Versions used and when menus move
Beginner Core Git
Why this matters
Git itself changes slowly and carefully; the websites and editors around it change their menus every few months. A course that pretends otherwise goes stale the day a button moves. This one separates the two and teaches you how to cope.
Versions the instructions were written against
| Software | Version | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Git | 2.50 | Everything from 2.23 onwards has git switch and git restore; older Git uses git checkout for both |
| GitLab | 18.x on gitlab.com, September 2026 | Self-managed instances may be a few versions behind; menus are mostly identical |
| GitHub | github.com, September 2026 | Rulesets and fine-grained tokens are assumed to be available |
| VS Code | 1.13x | With the built-in Git support; extensions are named where used |
| IntelliJ IDEA | 2026.x (Community or Ultimate) | Also applies to PyCharm, WebStorm and the other JetBrains IDEs |
What never changes
Everything with the Core Git badge: the four areas, commits, branches, merges, the meaning of every command. A lesson about why conflicts happen will be true in ten years. Git CLI lessons change only when Git adds a nicer command, and the old one keeps working.
What moves
GitLab UI, GitHub UI, VS Code UI and IntelliJ UI steps describe menus, buttons and panels. They are written by what to look for (the label, the panel, the usual corner) rather than by exact position, so they survive most redesigns. When they do not, use the strategies below.
When a control is not where the lesson says
- Search inside the tool. VS Code: Command Palette, Ctrl+Shift+P (⇧⌘P on macOS), then type the action, for example "Git: Commit". IntelliJ: Find Action, Ctrl+Shift+A (⇧⌘A). GitLab: the search box at the top, or press /. GitHub: the command palette, Ctrl+K (⌘K). Palette names change far less often than menu positions.
- Look for the label, not the place. The lesson names the control ("the Code button", "Merge requests in the left sidebar"). Scan the page for that word; on GitLab and GitHub most controls keep their names across redesigns.
- Fall back to the terminal. Every lesson's Terminal tab does the same task with a command that does not move. This is the main reason the course always shows the command.
- Check the official documentation, which is updated with every release: GitLab docs, GitHub docs, VS Code docs, JetBrains docs.