Master Git and GitHub in 5 Days: Go from Zero to Hero

Install git, create a GitHub profile, and tour essential GitHub features. Learn to create and clone repositories using both GitHub Desktop and the command line, followed by a simple exercise.

Explore the history and roles of Git and GitHub, from Linus Torvalds' open-source version control to GitHub's online hosting, Microsoft integration, and GUI versus command-line workflows.

Install git across macOS, Linux, and Windows by downloading from git-scm, verify with git --version, and set Visual Studio Code as the default editor for GitHub workflows.

Set up your GitHub profile, sign up for a free tier with public and private repositories, and use GitHub desktop and the VS Code GitHub extension.

Configure git locally by setting your global username and email with git config --global, verify the configuration, and prepare to connect GitHub Desktop and VS Code for day one.

Master how to create and clone git repositories, inspect public projects, and manage code with git init, git status, and git clone. Learn private repo access with tokens.

Learn to clone private repositories using a personal access token or the GitHub desktop GUI. Understand expiration options and repository scopes.

Learn to create and clone repositories via git, GitHub.com, or GitHub desktop, including private and public repos, and complete the day one exercise with a personal access token.

On day two, learn to add code, commit changes, and push or pull between your local working directory, staging area, and repository, mastering git status, git log, and git diff.

Learn the basic Git workflow for a solo developer: initialize a repo, track changes with staging and commits, and push to GitHub while using pull to sync.

Learn to create a local git repository, stage changes in the staging area with git add (single, multiple, or all), and commit with clear messages using VS Code.

Learn how to use git log to view a repository’s commit history with hash, author, date, and messages, navigate and quit, and preview upcoming git fetch and git pull.

Push local code to the GitHub remote by adding origin, then git push -u origin main (or master); manage authentication with a personal access token and note the master-to-main convention.

Compare Git fetch and Git pull to sync with a remote origin master, noting fetch brings remote commits without changing your working directory, while pull updates your files.

Practice end-to-end git workflow by creating a local repo, adding and committing a file, linking a GitHub remote, pushing, pulling, and handling first-push specifics.

Learn master and main branch concepts, create, switch, merge, delete, and rename branches, resolve conflicts, and compare changes with diff for collaborative development.

Explore how branches create independent lines of development that point to commits, preserve history, and enable feature work without breaking the main branch.

Understand how head and branches reference commits and how head points to the current branch. Use git checkout to switch between branches and create new ones.

Master git branch commands by creating a repository, adding files, and switching branches. Commit changes, view logs with git log, and visualize workflows in Visual Studio Code.

Learn to rename and delete git branches with practical commands such as git branch -m, git branch -d, and git branch -D, while switching branches and managing merges.

Master fast-forward and diverging merges on the master branch, and learn to resolve conflicts with auto commits and merge conflict markers in markdown.

Learn practical git merging techniques, including fast-forward merges, merging multiple branches, and resolving conflicts with Visual Studio Code's merge editor.

Explore how git diff displays differences between the file and the last commit, using minus and plus signs and diff chunks. It shows unstaged changes and can compare multiple files.

Learn a hands-on git workflow: initialize a repo, commit English numbers, create a translation branch, translate to another language, and perform fast-forward merge, with a bonus on using git diff.

Learn how to undo actions in git by using git checkout, git restore, git reset, and git revert, explore detached head and historical commits, and understand file stages and branches.

Master git checkout by exploring its use across files, commits, and branches. Understand detached heads when viewing commits, and note how git switch and git restore narrow the checkout's scope.

Use git restore to revert a file to its last commit, restore from head or head~N, and unstage changes with --staged, while noting uncommitted work cannot be restored.

Learn how to reset with git by removing commits and optionally hard resetting to a prior commit, while preserving or discarding file changes in the working directory.

Learn how git revert creates a new commit to undo changes without deleting history, preserving shared history across branches and offering a safe alternative to reset.

Practice undoing changes and managing branches with git in this exercise, including clone, check out, restore, reset, and commit workflows to fix mistakes on main and new branches.

Explore Git and GitHub in practice on day five by mastering stash, push/pull workflows, remote branches, and GitHub features, including pull requests and actions.

learn how git stash temporarily shelves uncommitted working changes to safely switch branches, then reapply or preserve them with stash pop or stash apply across branches.

Master push and pull workflows with git remote, learn to use the GitHub desktop tool and VS Code for syncing, and implement a gitignore to protect sensitive files.

Explore common workflow patterns from single branch workflows to branch based development, showing how teams use master or main branches, feature branches, and pull requests to manage merges on GitHub.

Explore a GitHub repository tour: view branches and commits, inspect issues and pull requests, explore actions, projects, wiki, and settings, and manage collaborators.

Learn how GitHub pull requests drive code review and controlled merging between branches and the main branch, with collaboration, permissions, and conflict resolution.

Fork a repository on GitHub, clone your fork locally, and push changes via pull requests. Use two remotes, origin and upstream, to keep your fork in sync and contribute.

Explore GitHub actions, a CI/CD platform that automates build, test, and deployment via event-driven workflows. Learn how runners and jobs utilize YAML files to automate pull requests and issues.

Engage in Day 5's open-ended final challenge: fork and clone an open source project, improve its documentation or code, and submit a polite pull request noting you are new.