Centralized Version Control
Centralized Version Control is a version control system architecture where a single central server stores all versions of files and project history, and clients check out files from this central repository. It allows multiple developers to collaborate on a project by providing a central source of truth for code, with features like version tracking, branching, and merging. Examples of centralized version control systems include CVS (Concurrent Versions System) and Subversion (SVN).
Developers should learn centralized version control when working in environments that require strict control over code access and history, such as in corporate or legacy projects where a single repository simplifies administration and auditing. It is useful for teams that need a straightforward, server-based model without the distributed complexity of modern systems, though it has largely been superseded by distributed version control for most new projects due to limitations like single points of failure and offline work constraints.