= How Gerrit Works

To understand how Gerrit fits into and enhances the developer workflow, consider
a typical project. This project has a central source repository, which serves as
the authoritative copy of the project's contents.

.Central Source Repository
image::images/intro-quick-central-repo.png[Authoritative Source Repository]

Gerrit takes the place of this central repository and adds an additional
concept: a _store of pending changes_.

.Gerrit in place of Central Repository
image::images/intro-quick-central-gerrit.png[Gerrit in place of Central Repository]

With Gerrit, when a developer makes a change, it is sent to this store of
pending changes, where other developers can review, discuss and approve the
change. After enough reviewers grant their approval, the change becomes an
official part of the codebase.

In addition to this store of pending changes, Gerrit captures notes
and comments about each change. These features allow developers to review
changes at their convenience, or when conversations about a change can't
happen face to face. They also help to create a record of the conversation
around a given change, which can provide a history of when a change was made and
why.

Like any repository hosting solution, Gerrit has a powerful
link:access-control.html[access control model]. This model allows you to
fine-tune access to your repository.

GERRIT
------
Part of link:index.html[Gerrit Code Review]

SEARCHBOX
---------