A Quick Start to Git and GitHub

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Setting Up Git

• Installation
• Configuration

Creating a Repository

• Initializing a Repository
• Cloning a Repository

Basic Git Commands

• Checking Status
• Adding Files
• Making Commits
• Pushing Changes
• Pulling Changes

Introduction

Git and GitHub have become essential tools for developers worldwide. Git is a version control system that tracks changes in source code, while GitHub is a web-based platform for hosting Git repositories. Mastering Git and GitHub is crucial for modern software development and devops. This guide will walk you through setting up Git, creating a repository and using the basic commands like commits, pushing and pulling.

Setting Up Git

Installation

To get started with Git,

• Click download to download and install.

• Choose your local computer OS. For windows, choose the appropriate for your configuration and install.

• Sign up on GitHub to register a GitHub account.

Configuration

After installing Git, initialize your git in git bash and configure your username and email. These details will be associated with your commits.

• On your local computer task bar search for git bash and run as administrator.

• Configure Username. Run the command below personalizing the username and press enter.
  git config --global user.name "Your GitHub username"

• Configure email. Run the command below personalizing the email and press enter.
  git config --global user.email "your github email address"

Creating a Repository

A Git repository is where your project files and their revision history are stored.

• Run this command to create a new directory called gitlab.
  mkdir gitlab
• Run the command below to change directory
  cd gitlab

Initializing a Repository

To create a new repository, run the following command
git init
This will initialize empty git repository in the local directory.

• To open a new visual studio code, run the following command and press enter.
  code .

Basic Git Commands

You need to have a code before you can carry out any other command.

• On the Visual studio code create a .html file. On the menu, click on the 3 dot select terminal and then new terminal.

• On the terminal, run git commands like check status, add, commit, push and pull.

Checking Status

git status

Adding Files

Add your file to the staging area.

git add filename

• To add all changes:

git add .

Making Commits

Commits are snapshots of your project at a given point in time. Once your changes are staged with the add command, commit them with a message:

git commit -m "Your commit message"

Pushing Changes

Pushing command sends your commits to a remote repository, like GitHub. Hence, the remote repository has to exist first before a push command can take effect.

Creating Remote Repository GitHub

• go github.com and sign in
• click on + to add new repository

• Give it a name.
• choose public or private
• Add README file for your documentation
• Click create repository

• go to code and copy the repository url.

• connect the repository to the local machine. use the following command.
  git remote add origin repo url

• Push changes
  git push origin master

• sign in to GitHub when prompted and authorize git ecosystem. This is only applicable when you are pushing for the first time.

• Go back to GitHub and notice the file is now in GitHub.

• add a readme file on visual studio code. Afterwards do git add, git commit and git push.

Pulling Changes

Pulling fetches and merges changes from the remote repository to your local repository.

• Edit any of the file on GitHub, commit changes

• On your terminal, type the pull command below and notice the changes now reflect.

git pull origin master

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