Hey everyone
Welcome back to Day 2 of my dev journey! Yesterday I shared how I set up my development environment. Today, I dove deep into something every developer needs—Git and GitHub. If you’ve ever wondered what’s the difference between a fork and a clone? or how to handle merge conflicts without panicking—this is for you!
✅ 1.Why Git? Why GitHub?
Git helps you track your code history, collaborate easily, and avoid the fear of "what if I break something?".
GitHub is where your Git projects live online so others can contribute, comment, or review.
2. Basic Git Commands I Practiced
Use code blocks and explain them simply:
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin <your-repo-url>
git push -u origin main
lets get started,
🔱
Step 1: Forking a Repository
🎯 Goal: Make a personal copy of a project to work on.
📝 Steps:
Go to the GitHub repo you want to contribute to.
Click the Fork button at the top-right.
A new copy appears in your GitHub account.
✅ You now have your own copy to work with freely.
🤝 Step 2: Cloning & Setting Up Collaboration
🎯 Goal: Download your forked repo to your computer.
📝 Steps:
Copy the repo URL from GitHub
git clone https://github.com/your-username/repo-name.git
Move into the folder
cd repo-name
✅ You’re ready to start working locally.
🌱 Step 3: Create a New Branch
🎯 Goal: Work in isolation from the main branch.
📝 Steps:
git checkout -b feature-branch-name
✅ Your changes are safe in this new branch.
✍️ Step 4: Make Changes and Commit
🎯 Goal: Save your changes with a message.
📝 Steps:
Stage your changes
git add .
Commit with a message
git commit -m "Add feature or fix"
✅ Your progress is recorded in Git history.
🚀 Step 5: Push Changes to GitHub
🎯 Goal: Upload your changes online.
📝 Steps:
git push origin feature-branch-name
✅ Now your changes are visible on your GitHub fork.
🔃 Step 6: Create a Pull Request (PR)
🎯 Goal: Request to merge your changes into the original project.
📝 Steps:
Go to your fork on GitHub.
Click Compare & pull request.
Add a descriptive title and summary.
Click Create pull request.
✅ You’ve asked the project owner to review and merge your work.
👀 Step 7: Code Review
🎯 Goal: Let collaborators check your work.
📝 Steps:
Reviewers may leave comments.
If changes are requested:
Make the fix
git add .
git commit -m "Fix review suggestions"
git push
✅ Code reviews help keep the project clean and consistent.
⚔️ Step 8: Resolve Merge Conflicts
🎯 Goal: Fix code clashes when multiple people edit the same line.
📝 Steps:
git pull origin main
If there's a conflict, Git will mark it like this:
<<<<<<< HEAD
your version
other version
main
Fix it manually, then:
git add .
git commit -m "Resolve merge conflict"
git push
✅ Merge conflict resolved.
❗ Step 9: Use GitHub Issues
🎯 Goal: Report bugs or suggest new features.
📝 Steps:
Go to the repo's Issues tab.
Click New Issue.
Describe the problem or idea clearly.
Submit it.
✅ A great way to manage and track tasks.
🧪 Step 10: Must-Know Git Commands
Command Description
git clone URL Copy project from GitHub
git status See what's changed
git add . Stage all changes
git commit -m "msg" Save changes
git push Upload to GitHub
git pull Fetch latest changes
git checkout -b branch Create new branch
✅ Final Workflow Summary
1. Fork the repository
2. Clone to your computer
3. Create a new branch
4. Make and commit changes
5. Push changes to GitHub
6. Open a pull request
7. Collaborate through code reviews
8. Fix merge conflicts
9. Use issues for collaboration
10. Repeat as needed
💬 Bonus Tip
💡 Always run git pull before you push to avoid conflicts.
🎯 Use clear commit messages and PR titles to help your teammates.
Top comments (1)
Well written article