Welcome back, coding enthusiasts! Today we'll talk about Git & Github , the must-know duo for any modern developer. Whether you're just starting out or need a refresher, this guide will walk you through everything from setup to intermediate-level use. Let’s jump in!
Git is a version control system. It helps you as a developer:
Track changes in your codebase, so if anything breaks, you can go back to a previous version. (Trust me, this happens more often than you’d think!)
Collaborate with others : whether you're working on a team project or contributing to an open-source repo, Git helps manage multiple versions of a project.
In short, Git allows you to work smarter, not harder. Developers who aren't familiar with the basics of Git? Let’s just say they’re missing a key tool in their toolkit.
GitHub is a web-based platform that uses Git for version control and collaboration. It provides an interface to manage your repositories, track bugs, request new features, and much more. Think of it as a place where your Git repositories live, and where real teamwork happens. You can collaborate, share your code, and contribute to other projects, all while keeping everything well-organized.
Git & Github : not the same thing !
Git is the tool you use to create repositories and manage code on your local machine while GitHub is the platform where you host those repositories and collaborate with others. You can also host Git repositories on other platforms like GitLab and BitBucket, but GitHub is the most popular.
Installing Git (Windows, Linux, and macOS Users)
You can go ahead and download Git for your platform from (git-scm.com)
You can use Git either through the command line (Terminal) or through a GUI. However, as a developer, it’s highly recommended to learn the terminal approach. Why? Because it’s more efficient, and understanding the commands will give you a better grasp of how Git works under the hood.
Git operates in several key areas:
Working directory (on your local machine)
Staging area (where changes are prepared to be committed)
Local repository (stored in the hidden .git directory in your project)
Remote repository (the version of the project stored on GitHub or other hosting platforms)
Let’s look at the basic commands that move code between these areas:
git init: Initializes a Git repository in your project directory, creating the .git folder.
git add: Adds your files to the staging area, where they’re prepared for committing.
git commit: Commits your staged files to your local repository.
git log: Shows the history of commits.
git push: Pushes your changes to the remote repository (like GitHub).
git pull: Pulls changes from the remote repository into your working directory.
git clone: Clones a remote repository to your local machine, maintaining the connection to the remote repo.
When working in a team, it’s important to never mess up the main branch (often called master or main). This is the core of your project, and it's essential to keep it stable.
To do this, we branch out for new features or bug fixes. This way, you can make changes without affecting the main project until you’re ready to merge. Only merge your work back into the main branch once you're confident that it’s ready to go.
Getting Started: From Installation to Intermediate
Now, let’s go step-by-step through the process of using Git and GitHub from installation to pushing your first project.
After installing Git, you’ll need to tell Git your name and email. This helps Git keep track of who made each change. To do this, run:
By default, Git used to name the default branch master, but GitHub switched it to main for inclusivity reasons. To avoid confusion, check your default branch:
Pushing Changes to GitHub
Let’s go through an example of pushing your changes to GitHub.
First, initialize Git in your project directory:
Then to get the ‘untracked files’ , the files that we haven’t added yet to our staging area , we run the command
Now that you’ve guessed it we’re gonna run the git add command , you can add your files individually by running git add name or all at once like I did here
And finally it's time to commit our file to the local repository
Now, create a new repository on GitHub (it’s easy , just follow these instructions along with me)
Assuming you already created your github account you’ll go to this link and change username by your actual username : https://github.com/username?tab=repositories , then follow these instructions :
You can add a name and choose wether you repo can be public or private for now and forget about everything else for now.
Once your repository created on github , you’ll get this :
As you might’ve noticed, we’ve already run all these commands , all what’s left for us to do is to push our files from our local repository to our remote repository , so let’s go ahead and do that
And just like this we have successfully pushed our files to the remote repository
Here, you can see the default branch main, the total number of branches, your latest commit message along with how long ago it was made, and the number of commits you've made on that branch.
Now what is a Readme file ?
A README file is a markdown file where you can add any relevant information about your code or the specific functionality in a particular branch—since each branch can have its own README.
It also serves as a guide for anyone who clones your repository, showing them exactly how to use it.
You can add a README from this button:
Or, you can create it using a command and push it manually:
But for the sake of demonstrating how to pull content from a remote repository, we’re going with the first option:
Once that’s done, it gets added to the repository just like any other file—with a commit message and timestamp.
However, the README file isn’t on my local machine yet, so I’ll run the git pull command:
Now everything is up to date. And this is just the tiniest example of how you can pull content from your remote repository.
What is .gitignore file ?
Sometimes, you don’t want to push everything to GitHub—especially sensitive files like environment variables or API keys. These shouldn’t be shared publicly. In fact, GitHub might even send you a warning email if you do:
To avoid this, you should create a .gitignore file, like this:
Any file listed in .gitignore will not be pushed to GitHub. So you’re all set!
When you want to copy a GitHub repository to your local machine (aka "clone" it), you have two main options:
Clone using HTTPS: This is the most straightforward method. You just copy the HTTPS link from GitHub and run:
It's simple, doesn’t require extra setup, and works well for most users. But each time you push or pull, GitHub may ask for your username and password (or personal access token if you've enabled 2FA).
But if you wanna clone using ssh , you’ll need to know a bit more about ssh keys , so let’s talk about that.
Clone using SSH (Secure Shell): This method uses SSH keys for authentication. Once set up, it’s more secure and doesn't prompt you for credentials every time. Here's how it works:
So what is an SSH key, actually?
Think of SSH keys as a digital handshake between your computer and GitHub.
Your computer generates a key pair:
A private key (stored safely on your machine)
A public key (shared with GitHub)
When you try to access GitHub via SSH, GitHub checks if the public key you've registered matches the private key on your machine.
If they match, you're in — no password prompts needed.
Steps to set up SSH with GitHub:
2. Start the SSH agent and add your key:
Then copy the output to your clipboard.
Add it to your GitHub account:
Go to GitHub → Settings → SSH and GPG keys
Paste your public key and save.
5. Now you'll be able to clone using SSH like this:
From now on, any interaction with GitHub over SSH will just work — no password typing, just smooth encrypted magic.
And there you have it ! Until next time — happy coding, and may your merges always be conflict-free! ✨👩💻👨💻
