A Beginner's Guide To Git and Github: A 4-Part Series

A Beginner's Guide To Git and Github: A 4-Part Series

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5 min read

Introduction.

If you're a beginner when it comes to using Git and GitHub, then this guide is for you. In this section, we'll go over the basics of how to use these two tools. We'll start with a brief overview of what Git and GitHub are and why they're used. This Series should give you a solid grasp of Git, GitHub, and the benefits of using them for your own projects.

What is Git?

Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency. Git is easy to learn and has a tiny footprint with lightning fast performance.

What is GitHub?

GitHub is a code repository that allows developers to share and collaborate on code. It also provides a platform for developers to share their code with the public. GitHub is free to use for public repositories, but there are paid plans for private repositories.

Git Repositories

Knowing where to host our repositories is necessary if we want to start utilizing Git. A project with several files is called a repository (or "Repo" for short). In our case a repository will contain code-based files. You can host your repositories in one of two ways. One is online (on the cloud), whereas the other is not (self-installed on your server).

Before using Git we should know why we need it, this will be explained in the next chapter.

Why should we be using Git?

  1. Git makes it easy to contribute to open source projects:

    • GitHub is used by almost all open-source projects to handle their projects. If your product is opensource,using GitHub is free, and it has a wiki and issue tracker that make it simple to include more thorough documentation and receive comments on your project.

    • To contribute, you just fork (obtain a copy of) a project, make your modifications, and then use GitHub's web interface to submit a pull request. You are requesting a review of your modifications from the project with this pull request.

  2. Documentation: By using GitHub, you make it easier to get excellent documentation. Their help section and guides have articles for nearly any topic related to Git that you can think of.

  3. Integration options: GitHub can integrate with common platforms such as Amazon and Google Cloud, with services such as Code Climate to track your feedback, and can highlight syntax in over 200 different programming languages.

  4. Track changes in your code across versions:

    • When multiple people collaborate on a project, it’s hard to keep track of revisions who changed
      what, when, and where those files are stored.

    • GitHub takes care of this problem by keeping track of all the changes that have been pushed to the repository. Much like using Microsoft Word or Google Drive, you can have a version history of your code so that previous versions are not lost with every iteration. It’s easy to come back to the previous version and contribute your work.

  5. Showcase your work: Are you a developer who wishes to attract recruiters? GitHub is the best tool you can rely on for this. Today, when searching for new recruits for their projects, most companies look at GitHub profiles. If your profile is available, you will have a higher chance of being recruited even if you are not from a great university or college.

Pros and Cons of Git and GitHub

There are many benefits to using Git and GitHub for your development projects. They allow for easy collaboration with other developers, provide a history of your code changes, and make it easy to roll back changes if necessary.

However, there are also some potential drawbacks to using these tools. For example, if you're not careful, it's easy to accidentally commit code that is not ready for production. In addition, Git and GitHub can be complex tools to learn and use, so you may need to invest some time in learning how to use them properly before you can fully take advantage of their features.

Alternatives to Git and GitHub

There are a few alternatives to Git and GitHub that you may want to consider. Here are a few of the most popular:

  • Bitbucket: Bitbucket is a git hosting service that offers free private repositories. It also has a nice web interface that makes it easy to view your code online.

  • GitLab: GitLab is another popular git hosting service. It offers free private repositories and has a robust web interface.

  • SourceForge: SourceForge is a popular site for open source projects. They offer git hosting for projects hosted on their site.

These are just a few of the alternatives to Git and GitHub. There are many others out there, so be sure to do your research to find the right fit for you and your project.

Conclusion

If you're new to Git and GitHub, this guide should help you get started. We've covered the basics of what these tools are and why you need them. In my Next Article, i'll be showing you how to Utilize Git and Github as a beginner. With a little practice, you'll be using Git and GitHub like a pro in no time. I hope you found this post informative. Remember to like it, comment on it, and share it with others. Thanks for reading ☺.