In April 2005, Linus Torvalds gave us 1,000 lines of C code sprinkled with TODOs and comments about design decisions. What was meant to be the basis of an “information manager” to help him develop the Linux kernel evolved into what we now know as Git. 15 years later, Git is the dominant version control system in use worldwide, and has spawned an entire ecosystem of Git software and tools.

Developers of a certain age remember life before Git. Some of us remember Subversion, some of us remember CVS, and a few wise old souls remember the days when version control meant remembering to write the date on the floppy disks. But here in 2021, Git and hosted platforms like GitHub have revolutionized collaborative software development.

For more than six years, the DevOps Research and Assessment (DORA) team has strived to measure and understand how teams achieve “DevOps success”, and they found that four simple measurements can accurately separate elite performers from the rest of the pack.

DevOps concepts and CI/CD tools are gaining wider adoption as they help developers deliver code faster than ever before, but persistent struggles exist across the industry and prevent teams from achieving optimum velocity. Even though the vast majority of developers choose Git as their preferred version control platform, most don’t understand the critical role Git plays in the continuous delivery process, and how powerful it can be when combined with CI/CD tools.

No matter the team or the project, developers need to keep everyone updated on their progress. While Jira provides a rock-solid foundation for tracking and communicating progress, most developers agree: they don’t want to live in Jira. And neither do managers! They also want to see developers focused on solving hard problems and getting new features safely out the door.

A surprising number of development teams have failed to adopt automated deployment, oftentimes because people think their tech stack is either too simple or too complex. But GitHub Actions and AWS CDK provide tools and services to make deployment and automation tasks approachable, no matter the size or complexity of your environment. These tools also provide a high level of visibility throughout the deployment process.

GitLens is a VS Code app used by over 10 million developers worldwide. In this session from the GitKon Git conference, GitLens Creator Eric Amodio gives an overview of why he built an app that supercharges the Git capabilities built into Visual Studio Code. Hear how Eric first encountered Git and how we came to leverage Git commit messages for a better development experience by exposing project histories directly in an IDE.

By re-contextualizing the Git branching model in the classroom, educators, like presenter Roy Vanegas of the University of Hartford, can share examples and assignments in an easier manner, while also simplifying the assignment and submission process for students. In this GitKon Git conference session, you will hear about the pros and cons of using the Git branching model in the classroom.

Not every developer prefers the CLI. From devs to non-technical team members alike, a growing number of users—from beginners to advanced Git users—are choosing to use Git tools that enable better project visualization. With the proper workflow, visual Git tools can leverage the power of project history in Git far beyond version control. Monitoring projects and keeping teams in sync set the foundation for an efficient, integrated, and pleasant daily developer experience.

Are your Git repositories just a dumping ground for code? In this Git best practices session from the GitKon Git conference, we will look at Git branching strategies, the importance of a Git commit message, and how often you should commit, with Joe Glombek, Umbraco developer with Bump Digital. With 5 simple Git tips, you can turn a code dump into a glorious archive or software while saving time, frustration, and money.