Commit

A Git object that records a project snapshot, its parent history, author metadata, and a message.

A commit contains the state of tracked files selected for that snapshot and points to one or more parent commits. The message is descriptive metadata, not the identity of the commit; Git uses a content-derived hash. A cohesive commit can be compared, reverted, moved, or combined, although those operations may conflict with later changes.

Builder example

Commits make an agent's work easier to inspect when each one represents a coherent concern. They do not force an all-or-nothing decision: Git can restore individual files or hunks from a large change, but separating mixed concerns later takes more care and increases error risk.

Common confusion: Saving a file writes the current text to disk and overwrites what was there. A commit records a snapshot in your project's tracked history with a message, preserving that version for later review or restoration. Saving keeps one current version; committing keeps a timeline of versions.