The Git and GitHub for Beginners

Install git on your computer, verify the version in the terminal with git --version, and reopen the terminal after installation to confirm the command works on Mac (iTerm2) or Windows.

Initialize a new git repository by creating a folder, running git init, and observing the hidden .git folder in the working directory; rename master to main with git branch -m.

Learn about git object types: blobs for files, trees for folders, and commits as pointers to trees, to create snapshots and check out historical versions of your project.

Identify how git assigns a unique hash to every object, such as blob, tree, commit, or annotated tag, using the sha one hash function to yield a 160-bit, 40-hex-character identifier.

Create and stage files in the working directory, distinguish the staging area from the git repository, and use git add and git commit to transfer changes.

Configure git author name and email globally using git config --global user.name and git config --global user.email, and verify with git config --list for commits and their sha1 hashes.

Configure your username and email, then commit changes with git commit -m to synchronize the working directory, staging area, and git repository, using git status and main branch checks.

In the git and GitHub for beginners course, explore commit history with git log, view sha hashes, and learn how head and main branch pointers drive checkout and commits.

Master basic git commands, including git status, git add, git commit, and git log, to track changes, stage files, and view history with git checkout for moving files.

Learn how to check out specific commits and branches in Git, switch between detached head and main, and understand how the working directory, head pointer, and logs reflect each state.

Explore file tracking statuses in git: untracked, unmodified, modified, and staged, and how git status reflects changes as a file moves from untracked to staged in the staging area.

Learn to stage and commit in one line with Git commit -a, automatically adding changes to the staging area, plus using a commit message and reviewing log and status.

Understand how feature branches diverge from the main branch, and how to merge them back with git merge, producing three-way merge commits or fast-forward histories.

Create a feature branch with git, add and commit a new file, switch to main, and merge the feature branch into main using a three-way merge and a merge commit.

Use git log --graph to visualize the commits tree and identify merge parents. Merge a feature branch into main, then delete the branch with git branch -D.

Explore GitHub as a repository hosting service and learn to connect local repositories to a remote, push and pull changes, and collaborate with others through branches and commits.

Create a new remote repository on GitHub, connect your local repository with it using git remote add origin, then push local changes to the remote.

Push local main changes to the remote origin, creating and tracking the upstream main branch, and verify the update through remote commits and file history.

Edit files directly on GitHub and commit to the main branch. Then pull updates from origin main to sync your local repository.

Explore git objects folder to learn how commits, trees, and blobs become sha1 objects. Use git cat-file to read object types and contents, including a merge commit and its tree.

Read the head file in the .git folder to see it points to the main branch, with branches in refs and versions stored as objects (blobs, trees, commits).