Configuration Management to the Rescue
15 Sep 2016
Why Configuration Management is Super
I’ve only known git for a short time, but already it has become my hero. A distributed version control system, git is the ally of many professional and amateur software developers worldwide. It allows one to manage the various mutable parts of a project (software or otherwise) in a simple and organized way. Git, along with the software hosting site, GitHub, give a developer powers that many would describe as nothing other than super.
Origins
Although git came from humble beginnings, starting out as the custom version control solution for Linux kernel development, it has seen a massive increase in usage over the past few years. I think it is fair to say that this is likely due to the meteoric rise of the GitHub platform. GitHub is easy to use and promotes social interaction between developers, leading to a greater amount of collaboration and a greater need for configuration management to keep track of the contributions of all parties involved.
Super Powers
Within large, complex projects, developers can have an overwhelming number of functional details to manage. In such situations, the peace-of-mind that is provided by configuration management software, such as git, is invaluable. The ability to track your changes and branches, and easily revert to a previous version of your software, gives you the flexibility and security to experiment without fear. Additionally, git and GitHub make working in teams a breeze! No more worries about the file you need being locked down by someone else. You always have a full copy of the repository on your local machine.
GitHub is also useful for small projects. Having a permanent, off-site record of your development history can be extremely useful. It has been a joy to use GitHub to manage my personal professional portfolio, because I am never worried about irreparably screwing things up or losing all of my files in the event of a computer meltdown.
With great power…
My appreciation for configuration management comes partly from personal experience. I have lost pieces of software through accidental overwrites. I have also attempted to add functionality to a working program, been unable to make it work properly, saved, closed, and found that I could not revert to a previous working version later on. Thankfully, configuration management systems save you (and me) from having to deal with these kinds of issues. So, next time you need to tackle a project remember that with git and GitHub you have a super hero of organization and productivity on your side. Use those powers wisely!