Let's Explore Git & GitHub

Hello everyone! My name is Badal Meher, and I work at Luxoft as a software developer. In Luxoft, we use Git and GitHub to manage our codebase and collaborate on projects.
In this blog, we'll explore the basics of Git and GitHub and why they're essential tools for any software development project.

Introduction:

Git is a popular version control system that enables developers to track changes in their codebase over time, collaborate with others, and maintain a historical record of their work. GitHub is a web-based platform that provides a graphical interface for Git and allows developers to host their repositories online, collaborate with others, and contribute to open-source projects.

In this article, we will provide an overview of Git and GitHub and explain how they work together.

Git:

Git is a distributed version control system that allows developers to track changes in their codebase and collaborate with others. Git is an open-source tool developed by Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux operating system.

Git uses a local repository to store the full history of changes to a project's files. This means that each developer has a copy of the entire repository on their local machine, which they can work on and make changes to. Git also allows developers to create multiple branches of a project, enabling them to work on different features or fixes independently.

When a developer makes changes to their local copy of the repository, they can use Git to stage and commit those changes to their local branch. Once they are ready to share their changes with others, they can push their changes to a remote repository.

GitHub:

GitHub is a web-based platform that provides a graphical interface for Git. GitHub allows developers to host their repositories online, collaborate with others, and contribute to open-source projects.

GitHub provides several features that make it easy for developers to work with Git. For example, GitHub provides a user-friendly interface for creating and managing repositories, as well as tools for collaborating with others on projects.

One of the most significant benefits of using GitHub is the ability to contribute to open-source projects. GitHub makes it easy for developers to find and contribute to open-source projects by providing tools for searching and browsing repositories, as well as features for submitting pull requests and issues.

How Git and GitHub work together:

Git and GitHub work together seamlessly to provide a powerful version control system and collaboration platform for developers. Developers can use Git to manage changes to their local codebase, and then push those changes to a remote repository on GitHub.

GitHub provides several tools for collaborating with others on projects. For example, GitHub allows developers to create, and merge pull requests, which enables others to review and contribute to their code. GitHub also provides tools for tracking issues and managing project milestones.

One of the most significant benefits of using Git and GitHub together is the ability to automate workflows using GitHub Actions. GitHub Actions allows developers to automate common tasks, such as building and testing their code, deploying their applications, and releasing new versions.

- Creating and Managing a Repository:

To create a new repository on GitHub, follow these steps:

1. Sign-in to your GitHub account and navigate to the main page.
2. Click the "+" button in the upper right corner and select "New repository".
3. Enter a name for your repository, choose whether to make it public or private and select any additional options.
4. Click "Create repository" to create your new repository.

Once you have created your repository, you can clone it to your local machine using the following command in your terminal:

git clone <repository-url>

This will create a new directory on your local machine containing a copy of your repository.

Collaborating with Others:

One of the main benefits of using GitHub is the ability to collaborate with others on projects. To collaborate with others on a project, follow these steps:

1. Invite other users to collaborate on your repository by clicking "Settings" in the upper right corner of your repository page, selecting "Manage access", and clicking "Invite a collaborator".
2. Once your collaborators have accepted your invitation, they can clone your repository to their local machine using the same command we used in the previous example.
3. Each collaborator can create their own branch of the project using the following command:

git checkout -b <branch-name>

This creates a new branch of the project that is independent of the main branch.

1. Collaborators can make changes to their local copy of the project and commit those changes using the following commands:

git add [filname]
git commit -m "Commit message"

Example:

git add index.html
git commit -m "Added a new section to the homepage"

1. Once a collaborator has made changes and committed them to their local branch, they can push their changes to the remote repository using the following command:

git push origin <branch-name>

This will create a new branch on the remote repository containing changes. collaborators can then create a pull request to merge their changes into the main branch, which can be reviewed and approved by other collaborators.

Conclusion:

Git and GitHub provide a powerful version control system and collaboration platform for developers. Git enables developers to track changes in their codebase and collaborate with others. At the same time, GitHub provides a graphical interface for Git and tools for hosting repositories, collaborating with others, and contributing to open-source projects.

Using Git and GitHub together provides developers with a robust set of tools for managing their projects and collaborating with others. Whether working on a small personal project or contributing to a large open-source project, Git and GitHub can help you achieve your goals.