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Article updated July 2024 Source control, aka version control, is the method of tracking and managing changes to software code. Source Control Management (SCM) systems offer a running history of code changes and can be particularly helpful for teams of developers making changes to the same files. As a critical aspect of responsible software development, source control helps developers track code changes, see complete revision history, and revert back to a previous version of a project if needed.

As a full-stack developer working on complex web applications, I often face challenges with tracking code changes, understanding commit histories, and managing branches. GitLens for VS Code has completely changed how I handle these tasks. It helps me quickly identify who made changes, when they were made, and why, all without leaving my editor, saving me countless hours of digging through commit logs and trying to piece together a project’s history.