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Mastering GitHub from Scratch - Beginner's Guide #1: Introduction to GitHub and Account Creation

#git #beginners #github #tutorial

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you'll be able to:

  • ✅ Understand and explain what GitHub is
  • ✅ Create a GitHub account and complete email verification
  • ✅ Set up basic profile information
  • ✅ Understand the main features of GitHub

Series Introduction

Welcome to the first post of the "Mastering GitHub from Scratch" series! Never coded before? Don't know what a terminal is? That's totally fine! I'll walk you through every step, every click, from the very beginning.

Follow along with this guide, and you'll have your GitHub account created and a nice profile set up by the end of today. Let's take it slow, one step at a time!

1. Before We Start

This Guide Is For You If:

  • ✅ You want to ask "What is GitHub?"
  • ✅ You're just starting to learn coding
  • ✅ Terminals and commands scare you (don't worry!)
  • ✅ You have a GitHub account but don't really use it
  • ✅ You want to build a developer portfolio

What You'll Need

  • A computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux all work)
  • Internet connection
  • Email address
  • 30 minutes of your time
  • No coding knowledge required!

2. What is GitHub? (Beginner-Friendly Explanation)

In One Sentence?

GitHub = Google Drive for Code

Just like you save and share documents on Google Drive, you save and share code on GitHub.

Git vs GitHub (For First-Timers)

Many people confuse Git with GitHub. Here's the simple difference:

Term Description Real-Life Comparison
Git A program that tracks code changes Word's "Track Changes" feature
GitHub A website to store Git-managed code online Google Drive, OneDrive

Easy Understanding: Git is a "program", GitHub is a "website". Like the relationship between Word and OneDrive.

Beginner's GitHub Vocabulary

📚 Confused by the terminology? Click for simple explanations

Term Simple Translation Description
Repository Project Folder Folder containing code and files. Often called "repo"
Commit Save Recording changes as history. Like pressing Ctrl+S
Push Upload Sending your local changes to GitHub
Pull Download Getting the latest changes from GitHub to your computer
Branch Work Copy A space to experiment without touching the original
Fork Copy Project Copying someone else's project to your account
Clone Download Project Copying an entire GitHub project to your computer
Pull Request (PR) Propose Changes "I made these changes, please include them" request
Issue To-Do/Problem Board for reporting bugs and suggesting features
README Project Manual Guide for first-time visitors to the project

Why Should You Learn GitHub?

1. Essential for Getting Hired

  • Over 90% of tech companies use GitHub
  • Adding your GitHub URL to your resume is now standard
  • Recruiters actually check your GitHub profile

2. Prove Your Skills

  • "I can do this" < "I built this" is much more powerful
  • One project can be worth more than multiple certificates

3. It's Free!

  • All personal projects are completely free
  • Unlimited private repositories at no cost
  • Free website hosting (GitHub Pages)

4. Collaborate with Developers Worldwide

  • Famous projects like React, Vue, and TensorFlow are all on GitHub
  • Contributing to open source strengthens your portfolio

GitHub's Main Features (Beginner Version)

Feature Simple Explanation Real-Life Comparison
Version Control Automatically saves code change history Like having infinite "undo" in Word
Collaboration Multiple people can work simultaneously Like Google Docs where many edit together
Backup Your code is safe even if your computer breaks Like auto-backup to Google Drive
Portfolio Showcase projects you've built Like your Instagram profile for code
Open Source Learn by viewing others' code Like learning from YouTube videos

3. Creating a GitHub Account (Step-by-Step)

Time Required: About 5 minutes
Difficulty: ⭐ (Very Easy)

Step 1: Visit GitHub Homepage

  1. Open your web browser (Chrome, Safari, Edge, etc.)
  2. Type github.com in the address bar and press Enter
  3. Click the green "Sign up" button in the top right

GitHub Homepage
GitHub Homepage - Click the "Sign up" button in the top right

💡 For the confused: "Sign in" is for logging in, "Sign up" is for creating an account!

Step 2: Choose a Username

Username Input
Username Input Screen - Choose carefully!

Why Username Matters:

  • Your profile will be at github.com/yourusername
  • Recruiters will view your profile at this URL
  • Hard to change later, so choose wisely!

