Whether you’re a beginner or already pushing code daily, chances are you’ve used GitHub. But beyond the usual git add . and git push, there are some simple yet powerful practices that many developers miss—ones that can level up your collaboration, project management, and confidence as a coder.
Let’s walk through the essential GitHub skills that every developer should know, with friendly explanations and practical tips. 💡
🏷️ 1. Write Meaningful Commit Messages
Bad: fixed stuff
Better: Fix: correct margin issue in header component
Use a verb prefix (Add:, Fix:, Update:) to summarize your change.
Keep the message short, but descriptive.
Format:
git commit -m "Fix: handle null values in user profile API"
🔧 Pro tip: Use git commit -m "type: short message" for clarity in team projects.
🌿 2. Create and Use Branches Properly
Avoid pushing everything to main (or master)!
git checkout -b feature/login-page
Why?
- Keeps your main branch clean
- Lets you experiment without fear
- Makes collaboration smoother (everyone works on their own branch)
Merge it later via pull request (PR), after code review.
📦 3. Squash Your Commits Before Merging
You’ve probably seen PRs with 20 commits like:
- fix typo
- try again
- finally working
Instead, squash them into one clean commit:
git rebase -i HEAD~4
Then choose squash for the messy ones and rewrite your final commit message.
🧼 Result: a tidy Git history.
🛡 4. Use .gitignore to Avoid Committing Unwanted Files
You don’t want to accidentally upload:
- node_modules/
- .env
- dist/
Use a .gitignore file:
- node_modules/
- .env
- *.log
Use gitignore.io to generate templates for your tech stack.
🔀 5. Understand Pull Requests (PRs)
PRs are not just about merging code—they're conversations. 👇
- Add clear titles and descriptions
- Tag teammates for review
- Leave comments and ask questions
Also, don’t be afraid to suggest improvements on someone else’s PR.
🧩 6. Forking vs Cloning
Clone: You’re working on your own repo locally.
Fork: You copy someone else’s repo to your GitHub account so you can propose changes (especially for open source).
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git
⏳ 7. Revert a Commit (When You Break Something 😅)
Oops! You pushed something buggy. Instead of panicking:
git revert <commit-hash>
This creates a new commit that undoes the previous one—safe and clean.
✅ 8. Enable GitHub Issues & Projects (Lightweight Task Management)
If you're building a project solo or with a team, track bugs, features, and todos right inside GitHub with:
- Issues
- GitHub Projects
They integrate beautifully with pull requests and commits.
🎉 Final Thoughts
You don’t need to memorize every Git command. But knowing how to write good commits, use branches, clean up your history, and collaborate with PRs will make you a more effective and professional developer.
It’s not just about writing code—it’s about writing traceable, understandable, and collaborative code.
✍️ What GitHub trick blew your mind when you first learned it? Drop it in the comments!
🔁 Want a part 2 with advanced Git tips like stash, cherry-pick, or GitHub Actions? Let me know!
Top comments (4)
A quick tip: You can use
git statusoften to double-check what’s staged, unstaged, or untracked before committing—great for avoiding accidental file commits!Absolutely! 🙌
Great tip, especially for beginners who are still getting used to Git's flow. Thanks for sharing! 😊
pretty cool, been cool seeing steady progress - it adds up. you think habits or just showing up every day matters more for getting better at this stuff?
Thanks! Really appreciate that. 😊
Honestly, I think just showing up consistently builds the habit, and over time, habits make progress feel almost automatic. Even 30 focused minutes a day adds up fast. So yeah, it’s not about being perfect—just being present every day.