Version control is like keeping a detailed history book for software code. It's a system that records changes to the code over time so that if something goes wrong, you can turn back time and see what the code looked like before the changes. This is super helpful in projects where many people are working on the same code. It's like a collaborative diary for the code, where everyone writes down what they did and when. This way, if someone's changes cause a problem, you can easily find out what was changed and who did it. It also allows multiple people to work on different parts of the code at the same time without getting in each other's way. Popular version control systems like Git help programmers manage these changes efficiently, making sure that the team can work together smoothly and that the code stays organized and up-to-date.