Book excerpt: Summary Learn Git in a Month of Lunches introduces the discipline of source code control using Git. Whether you're a newbie or a busy pro moving your source control to Git, you'll appreciate how this book concentrates on the components of Git you'll use every day. In easy-to-follow lessons designed to take an hour or less, you'll dig into Git's distributed collaboration model, along with core concepts like committing, branching, and merging. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the Book Git is the source code control system preferred by modern development teams. Its decentralized architecture and lightning-fast branching let you concentrate on your code instead of tedious version control tasks. At first, Git may seem like a sprawling beast. Fortunately, to get started you just need to master a few essential techniques. Read on! Learn Git in a Month of Lunches introduces the discipline of source code control using Git. Helpful for both newbies who have never used source control and busy pros, this book concentrates on the components of Git you'll use every day. In easy-to-follow lessons that take an hour or less, you'll dig into Git's distributed collaboration model, along with core concepts like committing, branching, and merging. This book is a road map to the commands and processes you need to be instantly productive. What's Inside Start from square one—no experience required The most frequently used Git commands Mental models that show how Git works Learn when and how to branch code About the Reader No previous experience with Git or other source control systems is required. About the Author Rick Umali uses Git daily as a developer and is a skilled consultant, trainer, and speaker. Table of Contents Before you begin An overview of Git and version control Getting oriented with Git Making and using a Git repository Using Git with a GUI Tracking and updating files in Git Committing parts of changes The time machine that is Git Taking a fork in the road Merging branches Cloning Collaborating with remotes Pushing your changes Keeping in sync Software archaeology Understanding git rebase Workflows and branching conventions Working with GitHub Third-party tools and Git Sharpening your Git