Username Selection Guide

✅ Good Examples (Recommended):

  • john-doe (your name in English)
  • jdoe (name initials)
  • john-dev (name + developer)
  • john-smith (first name + last name)

❌ Examples to Avoid (Not Recommended):

  • user123456 → No personality, hard to remember
  • xXcool_hacker_2025Xx → Looks unprofessional
  • test-account → Looks like a temporary account
  • 한글아이디 → Only English allowed!

Username Rules

  • Can use letters, numbers, and hyphens (-)
  • No Korean characters, spaces, or special characters
  • Maximum 39 characters
  • Cannot use names already taken

💡 Tip: What if your desired name is taken?

  • name-dev (meaning developer)
  • name-smith (add last name)
  • name-2025 (add year)

Step 3: Enter Email Address

  • Use an email you check regularly
  • GitHub will send important notifications to this email
  • Any email works: Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc.

Step 4: Set Password

Creating a Secure Password:

  • At least 8 characters (15+ recommended)
  • Mix uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters
  • Use a different password than other sites

⚠️ Important: Write down your password! You'll need it later.

Step 5: Solve the Puzzle

  • GitHub will show a simple puzzle to verify you're not a robot
  • Something like finding pictures with arrows pointing up
  • Don't worry if you get it wrong, you can try again!

Step 6: Verify Your Email

  1. Check Your Email

    • Check the email address you entered during signup
    • Look for an email with a subject like "Verify your email address"

  2. Enter Verification Code

    • Copy the 6-digit code from the email
    • Paste it into the GitHub screen

  3. Done!

    • Once verified, you'll automatically move to the next step

💡 Email didn't arrive?

  1. Check spam folder
  2. Verify you entered the correct email address
  3. Wait a few minutes (can take up to 5 minutes)
  4. Click the "Resend email" button

Step 7: Survey (Optional)

GitHub might ask a few questions:

  • "Are you a student?"
  • "How many team members do you have?"
  • etc.

This is just a survey, you can skip it! Click the "Skip" button at the bottom.

🎉 Congratulations!

Account creation is complete! Welcome to the world of GitHub!

4. First Login and Setup

Time Required: About 2 minutes
Difficulty: ⭐ (Very Easy)

Exploring the GitHub Home Screen

After creating your account and logging in, you'll see the GitHub home screen. Let's take a quick look:

  1. Top Navigation Bar

    • 🔍 Search bar: Search repositories and users
    • 📋 Pull requests: Feature you'll learn later
    • 📌 Issues: Task management feature
    • 👤 Profile icon: Your profile and settings

  2. Left Sidebar

    • Recent repositories: Recently worked on repos
    • Teams: Team collaboration (for later)

  3. Main Feed

    • Activity from people you follow
    • Recommended repositories

💡 Looks empty because you're new? That's fine! We'll fill it up step by step in the next posts!

Email Privacy Settings (Important!)

This security setting should be done right after creating your account!

Why Is This Important?

When you work with code on GitHub, every commit records your name and email. Without this setting, your real email address will be permanently public on the internet!

📧 Public vs Private Email Comparison

Category Public (Not Set) ❌ Private (Set) ✅
Email in Commits your-real-email@gmail.com 12345678+username@users.noreply.github.com
Real Email Exposure Anyone can see it 😱 Completely hidden 🔒
Spam Email Bots collect and spam you 📧💣 Blocked 🛡️
Privacy Protection At risk ⚠️ Safe ✅
GitHub Notifications Works normally Works normally
PR/Issue Comments Works normally Works normally

🚨 Real Case: Dangers of Public Email

When Not Set:

# Anyone viewing your commit history can see
git log --pretty=format:"%an <%ae>"

# Your real email is visible like this
John Doe <your-real-email@gmail.com>  👈 Anyone can collect this!
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode
  • 🤖 Spam bots crawl GitHub and collect emails
  • 📧 Receive dozens to hundreds of spam emails daily
  • 🎣 Can become a target for phishing emails
  • 🔓 Once committed, it's permanently recorded and can't be deleted

When Set:

# GitHub no-reply email is shown instead
John Doe <12345678+johndoe@users.noreply.github.com>  👈 Real email hidden!
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode
  • ✅ Real email completely hidden - Useless even if bots collect it
  • ✅ Spam email blocked - GitHub blocks emails sent to no-reply address
  • ✅ Privacy protected - Prevents email exposure
  • ✅ GitHub features work normally - Notifications, PRs, Issues all go to your real email

💡 Additional Protection

Checking the second option "Block command line pushes that expose my email":

# If you accidentally try to commit with your real email
git config user.email "your-real-email@gmail.com"
git commit -m "test"
git push

# GitHub automatically blocks it!
❌ Error: Your push would publish a private email address.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

This provides double protection to prevent accidental email exposure!

