Git and GitHub notes/cheatsheet

Table of Contents

• Git Basics
  • Setting up Git
• Git Workflow
• GitHub Basics
  • Fork a Repository
  • Create a Pull Request
• Common Git Commands
• Git Branching
• Git Remote Operations

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Git Basics

Git is a version control system that allows you to track changes in your files and collaborate on projects.

Setting up Git

# Set your username and email globally
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "youremail@example.com"

# Check your configuration
git config --list

Git Workflow

1. Initialise or Clone a repository
Use this to initialise an existing directory as a Git repository.

git init

Use this to create a local copy of a remote repository.

git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git

2. Create a new branch
Always create a new branch to work on features or bug fixes.

git checkout -b new-branch-name

3. Stage changes
Add modified files to the staging area.

git add file-name

To add all files:

git add .

4. Commit changes
Commit the staged changes with a message.

git commit -m "Commit message"

5. Push changes to GitHub
Push your changes to the remote repository on GitHub.

git push origin branch-name

6. Merge changes
Merge your changes into a specified branch, typically main.

git merge branch-name

GitHub Basics

GitHub is a hosting platform for Git repositories.

• Forking: Make a copy of a repository on GitHub under your account.

• Pull Request (PR): A request to merge changes from your branch into another branch (typically the main branch).

• Issues: A way to track tasks, bugs, or enhancements in a project.

Fork a Repository

To contribute to someone else's project, fork it to your account and then clone it.

# Fork the repo from GitHub then clone your fork
git clone https://github.com/your-username/repository.git

Create a Pull Request

After pushing your changes, open a pull request to the original repository for review and merging.

Common Git Commands

Check Git Status

git status

View Commit History

git log

Show Changes between Commits

git diff

Remove a file from Git

git rm file-name

Git Branching

View Branches

git branch

Switch Branches

git checkout branch-name

Merge Branches

git merge branch-name

Delete a Branch

git branch -d branch-name

Create a New Branch

git checkout -b new-branch-name

Git Remote Operations

Add a Remote

git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repository.git

View Remotes

git remote -v

Fetch Latest Changes from Remote

git fetch origin

Pull Latest Changes from Remote

# Pulls changes from the 'main' branch
git pull origin main

Push to Remote

git push origin branch-name