A version control system or VCS on a local computer contains a database. This set of versions can be managed by means of a file with different timestamps, however, it has the disadvantage of complicating the workflow externally to the local computer since there is no view or control of other users.
The version control method chosen by many people is to copy files to another directory (maybe a timestamped directory, if you're smart). This approach is very common because it is so simple, but it is also incredibly error-prone. It's easy to forget what directory you are in and accidentally write to the wrong file or copy files that you don't want.
A centralized version control system, has a central server that maintains an original copy,
allowing local copies to be made to be able to modify the file independently. However, if that
server goes down, you will lose access to core versions. Obtaining only individual files
previously saved locally.
A distributed version control system, on the other hand, allows a server which has
practically the same information as the local versions of each individual computer. If the
same happens as in the central VCS, and we lose the server, the local data can be reestablished
in the central server to continue with the project. The drawback of these two types of control
(VCS and distributed) is the workflow that coordinates how the project will be developed.
