Reference

What is Git?

The purpose of Git is to manage a project, or a set of files, as they change over time. It also coordinates work on those files among multiple people.

You store a project's code in a repository. A repository (repo for short) is where git stores the information on your project versions. You can think of it like a local server that stores your code.

Git is a distributed system. This means that you can have the same repo stored in multiple locations. You typically have a repo on your local computer and one on a remote server such as github. You can also have what's called a bare repository on your production server for deployment. If there are other people working on your project they will have a local copy of the repo on their machine as well.

The benefits of a distributed system is that you can save your code locally regardless of internet connection, for example if you were flying on a plane. You cannot do this with older VCS such as Subversion and CVS that have to connect to a remote server to save data. Another useful feature is that if one copy of your repo is lost for example your machine dies, as long as there is a copy of the repo else where you should be able to get back most of your work.

What is Github?

GitHub is a development platform inspired by the way you work. Host code, manage projects, and build software alongside millions of other developers.

Github can be thought of as a remote server to store your code. It allows you to share code and work on projects with other developers.

@todo more github hype

Why should I use Git?

Oh noes! The dog ate my codes!

I want to easily work on my awesome project with a friend!

I need to share my awesome project with the world to create peace!

Git is the solution!

History

Linus Torvalds creator of Linux made Git after a dispute with Bitkeeper who withdrew free use of their source control system. Why he called it Git, who knows?

How do I get started with Git?

First install git by entering the following command or follow these instructions if you're not using Linux.

sudo apt-get install git

Next register for a github account.

How to save an existing project to Github

To save an existing project to git and to github follow these instructions:

cd [your project path]
git init
git add .
git commit -am 'Initial Commmit'

Then create a repo on your github account and follow the instructions to push your changes.

How to download a project's code from Github

So you've seen an awesome project on github repository and you want to download a working copy and take a closer look. This is called 'cloning the repo'. Go to the repo github page click the 'clone or download' green button and copy the link. Then enter the following command:

git clone [repo link]

This will download the code to a new project directory, you can add a custom directory name as an additional parameter if you need to.

How to contribute to another project on Github

To get started working on another project you first need to fork the project on it's github page. Then follow this presentation:

How to make a pull request

How to save code changes

Saving your code is known as commiting. To do so takes two steps:

Add to staging area
Commit changes with a message

Check to see which files have been changed:

git status -s

To add specific files to the staging area:

git add [files]

To add all files to the staging area:

git add .

Note make sure you add any new files this way otherwise changes will not be commited as the files will be untracked.

To add and commit all changed files with a message:

git commit [files] -am 'Add new awesome feature'

Note that the command above add and commits at the sametime using the '-am' parameters.

Check your commit by viewing the log

git log

Branching

A branch is basically a fork of your own code. It's useful for creating a new feature or doing a bug fix. The main project branch is called main. To list your branches:

git branch

To switch to a branch:

git checkout [branch-name]

To list your branches:

git branch

To list remote branches:

git branch -r

How to update your project

To update your github project with the lastest commits made by you:

git push origin [branch name]

If you are contributing to another project you can update your local project with their latest changes by:

git pull upstream [branch name]

Remotes

If you are contributing to a project you need to add it as a remote (eg upstream in previous example) so that you can pull changes.

Github is named origin by default.

git remote add [remote name eg upstream] [repo clone url]

Config

The git config file is useful for checking your remotes

cat .git/config

Pull Requests

How to make pull requests

Conflicts

Sometimes you might get conflicts where you and another person has made changes to the same peice of code. You can either manually resolve the conflict or use a merge tool. @todo...

How to Write a Git Commit Message

Open Source Contributions

Git is a great way to contribute to open source projects. You can view a projects issues on Github and make a fix as a pull request or start your own project.

Private Repositories

If your project is top secret you can store it privately for free on bitbucket or gitlab. Github also has a private option however it is limited to a year for free.

Read Git Book Pro

Read Git Book Pro, it's free and awesome.

Workshop

A good practical Introduction is the node school workshop which can be installed and run with the following commands:

npm install -g git-it
git-it

Github Help

Help on github

Useful commands

Command	Definition
git log	show log
git status -s	show working directory status
git checkout [branch]	check out a branch
git checkout -b [branch]	make a new branch based on current branch
git add .	add all files
git add -u	add deleted files
git commit -am "[commit message]"	add and commit with message
git push [remote] [branch]	push changes to remote (typicall called origin) and branch name (main branch is called master)
git merge branch	merge branch into current one
git diff [commit ref 1] [commit ref 2]	show difference between commits
git rebase	Rewrite time! (becareful!)

Glossary

Term	Definition
Repository	where git stores your project versioning information
Fork	copy a repository to your github
Clone	copy a repository to your machine
Checkout	open a branch in your working directory
Branch	project fork / feature / version
Add	add files to staging area
Staging	the area you add files before a commit
Commit	save
Remote	name of remote server (default is origin)
Push	send your changes a remote server
Pull	get updates from a remote server

@todo more...