Git review
A broad, free distributed workflow for developers who need precise history control.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Git is a free, open-source distributed version control system for developers and teams managing projects from small codebases to very large repositories. It records file changes in local repositories, preserves project history, and supports sharing changes with remote repositories. The workflow covers repository initialization and cloning, commits, comparisons, branching, merging, tags, and remote fetch, pull, and push operations. With support for Windows, macOS, and Linux, Git fits teams working across the three major desktop platforms and projects that need local control over their history.
Its strongest advantage is the depth of its core workflow. Developers can rebase, cherry-pick, revert, and reset changes, while the staging area supports selective file updates before a commit. Sparse checkout limits the working copy to selected paths, and submodules support nested repositories. These capabilities make Git suitable for general-purpose development workflows that need fine-grained control over changes and repository structure. Git is also self-hosted and open source, with graphical interfaces, editor integrations, hosting services, and extensions available across its broader ecosystem.
Git's main trade-off is that it is primarily a command-line tool, so teams seeking one integrated visual experience may prefer a graphical interface or a platform built around one. Core Git does not provide file locking, and large-file versioning and file-locking capabilities come through Git LFS as a separate extension. Git is a strong choice for developers and teams that want free, distributed version control with a wide command set. It is less suited to projects that require built-in file locking or large-file workflows without adding an extension.
Git pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Branching, merging, rebasing, cherry-picking, and selective staging
- Distributed repositories with local history and remote synchronization
- Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with sparse checkout and submodules
- Where it doesn't
- Primarily a command-line tool rather than a single visual application
- File locking is not part of core Git
- Large-file handling requires the separate Git LFS extension
Git fact sheet, pricing and score →
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