GitHub commands you should know as a beginner 👨‍💻

As a beginner diving into the world of software development and version control, GitHub is likely to become an essential tool in your coding journey. GitHub commands are the building blocks that enable you to navigate repositories, manage files, collaborate with others, and more efficiently contribute to projects. Let's explore the top 10 GitHub commands that every beginner should know:

1. git clone: This command is used to create a local copy of a repository from GitHub onto your computer. Simply provide the URL of the repository you want to clone, and Git will handle the rest.

git clone <repository_URL>

1. git add: Before you can commit changes to your repository, you need to stage them using the git add command. This command tells Git which files you want to include in the next commit. git add . helps you to add all the changes, mostly I prefer to use it in the beginning to avoid any confusions.

    git add <file_name>
    git add .
   

2. git commit: Once your changes are staged, you can commit them to the repository along with a descriptive message using the git commit command.

    git commit -m "Descriptive commit message"
   

3. git push: After committing your changes locally, you can push them to the remote repository on GitHub using the git push command.

    git push
   

4. git pull: To fetch and download changes from a remote repository to your local machine, you can use the git pull command.

    git pull
   

5. git status: This command provides a summary of the current state of your repository, including any modified files, staged changes, and untracked files.

    git status
   

6. git branch: Git allows you to work on multiple branches within a repository. You can use the git branch command to list, create, delete, or switch between branches.

    git branch
   

7. git checkout: To switch between branches or restore files to their state at a specific commit, you can use the git checkout command.

    git checkout <branch_name>
   

8. git merge: When you want to integrate changes from one branch into another, you can use the git merge command.

    git merge <branch_name>
   

9. git log: Finally, the git log command allows you to view a detailed history of commits in your repository, including commit messages, authors, dates, and commit IDs.

git log

These ten commands form the foundation of Git and GitHub usage for beginners. By mastering these commands, you'll be well-equipped to start collaborating on projects, managing your codebase effectively, and contributing to the vibrant open-source community on GitHub. As you continue your journey in software development, don't hesitate to explore more advanced Git commands and workflows to further enhance your skills and productivity.