Source Control (also known as Version Control) is a system that tracks changes to code and manages the development process across teams. It allows multiple developers to work on a single codebase simultaneously by providing mechanisms to track, merge, and revert changes without conflicts. Popular tools for source control include Git, Subversion (SVN), and Mercurial.

Source control plays a crucial role in collaborative software development. It ensures that changes made to the code are documented and versioned, making it possible to track the history of the codebase. When an error or bug is introduced, developers can easily roll back to a previous version of the code. Additionally, it facilitates branching, where different features or experiments can be developed in isolation and merged back into the main codebase once they are stable.

Source control systems are often integrated into Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, ensuring that changes are automatically tested and deployed. This practice enables teams to work more efficiently, reduce conflicts, and ensure that high-quality code is delivered.