Tags in Git are a very useful tool to mark important points in a project's history. Tags are often used to mark release versions, milestones, or any significant commit. Throughout this chapter, we will learn to create, list, delete, and work with tags in Git, as well as push those tags to a remote repository.

What is a Tag?

A tag in Git is like a "bookmark" placed on a specific commit for easy identification. Tags are common in projects where specific versions are released, as they allow you to easily return to that point in time. There are two types of tags in Git:

• Lightweight tags: These are simply a pointer to a commit.
• Annotated tags: These are more detailed tags that include a message, the date, and are signed by the creator.

Creating a Tag

To create a lightweight tag in Git, use the following command:

bash

If you want to tag a specific commit, you can provide the commit identifier:

bash

Creating an Annotated Tag

Annotated tags include more information, such as the creator's name, the date, and an additional message. It is recommended to use annotated tags for official version releases, as they provide a more detailed history.

bash

Viewing Tags

To see all the tags in your repository, use the following command:

bash

If you want to see additional details about an annotated tag, you can use the git show command:

bash

Deleting a Tag

If you need to delete a tag in your local repository, you can use the following command:

bash

To delete a tag on a remote repository, you must use the git push command with the --delete option:

bash

Pushing Tags to a Remote Repository

By default, tags are not automatically sent to the remote repository when you perform a git push. To send a specific tag to the remote, use:

bash

If you want to push all local tags to the remote repository, you can use:

bash

Using Tags in Development

Tags are extremely useful for marking software versions, especially in application development. For example, you can tag each important version of your application to facilitate identification and access to those versions in the future.

bash

You can also use tags to generate compressed versions of the source code for distribution:

bash

Conclusion

In this chapter, we have learned to work with tags in Git, from creating lightweight and annotated tags to deleting and pushing tags to remote repositories. Tags are a key tool for version management in projects and allow precise control over the release history. In the next chapter, we will explore advanced rebase techniques and how to reorder and combine commits in your Git history.