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What is Git? (And Why Do We Need It?)

Git is like a time machine for your code. It saves different versions of your project, so if you mess up, you can go back to a working version instead of starting from scratch.

Imagine writing an essay. If you accidentally delete half of it, you’d want an undo button, right? That’s what Git does for code.

What is GitHub? (Not the Same as Git!)

GitHub is like a cloud storage for your Git projects. It lets you store your code online, share it, and collaborate with others.

Think of Git as your notes app, and GitHub as Google Drive where you save and share those notes.

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Getting Started With Git

Step 1: Install Git

If you haven’t installed Git yet, download it here: git-scm.com

Step 2: Set Up Git (Just Once)

Tell Git who you are:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your-email@example.com"

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Creating a New Git Project

Step 1: Create a Folder and Open Terminal

Pick a folder where you want to save your project. Open your terminal (Command Prompt or Git Bash) and go to that folder using:

cd path/to/your/folder

Step 2: Turn the Folder Into a Git Project

git init

Boom! Your project is now tracked by Git.

Step 3: Check Git Status (To See What’s Happening)

git status

If you see “No commits yet”, that’s fine. We haven’t added anything yet.

Step 4: Add Files to Git

Git doesn’t track your files automatically, so we need to add them:

git add .

The dot (.) means “add everything.” You can also add specific files:

git add myfile.txt

Step 5: Save Your Changes (Commit)

Now that we’ve added files, we need to commit (save) them:

git commit -m "First commit - added files"

Think of this like taking a snapshot of your project at this moment.

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Connecting to GitHub

Step 1: Create a Repository on GitHub

1. Go to GitHub and sign in.

2. Click New Repository.

3. Give it a name (e.g., my-first-repo).

4. Keep it public (so everyone can see) or private (just for you).

5. Click Create Repository.

Step 2: Connect Your Local Project to GitHub

Back in your terminal, link your local project to GitHub:

git remote add origin https://github.com/your-username/my-first-repo.git

Then push your code to GitHub:

git push -u origin main

Now your code is online! 🎉

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Working With GitHub (Branches, Pull Requests & Forking)

Branches – So You Don’t Break the Main Project

A branch is like creating a copy of your project where you can experiment without breaking the original.

Creating & Switching to a Branch

git branch new-feature
git checkout new-feature
# Or do both in one step
git checkout -b new-feature

Now you can make changes without touching main.

Once your work is done, switch back to main and merge it:

Merging Your Branch Back Into Main

git checkout main
git merge new-feature

This is a Flow of how branch works :

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Pull Requests – Asking Permission to Merge

When working with a team (or contributing to open-source), you don’t merge changes directly. Instead, you create a Pull Request (PR) to ask for approval.

How to Create a Pull Request

1. Push your branch to GitHub:

    git push origin new-feature
   

2. Go to GitHub and click Compare & Pull Request.

3. Add a title and description (e.g., "Added new feature") and submit.

4. Wait for approval (or approve it yourself if it’s your project).

5. Click Merge to add your changes.

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Forking – Making Your Own Copy of Someone Else’s Project

Forking lets you copy someone else’s GitHub project and work on it without affecting the original.

How to Fork a Repository

1. Go to any public repo on GitHub.

2. Click Fork (top-right corner).

3. This creates your own copy under your GitHub account.

4. Clone it to your computer:

    git clone https://github.com/your-username/forked-repo.git
   

5. Make changes, push them, and open a Pull Request if you want the original creator to accept your changes.

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Common Git Commands Cheat Sheet

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Final Thoughts (Things I Messed Up Today)

• Forgot to create a branch and edited main directly. Oops.

• Wrote a Pull Request description that just said “fixed stuff” (very helpful, I know).

• Tried forking my own repo just to see what happens (spoiler: nothing exciting).