GitHub Basics Repository

This repository is a hands-on sandbox for anyone learning how to use Git and GitHub. Whether you're just starting out or need structured practice, this will walk you through everything from cloning to making pull requests. The goal: make you comfortable with version control and collaborating on open-source platforms.

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What You'll Learn

• Basic Git commands
• Setting up Git
• Forking and cloning repositories
• Working with branches
• Committing and pushing changes
• Creating pull requests
• Resolving merge conflicts
• Collaborating with others

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🔧 Setup Instructions

1. Install Git

Check if Git is already installed:

git --version

If not, download from https://git-scm.com/downloads

2. Configure Git

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

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Workflow Summary for our exercise

FORK → CLONE → BRANCH → COMMIT → PUSH → PULL REQUEST → MERGE

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🛠️ Step-by-Step Instructions

Fork the Repository

Forking creates a personal copy of someone else’s repository on your GitHub account. It lets you freely experiment with changes without affecting the original project

How to fork a repo

1. Go to the repo page on GitHub
2. Click the Fork button on the top-right
3. Now edit the name to suit you and click on create fork

How to clone a repository

1. Go to the repo page on github
2. Click on the green Code button and then copy the link
3. Now open your terminal run this command

git clone your-repo-link
cd github-basics # to enter the repo

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Create a Branch (Not Needed for this exercise)

A branch is a separate line of development. It allows you to work on features or fixes without touching the main codebase until you’re ready

How to create a branch

git checkout -b your-branch-name

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Add your name to the CONTRIBUTORS.md

Open this file in your preferred code editor and add your name to CONTRIBUTORS.md

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Stage and Commit

git add .
git commit -m "add: <name> to CONTRIBUTORS.md"

Use clear commit messages.

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Push to Your Fork

git push origin your-branch-name

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Open a Pull Request (PR)

1. Go to your forked repo on GitHub
2. Click Compare & pull request
3. Add a title and description
4. Submit the PR to the original repo

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To push updates to your fork:

git push origin main

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🔀 Resolving Merge Conflicts

If there's a conflict: HOW DO I EXPLAIN THIS

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🧹 Best Practices

• Commit often, with clear messages
• Keep your branches focused on one task
• Never commit secrets (e.g. passwords, API keys)
• Pull before pushing
• Review your code before submitting PRs

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A Couple Useful things

• GitHub Docs
• Git Cheatsheet
• GitHub File Icons
• ani-cli