A List of Contexts Where Version Control is Useful

Version control is a kind of system that monitors and keeps a record of changes that occur on a file or set of files over time. This allows the user to recall specific versions of the files later.

A Version Control System is also known as a Revision Control System and it is essential for any form of distributed, collaborative development. It tracks every change made to the files, along with the user who made the change, why they made it, and references to problems fixed, or enhancements introduced, by the change. It also allows the ability to reverse the changes made when necessary.

Listed below is list of contexts where version control is useful.

• You want to review the history of some code.
• You want to submit a certain change to another person’s code.
• You have lost your code or you have a backup that is too old.
• You want to experiment with a new feature without interfering with the current working code.
• You want to share your code or let other people work on your code.
• You have to maintain multiple versions of a product.
• You want to see the difference between multiple versions of your code.
• You have made a change to code, realise it was a mistake and want to revert back to an earlier version.
• You want to monitor the progress of work done i.e. how much work is being done, where, when and by whom?
• You want to prove that a particular change broke or fixed a piece of code.