Git and GitHub: Essentials
January 12, 2025
What are Git and GitHub?
Git GitHub
▶ Distributed version control system ▶ Web-based hosting service for Git
▶ Tracks changes in source code repositories
▶ Facilitates collaboration ▶ Adds collaboration features
▶ Project management tools
Why Version Control is Important
▶ Track Changes: Monitor who made what changes and when
▶ Revert to Previous Versions: Easily undo mistakes
▶ Collaborate: Work on the same project simultaneously
▶ Branching: Experiment with new features without affecting the main code
▶ Code Review: Facilitate peer review and quality control
▶ Backup: Distributed nature provides built-in backup
Git and GitHub Video
Click here to play the video
(YouTube: Git and GitHub Essentials)
Popular Version Control Systems
Most Popular Other Notable VCS
▶ Git (and platforms using Git) ▶ Subversion (SVN)
▶ GitHub ▶ Mercurial
▶ GitLab
▶ Bitbucket ▶ AWS CodeCommit
Git is the most widely used, but alternatives exist for various needs
Installing Git
Windows Linux
1. Download from git-scm.com ▶ Ubuntu/Debian:
2. Run installer sudo apt-get install git
3. Follow setup wizard ▶ Fedora:
sudo dnf install git
4. Verify: git --version
▶ Verify: git --version
Basic Git Commands - Part 1
# Initialize a new Git repository
git init
# Add files to staging area - Basic Options
git add < file > # Add a specific file
git add . # Add all files ( use with caution !)
git add *. js # Add all files with . js extension
git add folder / # Add all files in a folder
Warning
Using git add . indiscriminately can lead to unwanted files being tracked.
Consider using .gitignore and more specific commands.
Basic Git Commands - Part 2
# More git add options
git add -p # Interactive staging ( patch mode )
git add -u # Update tracked files only
git add -A # Add all changes ( including deletions )
git add -- dry - run # Show what would be added
# Other essential commands
git commit -m " message "
git status
Tip
Use git add -p for more granular control over what you stage. It allows you to
review and stage changes chunk by chunk.
Branching and Merging
# List , create , or delete branches
git branch
# Switch to a different branch
git checkout < branch >
# Merge changes from one branch into the current branch
git merge < branch >
# Delete a branch
git branch -d < branch >
Remote Repository Commands & GitHub Integration
# Add a remote repository ( e . g . , GitHub )
git remote add origin https :// github . com / username / repo . git
# Clone an existing remote repository
git clone https :// github . com / username / repo . git
# Push local changes to the remote repository
git push -u origin main
# Fetch and merge changes from the remote repository
git pull origin main
# Verify remote connection
git remote -v
Remote Repository Commands & GitHub Integration
Example: Linking local repo to GitHub
1. Create GitHub repository
2. Run these commands in your local repo:
git remote add origin https :// github . com / username / repo . git
git branch -M main
git push -u origin main
Advanced Git Commands
# Temporarily store modified , tracked files
git stash
# View commit history
git log
# Reset current HEAD to the specified state
git reset < commit >
# Reapply commits on top of another base tip
git rebase < branch >
Frame Title
▶ https://swcarpentry.github.io/git-novice/key-points.html
