GitHub is an important tool to learn as a developer. By the end of this article, you will learn about GitHub, what is GitHub, why GitHub is important, the difference between GitHub and Git as well as the difference between GitHub Desktop and GitHub CLI, and also how to carry out some basic commands such as clone, pull request and commit.
GitHub has a lot of definitions but I like to define it as an online storage that can be used for storing your code and tracking your code, but there is more to GitHub than that.
I will be going with the definition from HubSpot
GitHub is an online software development platform. It's used for storing, tracking, and collaborating on software projects. It makes it easy for developers to share code files and collaborate with fellow developers on open-source projects. GitHub also serves as a social networking site where developers can openly network, collaborate, and pitch their work.
There are a lot of advantages that GitHub offers such as;
- Great for remote collaboration
Developers from different parts of the world can work collaboratively with one another.
- Backup
Your code is safe and secure on your repository. In a situation where your system gets faulty or stolen. You can be assured that your code is safe in your repository.
- Community
GitHub has a large community. so imagine your code being seen by the large community.
Most times we confuse Git for GitHub and vice versa. Well, Git is the control system that lets you manage and keep track of your source code history and GitHub is the service for projects that use Git.
There is a significant difference between Git and GitHub according to intellipaat some of the difference's are listed below
| Git | GitHub |
|---|---|
| Developed in the year 2005 by Linus Torvalds | Developed in the year 2008 and purchased by Microsoft |
| Focuses on code sharing | Focuses on source code hosting |
| Installed locally on a system | Hosted on the web |
| A software tool | A service tool |
| Primarily, a command-line tool | Administered through the web |
| Doesn’t have a user management feature | Has the user management feature |
| A licensed open-source tool | A pay-for-use tier |
| Has a minimal external tool configuration | Supports third-party tool integration |
GitHub has a lot of commands but for this tutorial, I will touch on three of them which are essential in the GitHub workflow.;
- Cloning a repository
- How to commit
- Pull request
As the name implies, Cloning is making a copy of a specific repository. A repository contains all files found in the project i.e source code, images, etc(includes all of your project's files and each file's revision history).
Pre-requisite for cloning
To clone a repo from GitHub, you have to first have an account on GitHub.
Let's assume you landed your first gig and you have been given access to the company's repository on GitHub and you need the files on your computer so that you can start working. That is where cloning comes in handy.
There are six steps to clone a repository from GitHub.
Step 1
From the GitHub landing page click on the Sign In button.
Step 2
Fill in your credentials
Step 3
You will be routed to the company's GitHub account. Click on the Repository tab.
Note: I am using my personal account for the screenshot in step 3. I do not have the right to put a company's GitHub account without permission.
Step 4
Click on the Repository that you were given to work on. I will be using the website Repository.
Step 5
Click on the green Code button.
You can clone a repository by using any of the method below;
- Https
- SSH
- GitHub CLI
For this article, we would concentrate on the Https method. Copy the URL https://github.com/Omokiti/website.git
Open your Vscode and click on terminal then new terminal.
if you dont have a vscode you can download it from Vscode.
Make sure you are in the correct folder. I am cloning mine to the Desktop folder on my system.
git clone https://github.com/Omokiti/website.git
Use the command above to clone the repository. i.e git clone the URL you copied from your company's repo on GitHub and hit enter.
Step 6
Go to the folder you cloned your repo, you should be able to see your folder.
A commit is like saving a file after editing it. Remember you are working on the repository you cloned from the Company that just gave you your first gig.
So assume your first task is to create a sign-in button with red background color on the dev branch and you are done with your task.
So before making a commit you have to first of all run this command in your terminal ;
git add .
The git add informs git that you want to include updates to all the files.
git commit -m " "
The m stands for the message of your commit.
Note: Do not commit without a message because providing a commit message helps your team members or anyone that sees your commit know what you are doing.
After you make the commit. you will run another command
git push -u origin dev
git push helps you transfer your commits from your local repo to to a remote repo.
Remember the branch you were assigned to for your task is the dev branch.
You can read more about branches here Git Branch
Note: In another scenario your branch name can be anything you give it.
As the name implies you are pushing your changes to the company's Github account.
git push -u origin
Once your code have reflected on Github you will have to do a pull request commonly called PR.
A pull request is informing your company that you have made some updates to the file. In our case we made updates to the Navigation.css style by changing the background color of the sign in button.
Step 1
You will get the notification that the branch just had recent push
Click on the Compare and pull request button.
Step 2
You will compare the dev branch to the main branch.write a comment that shows what your pull request is about and click on the Create pull request button.
Your Boss will review your PR and merge it if it meets the task requirement's.
Git Hub Desktop and GitHub CLI are tools that can be used to create a repo, push, create a pull request etc in GitHub but have significant differences
| GitHub Desktop | GitHub CLI |
|---|---|
| GitHub desktop is the GitHub application that you can install on your system by visiting this site. | GitHub CLI is the Command Line interface tool for GitHub that brings pull requests, issues, GitHub Actions, and other GitHub features to your terminal. |
| GitHub desktop is a super flexible tool | GitHub CLI is a bit complex |
| GitHub desktop offers a beautiful and structured User Interface | GitHub CLI offers a black screen |
| It has a specific button for each and every Git command | Rembering all the commands can be difficult |
GitHub is an essential tool for every developer. It helps in storing of your code,communication and collaboration with other developers around the world,contributing to open source and also displaying your projects to the world. I hope that you have learned a lot about GitHub with this article.