Learn Github

Version Control

Version control is a system that records changes to a file or set of files over time so that you can recall specific versions later. It's essential for tracking changes in software development projects, enabling collaboration among multiple developers, and ensuring that everyone is working on the same version of the code.

GitHub is a popular platform for hosting and collaborating on projects using version control, primarily Git. Git is a distributed version control system, meaning that every developer working on a project has a complete copy of the project's history. GitHub provides a web-based interface for managing Git repositories, making it easier for teams to collaborate, track changes, manage issues, and review code. It's widely used in the software development community for open-source and private projects alike.

How To Use Github

1. Create a GitHub Account: Go to github.com and sign up for an account. It's free for public repositories.

2. Install Git: Git is the version control system that GitHub is built upon. Install Git on your local machine. You can download it from git-scm.com.

3. Set Up Git: After installing Git, configure it with your name and email address. Open a terminal or command prompt and run the following commands, replacing "Your Name" and "your.email@example.com" with your actual name and email address:

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

4. Create a Repository: Once you're logged in to GitHub, click on the "+" sign in the top-right corner and select "New repository." Give your repository a name and description, and choose whether it should be public or private. Then, click "Create repository."

5. Clone the Repository: To work on a repository locally, you need to clone it to your machine. Go to the repository on GitHub, click the green "Code" button, and copy the URL. Then, in your terminal or command prompt, navigate to the directory where you want to store the repository and run:

git clone <repository-url>

6. Make Changes: Once you've cloned the repository, you can make changes to the files in your local copy using a text editor or an integrated development environment (IDE).

7. Stage and Commit Changes: After making changes to files, you need to stage them for commit. Use the following command to stage all changes:

git add .

Then,

git commit -m "Your commit message here"

8. Push Changes to GitHub: To upload your changes to GitHub, use the following command:

git push origin master

9. Pull Changes from GitHub: If others have made changes to the repository while you were working, you can pull those changes to your local copy using:

git pull origin master

10. Explore GitHub Features: GitHub offers many features beyond basic version control, such as issues, pull requests, and project boards. Explore these features to enhance your collaboration and project management.