bf-workflows

Git and GitHub

Why Use Git and GitHub?

Git and GitHub are essential tools in modern software development, facilitating efficient version control and collaboration among developers. They enable you to:

• Track changes to your code over time.
• Collaborate seamlessly with other developers.
• Maintain multiple versions of your project.
• Host and share your code publicly or privately.

Git vs. GitHub: Understanding the Difference

• Git: A distributed version control system that helps you manage and keep track of changes in your codebase. It is a command-line tool that allows you to record the history of your project.
• GitHub: A cloud-based platform that hosts Git repositories. It provides a web-based interface to manage your repositories, collaborate with others, and utilize additional features such as issue tracking, project management, and GitHub Pages for hosting websites.

Connecting Git to Your GitHub Account

Before you can interact with GitHub from your local machine, you need to configure Git with your GitHub credentials.

Setting Your Git Username

git config --global user.name "Your GitHub Username"

Setting Your Git Email

git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

Starting a New Project on GitHub

Step 1: Create a Repository on GitHub

1. Log in to your GitHub account.
2. Click on the + icon in the upper right corner and select “New repository”.
3. Fill in the repository name, description (optional), and choose the repository visibility (public or private).
4. Click “Create repository”.

Step 2: Add Collaborators

1. Navigate to the repository on GitHub.
2. Click on “Settings” > “Collaborators & teams”.
3. Add collaborators by entering their GitHub usernames.

Step 3: Enable GitHub Pages (Optional)

1. Go to the repository settings.
2. Scroll down to the “GitHub Pages” section.
3. Choose a source branch for GitHub Pages and click “Save”.

Step 4: Protect Your Main Branch (Optional)

1. In the repository settings, go to “Branches”.
2. Under “Branch protection rules”, add a rule for the main branch.
3. Configure the desired protections, such as requiring pull request reviews.

Step 5: Clone the Repository Locally

To work on your project locally, you need a local copy of the repository.

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

Pushing and Pulling Code

Pushing Changes to the Main Branch

After making changes and committing them locally, push the updates to the remote main branch.

git push origin main

Pushing Changes to Another Branch

If you’re working on a different branch, push your changes to the corresponding remote branch.

git push --set-upstream origin branch-name

Pulling Updates from the Remote Repository

To fetch and integrate changes from the remote repository to your local main branch:

git pull origin main

To fetch and integrate changes to another branch:

git pull origin branch-name

Basic Git Commands

Adding Changes

Stage changes for the next commit.

git add .

Committing Changes

Record the staged changes in the repository.

git commit -m "Your commit message"

Viewing Commit History

Display the history of commits in the repository.

git log

Creating a New Branch

Create and switch to a new branch.

git checkout -b new-branch-name

Merging Branches

Merge the specified branch into the current branch.

git merge branch-name

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