What is version control, and why is it considered the absolute starting point for any DevOps pipeline?

Version Control is a system that records changes to a file or set of files over time, allowing developers to recall specific versions, track history, revert mistakes, and collaborate concurrently on the same codebase. It is a core pillar of DevOps because it:

• Enables Collaboration: Allows multiple engineers to branch off, develop features, and merge changes via Pull Requests (PRs).
• Acts as the Source of Truth: Houses all infrastructure manifests (IaC) and application source code.
• Powers Automation: Commits and merges act as automatic triggers for CI/CD pipeline builds.
• Facilitates Safe Rollbacks: If a bug is deployed, reverting to a previous stable Git commit restores the system state.