Complete Git and GitHub Tutorial

Introduction

This tutorial provides a comprehensive guide on using Git and GitHub for personal projects and contributing to open-source software. It covers essential commands and concepts from the very basics, making it accessible for beginners. By the end, you'll be equipped to manage your code repositories effectively.

Step 1: Understanding Git and GitHub

• Git is a version control system that helps track changes in your code over time.
• GitHub is a platform for hosting Git repositories online, facilitating collaboration and sharing.

Why Use Git and GitHub?

• Version control: Keep track of code changes and collaborate with others.
• Open-source contributions: Participate in community projects.
• Backup: Store code safely online.

Step 2: Downloading and Setting Up Git

1. Download Git from the official website: git-scm.com.
2. Install Git on your machine.
3. Configure your username and email for Git:

   git config --global user.name "your_name"
   git config --global user.email "your_email"
   

Step 3: Initializing a Git Repository

1. Navigate to your project directory in the terminal.
2. Initialize a new Git repository:

   git init
   

Step 4: Making Changes and Staging

1. Make your first change in a file.
2. Stage the changes:

   git add filename
   

Step 5: Committing Changes

• Commit your staged changes with a message:

  git commit -m "Your commit message"
  

Step 6: Viewing Project History

• Check the commit history:

  git log
  

Step 7: Stashing Changes

• Save changes temporarily with:

  git stash
  

Step 8: Working with GitHub

Creating a New Repository

1. Go to GitHub and create a new repository.
2. Link your local repository to GitHub:

   git remote add origin <repository-url>
   

Pushing Changes

• Push local changes to the remote repository:

  git push -u origin main
  

Step 9: Understanding Branches

• Branches allow you to work on different features or fixes separately.
• Create and switch to a new branch:

  git checkout -b new_branch_name
  

Step 10: Merging Branches

• Merge your changes back to the main branch:

  git checkout main
  git merge new_branch_name
  

Step 11: Forking and Cloning

• To contribute to an existing project, fork it on GitHub.
• Clone the forked project to your local machine:

  git clone <forked-repo-url>
  

Step 12: Making Pull Requests

• After making changes, push them to your forked repository.
• Create a pull request on GitHub to propose your changes to the original project.

Step 13: Resolving Merge Conflicts

• If there are conflicts during merging, Git will notify you.
• Open the conflicting files, resolve the conflicts, stage the changes, and commit.

Step 14: Advanced Git Commands

• Squashing Commits: Combine multiple commits into one for a cleaner history.
• Using Rebase: Reapply commits on top of another base tip.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you've learned the fundamentals of Git and GitHub, including how to manage repositories, collaborate on projects, and handle common tasks. Continue practicing these commands and consider contributing to open source to further enhance your skills. For more advanced topics, explore the Git cheat sheet linked in the video description.