Git & GitHub – Practical Guide

Git basics, branching, remotes, PR flow, and CI/CD hooks.

git init
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git

git init starts a new repo in the current folder. git clone copies a remote repository to your machine.

git add .
git commit -m "feat: add learning hub"

git add moves changes to the staging area. git commit creates a snapshot with a message.

git branch -M main
git checkout -b feature/x
git merge feature/x

branch creates/renames branches. checkout -b creates and switches. merge integrates history from a branch.

git stash && git stash pop
git reset --hard HEAD~1
git revert <commit>

stash shelves work without committing. reset --hard discards commits. revert creates an inverse commit safely.

git remote add origin git@github.com:user/repo.git
git fetch --all
git pull --rebase origin main
git push -u origin main
git cherry-pick <commit>
git tag v1.0.0

remote add links a repo. fetch downloads new refs. pull --rebase updates your branch linearly. push publishes. cherry-pick ports a single commit. tag marks releases.

# Example flow
git checkout -b feature/login
git commit -m "feat: login form"
git push -u origin feature/login
# Open PR → Review → Merge
git checkout main && git pull && git branch -d feature/login

# GitHub Action example
name: ci
on: [push]
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 18
      - run: npm ci && npm test

Create a repo, push initial code, develop on a feature branch, open a PR, get review, merge, and tag a release.