Commit (eng. "commit") in the context of the Git version control system is a key concept that means saving changes in the local repository. This is a kind of snapshot of the current state of the project, which includes changes in code, configuration files, documentation and other resources. Each commit creates a new version of the project, which can be restored or revised at any time.
The word "commit" itself comes from the English language, where it means "to carry out", "to undertake", "to make a decision" or "to fix". In the context of Git, this word reflects the essence of the process of fixing changes that become part of the history of the project. This fixation is immutable, that is, after creating a commit, its content remains constant and cannot be changed without creating a new commit (this is a simplified explanation, of course, it is possible to manipulate data and commits using different methods).
Git — is a version control system (SCM, or Source Control Management) that was created by Linus Torvalds in 2005, originally to manage the development of the Linux kernel. Git is a distributed system that allows each developer to have a complete copy of the project history on their computer. This allows for high flexibility in working with the code, the ability to work offline and independence from the central server.
скріншот історії комітів репозиторію проєкту forem на GitHub
To make a commit in Git, you must first prepare changes by adding them to the index (staging area). This is done by the git add command, which adds the selected files to the index. After that, the git commit command captures these changes in the form of a commit, adding a message to it that describes the changes made. For example, the git commit -m command "ReadME updated and a new settings section added" will create a commit with the corresponding message. It is possible to create an empty commit, but read about here.
The process of creating a committee is important for tracking the development of the project. Each commit stores information about the author, the time of making changes and the message explaining exactly what was changed. This allows not only to preserve the history of the project, but also facilitates teamwork, where each participant can see who made certain changes and when, and why they were made. In case of errors or the need to return to the previous version of the code, commits make it easy to do this by saving all intermediate versions.
The committee is an integral part of working with Git, which allows you to effectively manage changes in the project, preserving its history and providing the ability to track and control all changes made.