Git and GitHub Basics Study Guide (Easy)

This study guide introduces the beginner concepts covered in the Git and GitHub quiz. It focuses on everyday language and simple mental models so you can understand what each idea means and why it is useful. Git is a tool for tracking changes to files. GitHub is a website for hosting Git projects online. Together, they help you save work, share it, and collaborate without losing track of who changed what.

What Git Is and Why It Matters

Think of Git as a camera for your project. Every time you take a “snapshot,” Git records the state of your files. Later, you can look back at any snapshot to see exactly what the files looked like. This is helpful because it gives you a safety net. If you make a mistake, you can return to a previous snapshot instead of starting over. Git is also a timeline of your work. Each snapshot shows when you made it and what changed.

Git does not only store the files. It stores the history of those files. That history includes which lines changed and when they changed. This is one reason Git is so popular with programmers. You can work confidently because you always have a record of your progress.

Repositories (Repos)

A repository is simply a project folder that Git is tracking. It contains your files and the hidden Git data that records history. When you turn a folder into a repo, Git starts watching that folder for changes. You can have many repos on your computer, each for a different project. When you hear “repo,” think “tracked project folder.”

Checking Your Status

The command git status answers a basic question: “What is the current situation in my project?” It tells you which files are changed, which files are staged for the next snapshot, and which files are untracked. Untracked files are new files that Git has not started tracking yet. git status is safe to run at any time and should become a habit. It helps you avoid surprises.

The Staging Area and git add

Before you create a snapshot, you choose which changes to include. That choice happens in the staging area. Staging is like placing items in a box before sealing it. You do that with git add. When you run git add, you are telling Git, “Please include these changes in the next snapshot.” You can add one file or many. You can also add changes in small steps, which helps you keep your history clean and organized.

Commits: Your Snapshots

A commit is a saved snapshot of your staged changes. When you run git commit, Git takes everything in the staging area and saves it as a new point in your history. You also write a commit message. That message should describe what changed. Good commit messages are short and clear, like “Add login form” or “Fix typo in README.” A commit gives you a stable checkpoint you can return to later.

Working Locally vs. Online

Git works locally on your computer. You do not need the internet to create commits. GitHub, on the other hand, is a website that stores copies of Git repos online. GitHub is called a remote because it lives somewhere else. The local repo is the one on your computer. The remote repo is the one on GitHub.

Why use GitHub? It gives you a backup of your work, and it lets you share or collaborate. If your laptop breaks, your commits on GitHub are still safe. If you work with a team, GitHub is the place where everyone’s work comes together.

git push: Sending Your Work to GitHub

Once you have commits locally, git push sends them to the remote repo on GitHub. Think of pushing as uploading your saved snapshots. Nothing gets sent until you push. If your teammate pulls from the repo, they will only see your new commits after you push.

git pull: Getting Updates from GitHub

git pull does the opposite. It brings down updates from the remote repo and merges them into your local repo. This is how you keep your local copy in sync with the version on GitHub. Pulling regularly helps avoid conflicts and surprises. A good habit is to pull before you start working so you begin with the latest version.

Branches: Parallel Lines of Work

A branch is a separate line of development. Imagine a main path called main. If you want to try something new without changing the main work, you create a branch. You can experiment freely there. If the experiment works, you can merge the branch back into the main path. Branches help you organize work and keep the main version stable.

Even for solo projects, branches are useful. They let you try ideas safely. If the idea doesn’t work, you can delete the branch. The main branch stays clean and reliable.

Cloning a Repository

Cloning makes a local copy of a remote repository. If you find a project on GitHub, you can clone it to your computer. The clone includes all files and full history. This is how you get a working copy of a repo so you can run it, study it, or make changes. Cloning is common when you start working on a project that is already on GitHub.

Forking on GitHub

A fork is your own copy of someone else’s repository on GitHub. The key idea is that it lives under your account, not theirs. Forking is common when you want to contribute to a project but don’t have direct write access. You fork first, then work on your fork. Later, you can ask the original project to accept your changes.

Forking happens on GitHub. Cloning happens on your computer. A helpful way to remember the difference: you fork to get your own remote copy, and you clone to get your own local copy.

Typical Fork-and-Clone Workflow

A common beginner workflow looks like this:

1. Fork the repository on GitHub.
2. Clone your fork to your computer.
3. Make changes locally and commit them.
4. Push your commits to your fork on GitHub.
5. If needed, open a request to share your changes with the original repo.

This pattern is used in many open-source projects. It creates a safe way to contribute without direct access to the original repository.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

• Forgetting to add files: If you change a file but do not run git add, it will not be included in your commit. Always check git status before committing.
• Committing too much at once: Try to make smaller commits that focus on a single idea. This makes your history easier to read and fix.
• Not pushing your work: Remember that commits are local by default. If you want your work on GitHub, you must push.
• Not pulling before you start: If you work with others, pull first so you start from the latest version.

Vocabulary Review

• Git: A tool that tracks changes in files over time.
• Repository: A project folder that Git is tracking.
• Status: The current state of your repo, shown by git status.
• Staging area: The place where changes wait before being committed.
• Commit: A saved snapshot of staged changes.
• Push: Send commits to a remote repository like GitHub.
• Pull: Download and merge changes from a remote repository.
• Branch: A separate line of development.
• Clone: A local copy of a remote repo.
• Fork: Your own GitHub copy of someone else’s repo.

Study Tips

• Practice with a small project so you can see the full cycle: edit → add → commit → push.
• Run git status often. It keeps you oriented.
• Use simple commit messages that describe one idea.
• If you are unsure about a command, pause and reread the output. Git’s messages often explain the next step.

Summary

Git helps you track your progress and protect your work. GitHub helps you share that work online. The basics—status, add, commit, push, pull, branch, clone, and fork—are the building blocks of everyday Git usage. If you understand these ideas, you can work on your own projects with confidence and collaborate with others without fear of losing your work.