Follow These Steps:

  1. Click profile icon in top right → Select Settings
  2. Click "Emails" in the left menu
  3. Check "Keep my email addresses private" ✅
  4. Check "Block command line pushes that expose my email" ✅
  5. Scroll down to verify settings

Email Privacy Settings
Email Privacy Settings Screen - Check both options!

This way, your real email address won't be exposed!

⚠️ Very Important: Without this setting, your email can be exposed when using Git later!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. Is GitHub free?

A: Yes! Individual users can use unlimited public/private repositories for free. You only need paid plans if you need team features or advanced functionality.

Q2. Do I need to use my real name when creating an account?

A: No. You can choose any username you want. However, changing it later will break existing links, so choose carefully.

Q3. How do I get student benefits?

A: Verify your student status at GitHub Education to get GitHub Pro features for free, plus credits for various development tools.

Q4. Can I change my username later?

A: Yes, you can change it in Settings. However, all your repository URLs will change, so it's recommended to choose carefully from the start.

Practice Assignment

Check off what you've learned in this post:

📝 Required Tasks

  • [ ] Create GitHub account
  • [ ] Complete email verification
  • [ ] Successfully log in for the first time
  • [ ] Set up email privacy settings
  • [ ] Explore GitHub home screen

🚀 Challenge Tasks

  • [ ] Find an open source project you're interested in
  • [ ] Explore GitHub Explore (top "Explore" menu)
  • [ ] Give stars to 5 or more repositories

💡 How to give a star: Click the ⭐ Star button in the top right of a repository page

Conclusion

🎉 Congratulations! You've completed creating your GitHub account!

You've now joined the same platform as over 100 million developers worldwide.

💪 It's Okay to Be a Beginner

  • "This seems too difficult" → It's okay. Everyone finds it difficult at first.
  • "I don't know what to build" → It's okay. Just follow along slowly.
  • "I'm afraid I'll make mistakes" → It's okay. Mistakes are part of learning on GitHub.

🎯 Next Steps

In the next post, we'll create an awesome profile with the account you just made!

With your new account, you'll:

  • ✨ Set up a profile picture
  • 📝 Write a bio
  • 🌟 Create a README profile
  • 📊 Add GitHub Stats

Ready? See you in the next post! 👋

📚 Mastering GitHub Series

🌱 Beginner's Guide (Entry Level)

  1. GitHub Introduction and Account Creation 👉 Current Post
  2. Profile Customization and Portfolio
  3. Security Settings and Authentication
  4. Understanding Repositories
  5. Writing READMEs
  6. .gitignore and Licenses
  7. First Commit and Management
  8. git add and commit
  9. git push and pull
  10. Real-World Workflow
  11. Branch Basics
  12. Merge and Rebase
  13. Branching Strategies
  14. Fork and Clone
  15. Pull Requests

💼 Practical Guide (Intermediate)

  1. Using Issues Effectively
  2. Project Management with Projects
  3. Mastering Code Review
  4. GitHub Discussions
  5. Team Collaboration Setup
  6. GitHub Pages

🚀 Advanced Guide (Expert)

  1. Introduction to GitHub Actions
  2. Advanced Actions Usage
  3. Webhooks and API
  4. Developing GitHub Apps
  5. Security Features
  6. GitHub Packages
  7. Codespaces
  8. GitHub CLI
  9. Statistics and Insights

🏆 Expert Guide (Expert+)

  1. Git Submodules & Subtree
  2. Git Internals
  3. Advanced Branching Strategies and Release Management
  4. GitHub GraphQL API
  5. Mastering GitHub Copilot

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