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Source control (or version control) is the backbone of modern DevOps and software engineering. By tracking every change to your codebase, source control enables teams to collaborate, maintain history, and automate delivery pipelines. In Azure DevOps, you can implement Git repositories or Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC) to manage your source and integrate seamlessly with CI/CD, work items, and more.

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The Role of Source Control in Team Collaboration

When multiple developers work on the same project, source control systems:
  • Track who made changes and when
  • Simplify merging concurrent edits
  • Provide audit trails for accountability
The image illustrates a collaborative coding process involving code modification and management, with four teams (A, B, C, D) represented by colored icons.
In Azure DevOps, you can enforce branch policies, require pull requests, and set up code reviewers to ensure high-quality merges.

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Capturing Project History

Every commit in a source control system records a snapshot of your code at a specific point in time. This historical timeline allows you to:
  • Revert to a previous stable state
  • Compare changes across versions
  • Diagnose when and where bugs were introduced
The image shows a timeline of codebase snapshots with four versions, each marked at one-minute intervals from Version 01 to Version 04.
Use Azure DevOps’s Revert and Cherry-pick features to roll back or selectively apply commits without disrupting your main branch.

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Benefits of Source Control

Implementing a robust source control strategy yields the following advantages:
BenefitDescription
Streamlined WorkflowDefine clear branching models and automated triggers for builds and tests.
Version ManagementTag and branch releases to manage multiple product versions concurrently.
Enhanced CollaborationPull requests and reviews foster shared ownership and knowledge transfer.
Change AccountabilityAudit trails provide visibility into what changed, who changed it, and why.
Automated TasksHooks and pipelines can run linting, unit tests, and deployments on every push or PR merge.
The image illustrates a source control process flow, highlighting stages from version control to deployment and validation, with benefits like streamlined development and enhanced teamwork.

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Best Practices for Source Control

Follow these guidelines to keep your repository organized and maintainable:
  1. Incremental Commits
    Commit small, self-contained changes frequently to simplify code reviews and troubleshooting.
  2. Exclude Personal Files
    Use a .gitignore (or equivalent) to prevent local configs and secrets from entering the repo.
  3. Regularly Sync with Remote
    Pull or fetch changes often to reduce the risk of complex merge conflicts.
  4. Pre-Push Quality Gates
    Integrate linters, formatters, and unit tests into your pre-push or pre-commit hooks.
  5. Descriptive Commit Messages
    Follow a pattern like feat: or fix: and clearly describe what and why.
  6. Link to Work Items
    Reference Azure Boards tasks or bugs in your commits to improve traceability.
  7. Team-Agreed Conventions
    Define and document branch naming—e.g., feature/, release/, hotfix/—and commit style guides.
The image lists seven best practices for software development, including incremental updates, keeping personal files separate, and ensuring quality assurance pre-push. Each practice is presented in a colorful box with a number.
Neglecting to sync branches or enforce code reviews can lead to difficult-to-resolve merge conflicts and unstable builds.

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