Git and GitHub for Beginners: Your First Repository

Git is a tool that records the history of your code, so you can see what changed, undo mistakes and work with other people without overwriting each other. GitHub is a website that hosts Git repositories online. Together they are part of almost every software team’s daily work, and your GitHub profile becomes part of your portfolio.

The five commands to learn first

• git init: start tracking a folder.
• git status: see what has changed.
• git add .: choose the changes to save.
• git commit -m "Describe the change": save a snapshot with a message.
• git push: upload your commits to GitHub.

Your first repository, step by step

1. Create a free account on GitHub and a new, empty repository.
2. On your computer, open a terminal in your project folder and run git init.
3. Add your files and make your first commit.
4. Connect the folder to GitHub with the git remote add origin … command GitHub shows you.
5. Run git push -u origin main, then refresh GitHub to see your code online.

Good habits from day one

• Commit small, related changes often, with clear messages.
• Never commit passwords or secret keys. Use a .gitignore file to keep them out.
• Write a short README that explains what the project is and how to run it.

Every Virexa software programme uses Git and GitHub from the first weeks, so by the end your work is already public and easy to share with employers.