Terminology

Agreeing on a common terminology is surprisingly difficult, primarily because each VCS uses these terms when describing subtly different tasks, objects, and concepts. Where possible, we try to provide a generic definition of the concepts, but you should consult the individual system's glossaries for details. Here are some basic references for terminology, from some of the standard web-based references on each VCS. You can also refer to glossaries for each DVCS:

• Subversion: http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.5/svn.basic.html

• Bazaar: http://bazaar-vcs.org/BzrGlossary

• Mercurial: http://www.selenic.com/mercurial/wiki/index.cgi/UnderstandingMercurial

• git: http://book.git-scm.com/1_the_git_object_model.html

branch

• A line of development; a collection of revisions, ordered by time.

checkout/working copy/working tree

• A tree of code the developer can edit, linked to a branch.

index

• A "staging area" where a revision is built (unique to git).

repository

• A collection of revisions, organized into branches.

clone

• A complete copy of a branch or repository.

commit

• To record a revision in a repository.

merge

• Applying all the changes and history from one branch/repository to another.