Version control ensures a back-up of the code and documentation of its development over time. If there are problems with the code, version control makes it easy to revert to a previous working version. The creation of a new version is also known as a “commit”.

Version control with Git is particularly popular. It is used by regularly uploading the code to a local Git repository of your own organisation or to a repository such as GitHub or GitLab.

Version control also prepares the code for sharing. Thanks to version control, a shared version of the code can be clearly identified. This is the only way to ensure unambiguous referencing. It is particularly important for reproducibility that the version of the code is specified. If, for example, a version represents a milestone or the final status after completion of a project, this version can also be marked as a so-called “release“. A release is also suitable for publishing or archiving in a repository such as Zenodo.

Tip: “Best Practice: Organisation and Versioning of Source Code” from the Thuringian Competence Network for Research Data Management and “Version Control“ from The Turing Way.