GitHub Foundations Certification - GH-900

Install and verify Git, VSCode, GitHub CLI, and optional GitHub Desktop, then set up the tools to prepare your coding environment and ssh access.

Set up a secure GitHub account with two-factor authentication and SSH keys, then verify the connection using Git CLI and the GitHub CLI.

Learn how Git provides version control through snapshots, branching, and collaboration, enabling teams to manage code efficiently, experiment safely, and merge changes with confidence.

Discover how git divides a project into the working directory, staging area, and repository, with head tracking your current position and git init, add, and commit moving changes into history.

Configure git locally by setting your name and email, selecting an editor, and creating a global gitignore to ignore log files and node_modules across all projects.

Initialize a git repository in the Acme widget project, create a readme.md and .gitignore, and set up the workspace for future commits and code tracking.

Stage your changes with git add, then commit a snapshot using git commit -m 'initial commit' to create your project history. Use git log to review progress.

Inspect and track every change with git by using git status, git diff, and clear commits via git add and git commit, guiding project evolution.

Adopt the local branching workflow to safely test features and fixes on dedicated branches using git switch, git add, and git commit, and merge to the main branch when ready.

Learn how to merge your feature branch into main and keep the project tidy by deleting merged branches.

Use the GitHub Desktop GUI to visually manage your project, commits, and branches with clicks, connect a local repository, and review history without a terminal.

Learn to craft a clear readme with markdown, featuring installation, usage, and contributing sections, placeholders, and living documentation, with preview in VS Code and GitHub.

Compare https and ssh as remote protocols to connect your local repo with GitHub, weighing security, credentials, and setup; publish, branch, and review with pull requests, using ssh as recommended.

Create a remote GitHub repository named Acme widget as a central hub for sharing and collaborating on your demo app, applying an MIT license and a node .gitignore.

Connect your local Acme widget repository to GitHub by setting a remote origin and pushing the master branch, making your project live and ready for collaboration.

Learn how to clone a remote GitHub repository to your local machine, switch to the master branch, inspect files, and understand collaboration with git status, commits, and future pull requests.

Collaborate effectively by creating a feature branch, staging and committing changes, pushing to origin, and opening a pull request for review and merging into the main branch.

Explore repository insights in GitHub to analyze traffic, views, clones, and referrers. Learn to read commit activity and network graphs to understand collaboration and contributions.

Enable GitHub beta features: discussions and projects in your repository settings to boost collaboration, brainstorm ideas, organize work with boards, tables, and a roadmap, all within GitHub.

Learn to recover from remote errors on GitHub by reverting a merged pull request or resetting a local branch and force pushing, with cautions about history.

Review branch strategy essentials, including clear naming conventions for feature, bug fix, and hotfix branches, compare merge and rebase workflows, and practice keeping branches short-lived and consistently merged.

Publish a project home page with GitHub Pages using the docs folder method, create docs, add an index.html, commit and push, configure deployment, and view the live site.

Explore how issues and pull requests enable team collaboration on GitHub. Learn the author, reviewer, and maintainer roles and the workflow from opening issues to merging PRs.

Learn how to use draft pull requests and auto closing issues to improve collaboration, track work, and automatically close linked issues by including keywords in the pull request description.

Learn to create issues on GitHub, organize and assign them with templates, labels, milestones, and assignees, and perform regular triage to keep your team on track.

Use issue templates and markdown forms to standardize bug reports and feature requests, prompting steps to reproduce and outcomes while adding priority fields to save time and reduce confusion.

Develop a dark mode feature by creating a feature branch, adding a dark mode CSS file, committing and pushing changes, and opening a pull request for collaboration.

Open and describe a pull request to merge a feature branch into main on GitHub, link the closest issue number, request reviewers, and review changes before merging.

Learn how to conduct effective code reviews on pull requests by using inline comments, approving or requesting changes, and resolving conversations to keep projects healthy and collaborative.

Resolve merge conflicts when two branches edit the same file, using VS Code to fix markers, then git add, commit, and push; review via pull requests and test.

Close issues automatically when you merge a pull request by including keywords like closes, fixes, or resolves in the PR description, keeping your tracker tidy and aligned with goals.

Use GitHub discussions to brainstorm ideas, gather feedback, and prepare design changes before opening an issue. Enable discussions in settings and convert discussions to issues once you decide on action.

Learn how to write effective commit and pull request messages using conventional commits, including feat and fix types, and how templates guide what to describe.

Explore CI/CD concepts and GitHub actions to automate testing, building, and deployment using triggers, workflows, jobs, and steps, with GitHub Copilot, Codespaces, and GitHub CLI.

Discover GitHub Copilot, an AI powered coding assistant that provides inline code completions and suggestions, learns from context in real time, and speeds coding without replacing your thinking.

Create a CI workflow in a GitHub project to automatically run tests on push or pull request, using a workflows/ci.yml, checkout, setup node, install dependencies, and report results.

