Version Control Options
There are many options available to developers who wish to use version control software. There are also different web services that support various types of version control software and make it easier to manage projects. All of this should be taken into account when choosing a vcs.
Version Control Software List
The following are specific software packages that handle version control. These packages are often installed at the system level on each machine that needs to access code. In general, these packages provide the base platform for managing the basic functions described on the previous page: branching, merging, etc. Each technology has pros and cons, and each is popular in different circles for different reasons.
Git
The most popular version control software in web development is currently Git. Git is a distributed version control system, which means it is not reliant on a central server to manage the source code repository. The software makes managing branches and merging changes extremely easy. In addition to the technical advantages of Git, the technology has been made more popular thanks to Github, which is a web-based service supporting Git repositories.
Mercurial (HG)
Mercurial is the alternative distributed version control system. It is similar to Git in many ways, but handles many of the same functions quite differently. Git is often seen as confusing, and Mercurial aims to be more straightforward in how it works. For more on the differences, there are plenty of articles like this Git vs. Mercurial wiki page.
Subversion (SVN)
Subversion is a centralized version control system created by the Apache Foundation, which also creates the most popular web server. Subversion is considered easy to use, and, prior to Git, was a favorite for web developers. The centralized nature of Subversion (it uses one server to track code changes, which requires developers to always connect to that server to continue coding) was limiting, especially as developers became scattered outside of the office. Branching in Subversion is also quite limited. Tools like Git and Mercurial allow much more flexibility and ease of merging and resolving conflicts.
There are many more varieties of version control software. Perforce is popular in games and broadcast media development, and Adobe has Version Cue, its own product designed to support Adobe media files.
Version Control Services
Again, there are many version control services online. These services support a variety of version control software and often specialize in one package or another. This list is intended to provide an introduction to some very popular services.
Github
Github is currently the most popular code hosting and collaborative development site online. It hosts hundreds of thousands of projects and millions of developers use it daily. Membership at Github is free, and any developer working today should have one.
Bitbucket
Bitbucket is a popular code hosting and collaborative development site generally considered to be the alternative to Github. It is run by Atlassian, a software development company that creates project management and productivity tools for developers and software product teams. Bitbucket supports both Mercurial and Git repositories, and a major advantage over Github is that Bitbucket allows all users to create free private repositories.
Pixelapse
The question of version control for media files is still unanswered. Any of the other platforms can store copies of binary files, but the major value of the system is lost with binary files. Some newcomers such as Pixelapse are trying to provide a version control and source management solution that works for designers and creatives who work with binary media files.