Git commit
Also called commit or version control
A saved snapshot of a project in Git with a short message describing the change. Commits form a history you can compare, review, and restore.
# Save the current state with a message
git add .
git commit -m "Add streak counter"
# Try a redesign on its own branch
git switch -c dark-mode
git add .
git commit -m "Add theme toggle"
# Bring it back into main
git switch main
git merge dark-modeCommit after each feature that passes its check, with a short message in the imperative mood, such as "Add streak counter." Build the redesign on a new branch called redesign, and merge it into main only after I approve it in the preview.
Paste into Layerwise or any AI coding tool.
What is Git commit?
Git is the version control system most software uses. A commit records the state of the tracked files at a moment, along with a message such as "Add streak counter," the author, and a link to the commit before it. Together, commits form the project history.
A branch is a separate line of commits for work in progress, such as a redesign. When the work is ready, you merge the branch back into main. Pushing commits to a host such as GitHub backs them up and lets others review them.
When building with AI, commit every time the app works: before a big prompt and after each feature lands. Small commits with clear messages make it easy to find which change broke something and undo just that one.
Often confused with
- Checkpoint
- A checkpoint is a snapshot an AI tool takes on its own, often only for one conversation. A commit stays in the project history for good.
Related terms
All termsCheckpoint
A snapshot of your project that an AI coding tool saves as it works, so you can rewind the code to an earlier point when a change goes wrong.
Diff
A view of what changed in a file, with removed lines marked in red with a minus sign and added lines in green with a plus sign.
Deploy
Building your app and publishing it to servers so anyone can use it at a public URL. Each deploy puts a new version live.
Vibe coding
A way of building software by describing what you want to an AI model and steering the result in conversation, without writing the code yourself.
Build it with Layerwise
Describe your app, watch it run in a live preview, and publish it with a database, storage, and sign-in built in.