Git Basics

Learning Objectives

• Understand Git's distributed version control model
• Learn core Git commands and workflows
• Implement proper branching strategies
• Connect local repositories to remote platforms (GitHub)
• Document code changes with meaningful commit messages

Requirements

You are required to create a local Git repository, connect it to GitHub, and perform the following operations:

1. Repository Creation and Setup
   • Initialize a repository (git init)
   • Configure your identity (git config --global user.name / user.email)
   • Create a README.md with a project description
2. Working with Changes
   • Create and edit files in your repository
   • Check file status (git status)
   • Stage changes (git add)
   • Commit with meaningful messages following Conventional Commits (git commit -m "feat: ...")
3. Remote Repository Integration
   • Create a GitHub repository
   • Connect local to remote (git remote add origin <URL>)
   • Push local commits to GitHub (git push -u origin main)
   • Clone the repository to a different location (git clone <URL>)
4. Branching and Merging
   • Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature-x)
   • Make changes on the feature branch
   • Merge back to main (git merge feature-x)
   • Resolve merge conflicts
5. History and Collaboration
   • View commit history (git log --oneline --graph)
   • Compare differences (git diff)
   • Pull changes from remote (git pull)

Stretch Goals

• Add a .gitignore for common files (node_modules/, .env, *.log)
• Create and merge a pull request on GitHub
• Use git rebase to maintain a clean project history
• Configure SSH key authentication for GitHub

Deliverables

• A GitHub repository with:
  • At least 5 commits showing progression of work
  • A feature branch that was merged back into main
  • A meaningful README.md
  • A properly configured .gitignore
• Documentation of the commands used and lessons learned

References

• Git Official Documentation
• Pro Git Book (free)
• Conventional Commits
• Interactive Git Branching
• GitHub Guides: Hello World
• Git Cheat Sheet - GitHub

Once you complete this task you will have a solid understanding of Git workflows, branching, and remote collaboration - essential skills for every DevOps engineer and prerequisite for every task that follows.