Gitlet: A Version Control System

Gitlet is a lightweight version control system that mimics the basic features of Git. This project implements a simplified but functional version control system that helps developers track changes, maintain different versions of their code, and collaborate effectively.

Features

Gitlet supports the following core version control operations:

• Saving Snapshots: Commit your files to save the state of your entire project
• Restoring Previous Versions: Checkout previous commits or specific files
• History Tracking: View the history of all commits through logs
• Branch Management: Create and manage different branches of development
• Merging: Combine changes from different branches

Commands

Basic Commands

• init: Initialize a new Gitlet version-control system
• add [file name]: Add a file to the staging area
• commit [message]: Save a snapshot of tracked files in the current commit
• rm [file name]: Remove a file from tracking
• log: Display information about all commits in the current branch
• global-log: Display information about all commits ever made

Status and History

• status: Display what branches currently exist, and what files are staged, modified, or untracked
• find [commit message]: Find all commits with a given commit message

Branching and Checkout

• branch [branch name]: Create a new branch
• rm-branch [branch name]: Remove a branch
• checkout [args]: Switch branches or restore files
  • checkout -- [file name]: Restore a file to its state in the current commit
  • checkout [commit id] -- [file name]: Restore a file to its state in the specified commit
  • checkout [branch name]: Switch to a different branch

Advanced Features

• reset [commit id]: Restore all files to their versions in the specified commit
• merge [branch name]: Merge the specified branch into the current branch

Getting Started

1. Initialize a new Gitlet repository:

   java gitlet.Main init
   

2. Start tracking files:

   java gitlet.Main add [file name]
   

3. Make your first commit:

   java gitlet.Main commit "Initial commit"
   

Project Structure

The project is implemented in Java and uses various data structures and algorithms including:

• SHA-1 cryptographic hashing for commit IDs
• File persistence for storing commits and blobs
• Graph traversal for commit history
• Java collections framework

Technical Details

• Implements persistent storage of commits and file contents
• Uses SHA-1 hashing for unique commit identification
• Maintains a directed acyclic graph (DAG) of commits
• Handles branch management and merging
• Provides efficient file state tracking

Requirements

• Java Runtime Environment (JRE)
• Java Development Kit (JDK)

Contact

• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: in/VarunKandula