Version control for PLC programs

Start here

Getting started Put your first PLC program under version control in about ten minutes. No Git knowledge needed.

Install the CLI Set up the Spyke command-line tool and confirm it's working.

New to version control? Start with the why: what version control is, and why it matters for automation.

Semantic diffs See how Spyke shows changes rung by rung, the way an engineer reads a program.

What you can do

Spyke is built around one everyday loop: save a version, make a change, compare.

Save a version

Capture the full state of your program whenever you reach a point worth keeping — before a site visit, after a fix, or at the end of a shift.

Compare versions

See exactly what changed between two versions — the specific rung, tag, or timer preset — instead of scanning the whole program by eye.

Review before the floor

Have a second engineer check a change before it reaches the line, with a clear record of what was approved.

Restore a known-good version

If a change causes trouble, go back to a version you know worked.

What Spyke tracks

Spyke reads the program you export from your PLC software and follows the parts engineers actually change:

• Routines — ladder logic and Structured Text, compared rung by rung and line by line.
• Tags — both controller-scoped and program-scoped, including data types and initial values.
• Programs, tasks, and modules — added, removed, or reconfigured.
• User-defined data types (UDTs) and Add-On Instructions (AOIs).
• Controller settings.

Today Spyke works with Rockwell Studio 5000 / Logix Designer projects (.ACD and .L5X).

Browse the docs

Tutorials Step-by-step lessons that take you from zero to your first tracked program.

How-to guides Direct steps for specific tasks, like installing the CLI or reviewing a change.

Reference Every command and setting, described in detail.

Explanation The ideas behind Spyke — version control, Git, and semantic diffs — and why they matter.