Leverage GitHub Actions matrix builds to test across Node.js versions 16, 18, and 20, while securely handling API keys with repository secrets.

Debug workflow failures in GitHub actions by viewing logs, adding verbose test output, and rerunning or fixing scripts in a sample Acme widget project.

Learn how to use GitHub Copilot in VS Code to enable or disable, accept or reject suggestions, and generate tests and documentation from comments.

Explore codespaces, cloud hosted vscode environments connected to a GitHub repo. Create a codespace in the browser or with VS Code, then run and preview your app quickly.

Set up and customize a devcontainer.json to define node version, ports, extensions, and post-create commands, ensuring Codespaces and local VS Code launch a reproducible development environment for the entire team.

Develop, test, and push entirely in the cloud using GitHub Codespaces, with npm install, npm run dev, hot-reload previews, port forwarding, and in-terminal git commit and push.

Master the GitHub CLI for automation, authenticating to remote repos, and managing pull requests and workflow runs from the terminal.

Explore GitHub projects' classic versus beta, comparing kanban boards to a flexible database with table, board, and roadmap views, and learn automation, custom fields, milestones, and assignees.

Explore how labels, milestones, and assignees organize work in GitHub by tagging issues, setting deadlines, and assigning ownership, with practical steps to create and apply them.

Set up your first GitHub project beta by creating a table view, adding custom fields (status, priority, sprint), importing issues and saving board views for recurring filters.

Automate card movement in GitHub projects by creating workflows that move items to done when issues close or PRs merge, set default statuses, and auto-label new items.

Learn to link issues and pull requests to a GitHub project, add items in bulk from the repository, and drag them across columns using filters by milestones and assignees.

Plan a version 2.0 release by creating milestones in GitHub, assign issues, and monitor progress with a roadmap and a live progress bar tied to projects.

Learn to keep your backlog healthy with a five step weekly triage routine, using filters, bulk updates, and inline edits to manage priorities, labels, and sprints.

Explore built-in charts such as burn up, cycle time, and throughput, and use roadmaps grouped by sprint to visualize delivery timelines.

Enable Dependabot and CodeQL to automate security alerts and code scanning in your GitHub project, generate vulnerability issues via automated workflow, and track them in a security-focused project view.

Export GitHub project data to CSV or TSV and analyze in Excel or Google Sheets, using filters and pivot tables to create shareable reports for stakeholders.

Establish roles and branch protection to control who can change code and safeguard the main branch. Enforce two-factor authentication, signed commits, secret scanning, and audit log reviews to monitor activity.

Learn how GitHub enterprise uses single sign-on with SAML and SCIM to connect to identity providers like Google Workspace or Okta, automate user provisioning, and enforce security across the organization.

Enforce two-factor authentication (Toofar) across personal accounts and organizations with an authenticator app, QR code, and recovery codes, review blocked users, interaction limits, and code review limits.

Discover how personal access tokens replace passwords for GitHub commands, apps, and automation. Create, scope, expire, store securely, and revoke tokens to control access.

Learn to secure and verify your code with ssh keys and gpg-signed commits, configure gpg keys, and obtain a verified badge on GitHub.

Create teams in your organization to assign proper access. Apply role-based access control, grant repo permissions, and align with branch protection and code owners.

Combine branch protection rules with a code owners file to enforce reviewer approvals before merging, safeguarding the main branch and improving code quality and accountability.

Enable Dependabot alerts and security updates, configure secret scanning, and monitor dependency health to automatically detect vulnerabilities and secrets, with pull requests and alerts in the security tab.

Audit logs provide a CCTV-like view of who did what, when, and where in your GitHub organization. Filter, export, and review logs regularly to detect unauthorized changes and policy violations.

Enable two-factor authentication and store recovery codes offline; enable Dependabot security updates, code scanning, and secrets monitoring. Review organization teams and audit logs to keep access clean and production-ready.

Publish your project as open source by choosing an OSI-approved license—MIT, Apache 2.0, or GPL v3—and applying it to your repository with clear attribution.

Build a thriving open source community by engaging contributors and sponsorships, and create guiding files like contributing.md, code of conduct, and funding.yml to welcome new contributors.

Learn the fork and contribute workflow on GitHub by forking, creating a feature branch, committing changes, and opening a pull request for review and merge.

Launch a personal GitHub Pages portfolio to showcase your demo app, projects, and about page, using GitHub Pages' free hosting and a guided setup from repo creation to deployment.

Maintain your open source project by triaging issues, labeling them, and responding to contributors to stay active. Automate updates with Dependabot and use GitHub actions to engage the community.

Master essential git commands with a compact top 10 cheat sheet, including git init, status, add, commit, log, branch, switch, merge, push, pull, and clone for daily workflow.

Explore your next learning paths after completing GitHub foundations, continue building with Git and GitHub using branches, pull requests, and clear readme documentation to grow your professional profile.

Master the complete GitHub lifecycle by exploring a finished demo repo with a readme, license, well-named branches, actions, workflows, Dependabot, project boards, and GitHub Pages.