In modern software development, version control is the backbone of collaboration, reliability, and progress. It’s a system that records changes to files—especially source code—over time, allowing developers to revisit earlier versions, compare changes, and work together without overwriting each other’s work. In short, it keeps chaos at bay as teams build and refine complex projects.

What Is Version Control?

Version control (also known as source control) is the practice of tracking and managing changes to software code. Every modification made to a project is stored as a “snapshot,” so developers can see what changed, when, and by whom. This makes it easy to roll back to previous versions if something goes wrong, experiment safely with new ideas, and maintain a clear project history.

Without version control, teams often face conflicts, lost code, or confusion about which file is the “latest.” With it, collaboration becomes structured and traceable.

Types of Version Control Systems

There are three main types of version control systems:

• Local Version Control – Simple tools that keep revisions on a single computer.
• Centralized Version Control (CVCS) – A single server holds all the versioned files, and users check out files to make changes. Examples include CVS and Subversion (SVN).
• Distributed Version Control (DVCS) – Every developer has a full copy of the repository, enabling offline work and easier collaboration. Git and Mercurial are prime examples.

Today, DVCS—especially Git—is the industry standard due to its speed, flexibility, and resilience.

Core Concepts and Features

A few essential terms define how version control works:

• Repository (Repo): The project’s database of code and its entire history.
• Commit: A saved snapshot of changes, often with a message describing what was done.
• Branch: A parallel line of development where new features or fixes can be developed independently.
• Merge: Combining changes from one branch into another.
• Conflict Resolution: Handling situations when two people change the same part of code.
• Tags / Versions: Marking key milestones like releases.

These features ensure that every change is traceable and reversible, supporting both individual and team productivity.

Collaboration and Workflow

Version control enables developers to work simultaneously on the same project without overwriting each other’s code. Tools like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket enhance collaboration by offering cloud hosting, issue tracking, and pull requests for code review. Common workflows—such as GitFlow or trunk-based development—help teams organize how branches and releases are managed.

Benefits and Best Practices

Version control brings consistency, accountability, and confidence to development. It makes collaboration seamless, encourages experimentation, and integrates with continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.

Best practices include:

• Commit small, frequent changes.
• Write clear commit messages.
• Use branches for new features or fixes.
• Regularly pull updates to stay synced with the team.

Joyful Thoughts

This section shares James Joy’s perspective on this technology as it applies to Industrial Automation.

Version control is an absolute necessity in all software authoring. It’s one of the features sorely lacking in traditional PLC and HMI development environments. It’s actually quite astonishing that some of the most critical infrastructure—power utilities, manufacturing systems, and more—still operates without modern version control.

• No branching.
• No ability to revert to any point in history.
• No automated quality assurance.
• No Continuous Integration.
• No Continuous Deployment.

Proprietary vendors often try to convince you that these capabilities are “nice to have.” But after deploying projects both with and without them, I can confidently say they are essential. I’ve seen far too many costly mistakes—tens of thousands of dollars in wasted labor—caused by something as simple as a lost hard drive or an accidentally deleted file.