Version Control is a part of any modern software development process. It helps teams be in control of changes to their codebase. Git and GitHub are two of the most popularly used tools for version control. The primary focus of this guide is how to effectively use Git and GitHub.
Git is a distributed version control system developed by Linus Torvalds. It allows multiple developers to simultaneously work on a project without stepping on each other's toes.
GitHub is a web-based platform that is based on Git for version control and adds collaboration tools, issue tracking, and project management.
To get started with Git, you need to download it and install it on your computer. Here are the steps for installing Git:
1. Windows: Use the official Git installer from the [official Git website](https://git-scm.com/); and follow installation instructions.
2. macOS: Using Homebrew, in your terminal, run `brew install git`.
3. Linux: Use your platform's package manager; on Ubuntu, for example, it is `sudo apt-get install git`.
4. After you have installed it, set up Git with your username and email address:
```bash
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"
```
Here are the basic Git commands to get you up and running:
1. Initialize a repository: Navigate into your project directory and run the following to initialize a project for tracking with Git:
```bash
git init
```
2. Clone a repository: The following command creates a local copy of an existing GitHub repository.
```bash
git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git
```
3. Status: The working directory and the staged changes' status are available through the command:
bash
git status
4. Add changes: Stages changes for the next commit. Changes are prepared for the next commit by:
bash
git add filename
To stage all changes, use:
bash
git add.
5. Commit changes: Commit staged changes with a message. Staged changes will be committed along with a meaningful message, like:
bash
git commit -m "Your commit message"
6. Pushing changes: Moves your commits to a remote repository on GitHub. The command looks like this:
bash
git push origin branch-name
7. Pulling changes: Fetch and merge the changes from the remote repository. The command looks like this:
bash
git pull origin branch-name
Now that you have installed Git and understood the basic commands, let us see how to use GitHub for version control.
1. Sign in to your GitHub account.
2. On the repositories section, click the button "New."
3. Give a name for your repository and add a description; select between Public and Private.
4. Click "Create repository."
1. You just have to create the repository in GitHub and then copy the repository URL.
2. Execute in your local project directory:
```bash
git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repository.git
```
bash
git push -u origin main
The branches allow you to fix or add features independently of the main codebase. Here are the steps for creating and switching to a new branch:
bash
git checkout -b new-branch
`
To push the new branch to GitHub:
bash
git push origin new-branch
`
Pull requests are a way of proposing changes to a repository. They let someone review your changes before they are merged into the main branch.
1. Push your changes to a branch on GitHub.
2. On GitHub, open the repository, and then click "Pull requests."
3. Click "New pull request" and then select the branches you want to merge.
4. Add a title and description for your pull request, then click "Create pull request."
a. Commit often: Small, frequent commits are best with clear messages.
b. Use branches: All of your work needs to be stabilizing. Keep it off the main code base by working in feature branches.
c. Collaborate: Make sure the quality of the code is good by reviewing it with pull requests and code reviews.
d. Stay updated: Pull changes from the remote repository regularly to stay updated with your team.