HARDBackend Engineer

Design a Git Version Control System

Build a distributed version control system with content-addressable storage, branching, merging, and conflict resolution

Estimated Time: 180 minutes

Solution Overview

Git stores objects (blobs, trees, commits) identified by SHA-1 hash of content. Branches are lightweight refs to commits. DAG structure enables efficient merging with three-way merge algorithm. Distributed architecture allows offline work.

Architecture Pattern

Content-addressable storage with SHA-1 hashing for all objects

Key Concepts

Content AddressingDAG StructureBranches and RefsThree-way MergeStaging Area

Used By Companies

GitHubGitLabBitbucket

Learn Implementation Details

Explore a complete guide for building this system from scratch with step-by-step tutorials:

Solution Overview

Git stores objects (blobs, trees, commits) identified by SHA-1 hash of content. Branches are lightweight refs to commits. DAG structure enables efficient merging with three-way merge algorithm. Distributed architecture allows offline work.

Companies
  • GitHub
  • GitLab
  • Bitbucket
Key Concepts
  • Content Addressing
  • DAG Structure
  • Branches and Refs
  • Three-way Merge
  • Staging Area
Implementation Url

https://github.com/codecrafters-io/build-your-own-x#build-your-own-git