Unleashing the Power of DevOps: A Mainframe Developer's Guide to Git

As a mainframe developer, you may be familiar with version control systems on your IBM Z environment. However, with the increasing popularity of DevOps practices and the need for continuous integration and delivery, it's important to also be familiar with Git, a popular version control system used in the modern software development world.

In this blog, I will introduce Git to mainframe developers and explain how they can relate it to their mainframe work.

What is Git?

Git is a distributed version control system that allows multiple developers to work on the same project simultaneously. It tracks changes made to files and allows developers to collaborate on projects, manage different versions of their code, and revert to previous versions if necessary.

How does Git relate to Mainframe Work?

Just like traditional version control tools, Git allows developers to manage different versions of their code. However, Git has some advantages over traditional mainframe version control systems, here are a few of them:

1. Distributed Development: Git allows developers to work on the same codebase simultaneously and merge their changes together. This means that developers can work independently on different parts of a project without having to worry about conflicting changes.

2. Branching and Merging: Git allows developers to create branches of their codebase to work on new features or fixes without affecting the main codebase. This allows for more agile development, as developers can work on multiple features simultaneously without interfering with each other's work.

3. Open Source: Git is an open-source tool with a large community of developers. This means that there are many resources available online to help developers learn and use Git effectively.

Git Concepts:

Before diving into Git commands, it's important to understand some key Git concepts:

1. Repository: A Git repository is a collection of files that make up a project.

2. Commit: A commit is a snapshot of the project at a particular point in time. It records changes made to files in the repository.

3. Branch: A branch is a separate line of development. It allows developers to work on new features or fixes without affecting the main codebase.

4. Merge: Merging combines two or more branches into a single branch.

Using Git:

Let's walk through an example of how a mainframe developer might use Git. In this example, we will create a new branch to work on a new feature, make changes to a file, commit the changes, and then merge the new branch back into the main branch.

1. Clone the Repository: To start using Git, you first need to clone the repository to your local machine. This can be done using the git clone command followed by the repository URL.

2. Create a New Branch: Once the repository is cloned, you can create a new branch to work on your new feature using the git branch command followed by the new branch name.

3. Switch to the New Branch: Switch to the new branch using the git checkout command followed by the new branch name.

4. Make Changes: Make changes to the files in the repository.

5. Commit Changes: Once you have made your changes, you need to commit them to the repository using the git commit command. This creates a snapshot of the project at the time of the commit.

6. Push Changes: Push the changes to the remote repository using the git push command.

7. Merge the Branch: Once you are finished working on the new feature, you can merge the new branch back into the main branch using the git merge command.

Final Word

Git is a powerful version control system that can help mainframe developers work more efficiently and collaboratively. By understanding the key concepts and commands of Git, mainframe developers can start using Git in their everyday work and take advantage of its many benefits.