What is git?

This repository is git, the widely used distributed version control system that tracks changes to files and lets many people collaborate on the same project without stepping on each other's work. It was originally written by Linus Torvalds, with help from a large community of contributors, and is released as open source under the GNU General Public License version 2, with some parts under compatible licenses. Git gives you both simple, everyday commands and full access to its internals, which is part of why it has become the standard tool developers reach for when managing source code history: you can save snapshots of a project called commits, branch off to work on something separately, and merge changes back together later. The README does not describe git's features in detail here, since the project maintains extensive separate documentation instead. For getting started, the repository points to an INSTALL file with setup instructions, and to git-scm.com for full documentation and related tools. It also references a tutorial document and an everyday guide covering a useful minimum set of commands, along with per-command documentation you can read either as files in the repository or through the built in help system once git itself is installed, for example by running a help command for tutorial or for any individual git command. Users coming from CVS, an older version control system, are pointed to a dedicated migration guide. Development and discussion happen on a public mailing list, where anyone can send bug reports, feature requests, comments, and patches, following the project's guidelines for submitting patches and coding style. Security issues are handled separately through a private security mailing list rather than the public list. Volunteers interested in translating git's error and informational messages into other languages are pointed to a translation guide. The README closes with a short, informal history of how the name git came about, including Linus Torvalds' own tongue in cheek explanations for what the letters could stand for.