What is a primary characteristic of Git as a version control system?

A primary characteristic of Git as a version control system is that it is a distributed version control system (DVCS). This means that every user has a complete copy of the entire repository, including its history, on their local machine. This decentralization allows for various advantages such as working offline, greater collaboration, and reduced reliance on a central server. Each user can independently commit changes, branch, and merge, which enhances the flexibility and efficiency of the development workflow. Furthermore, this architecture supports multiple workflows, improves performance for larger teams, and safeguards against data loss since any local repository can serve as a backup of the project's entire history.

In contrast, centralized control with single user access limits collaboration and can create bottlenecks, especially when users need to access a single server for versioning. Supporting only online operations would negate the offline capabilities that make Git appealing, and only tracking changes in text files fails to capture Git's broad applicability across various file types, including binary files.