Beginner’s Guide to Git & GitHub Using SSH Keys

Git is an essential tool for developers...

Learn Git basics for Beginners

If you're new to coding, you've probably heard about Git and Github. They're essentials tools for developers, but they can seem confusing at first. Don't worry, this guide will walk you through everything step by step.

What is Git

Git is a version control system. Think of git as a history recorder for your project.

It helps you:

• Track Changes in your files
• Go back to previous versions
• Work with others without overwriting their code

What is Github

Github is an online platform where you store git repositories.

It allows you to:

• Back up your code online
• Collaborate with other developers
• Share your project publicly or privately

Step 1: Installing Git Bash

For Windows Users:

• Visit Git Bash

• Download the Windows installer

• Run the installer with these recommended settings:

  • Select "Use Git from Git Bash only "
  • Choose "Use the OpenSSL library"
  • Select "Checkout Windows-style, commit Unix-style line endings"
  • Choose "Use MinTTY"
  • Leave other options as default

For Mac Users:

# Option 1: using Homebrew
brew install git

# Option 2: Download from <git-scm.com>

For Linux Users:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install git

#Fedora
sudo dnf5 install git

Step 2: Connecting Git to Your Github Account

1. Configure Your Identity

git config --global user.name "your name"
git config --global user.email "your email"

2 Generate SSH Key

# Generate a new SSH key
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your email"

# Press Enter to accept default location

# Copy the key to clipboards

# For Windows
C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub

# For Mac:
~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

# For Linux:
~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Add SSH Key to Github

• Go to your github account
• Go to settings then click SSH and GPG keys
• Click "New SSH key"
• Paste your key and give it a descriptive name
• Click "Add SSH key"

Test Your Connection

ssh -T [e-mail]

You should see: "Hi username! You've successfully authenticated...."

Step 3: Git Commands

Initialize a new repository

# Create project folder
mkdir my-first-project

# Navigate to your project folder
cd my-first-project

# Initialize git tracking
git init

# list all files and folder in the project folder
ls -la  # you will find .git folder

Git creates a hidden .git folder to store history.

Open Project in VS Code

• Open VS Code
• File -> Open Folder
• Select my-first-project
• Click "Open"
• Click "New File" icon
• Name it "hello.py"
• Add this content

# print Hello World in Python
print("Hello World!")

Check your repository status

git status

Output shows untracked/modified files

Stage Files

# Stage specific file
git add hello.py

# Stage multiple files
git add hello.py READM.md

# Stage all changes
git add .

# Check what's staged
git status

Commit Changes

# commit with descriptive message
git commit -m "Add initial Python script and documentatioon"

Step 4: Connect to Github and Push

Create Repository on Github

• Got to your github account
• Click + -> New repository
• Name: my-first-project
• Description: "Learning Git basics"
• Click "Create repository"

Connect Local to Remote

# Copy the SSH URL from Github
# Example
git remote add origin git/github.com:yourusername/my-first-project

# verify connection
git remote -v

Push to Github

# First push (sets upstream)
git push -u origin main

# Subsequent pushes
git push

What happens when you push

• Your local commits are uploaded to github
• Others can now see and access your code
• Your work is backed up in the cloud

Step 5: Pulling Code from Github

When to pull:

• When starting work on a project
• When teammates have made changes
• Before making you own changes

# basic pull
# Go to the project directory
git pull

# pull from specific branch
git pull origin feature-branch

Everyone makes mistakes with git at first. That's normal! The key is to start
with simple workflows and gradually learn more advanced features.

Git is a powerful that becomes intuitive with practice.