Getting Help
- 1.7 Summary
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2. Git Basics
- 2.1 Getting a Git Repository
- 2.2 Recording Changes to the Repository
- 2.3 Viewing the Commit History
- 2.4 Undoing Things
- 2.5 Working with Remotes
- 2.6 Tagging
- 2.7 Tips and Tricks
- 2.8 Summary
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3. Git Branching
- 3.1 What a Branch Is
- 3.2 Basic Branching and Merging
- 3.3 Branch Management
- 3.4 Branching Workflows
- 3.5 Remote Branches
- 3.6 Rebasing
- 3.7 Summary
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4. Git on the Server
- 4.1 The Protocols
- 4.2 Getting Git on a Server
- 4.3 Generating Your SSH Public Key
- 4.4 Setting Up the Server
- 4.5 Public Access
- 4.6 GitWeb
- 4.7 Gitosis
- 4.8 Gitolite
- 4.9 Git Daemon
- 4.10 Hosted Git
- 4.11 Summary
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5. Distributed Git
- 5.1 Distributed Workflows
- 5.2 Contributing to a Project
- 5.3 Maintaining a Project
- 5.4 Summary
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6. Git Tools
- 6.1 Revision Selection
- 6.2 Interactive Staging
- 6.3 Stashing
- 6.4 Rewriting History
- 6.5 Debugging with Git
- 6.6 Submodules
- 6.7 Subtree Merging
- 6.8 Summary
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7. Customizing Git
- 7.1 Git Configuration
- 7.2 Git Attributes
- 7.3 Git Hooks
- 7.4 An Example Git-Enforced Policy
- 7.5 Summary
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8. Git and Other Systems
- 8.1 Git and Subversion
- 8.2 Migrating to Git
- 8.3 Summary
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9. Git Internals
- 9.1 Plumbing and Porcelain
- 9.2 Git Objects
- 9.3 Git References
- 9.4 Packfiles
- 9.5 The Refspec
- 9.6 Transfer Protocols
- 9.7 Maintenance and Data Recovery
- 9.8 Summary
Chapter 3
Git Branching
Nearly every VCS has some form of branching support. Branching means you diverge from the main line of development and continue to do work without messing with that main line. In many VCS tools, this is a somewhat expensive process, often requiring you to create a new copy of your source code directory, which can take a long time for large projects.
Some people refer to the branching model in Git as its “killer feature” , and it certainly sets Git apart in the VCS community. Why is it so special? The way Git branches is incredibly lightweight, making branching operations nearly instantaneous and switching back and forth between branches generally just as fast. Unlike many other VCSs, Git encourages a workflow that branches and merges often, even multiple times in a day. Understanding and mastering this feature gives you a powerful and unique tool and can literally change the way that you develop.