Working with GitHub

Introduction

GitHub is the most popular Git hosting service with over 100 million developers. It provides collaboration features beyond basic Git.

Creating a GitHub Account

1. Go to github.com 2. Click "Sign up" 3. Follow the verification process 4. Choose your plan (free is sufficient for most features)

Creating a Repository on GitHub

Via Web Interface

1. Click the "+" icon in the top right 2. Select "New repository" 3. Enter repository name 4. Choose public or private 5. Optionally add README, .gitignore, or license 6. Click "Create repository"

Via Command Line

# Create local repository
mkdir my-project
cd my-project
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
Create remote repository using GitHub CLI
gh repo create my-project --public --source=. --clone=false

Connecting Local Repository to GitHub

Method 1: HTTPS

git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repo.git
git push -u origin main

Method 2: GitHub CLI

gh repo create my-project --public

This creates and links in one step.

GitHub Key Features

Issues

Track bugs, features, and tasks:

## Issue Title
Description
Describe the problem...
Steps to Reproduce
1. Go to...
2. Click on...
3. See error
Expected Behavior
What should happen...
Actual Behavior
What actually happens...

Pull Requests

Propose changes to a repository:

1. Fork the repository 2. Create a branch 3. Make changes 4. Open a Pull Request 5. Discuss and review 6. Merge

GitHub Actions

Automate workflows:

name: CI
on: [push, pull_request]
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - name: Run tests
        run: npm test

GitHub Pages

Host static websites directly from your repository.

Forking and Contributing

Fork a Repository

Click "Fork" button on any GitHub repository.

Clone Your Fork

git clone https://github.com/your-username/repository.git

Add Upstream

git remote add upstream https://github.com/original-owner/repository.git

Keep Fork Updated

git fetch upstream
git checkout main
git merge upstream/main
git push origin main

Create Pull Request

1. Push your changes to your fork 2. Navigate to original repository 3. Click "New Pull Request" 4. Select your branch 5. Add description 6. Submit

GitHub CLI

Installation

# macOS
brew install gh
Ubuntu
sudo apt install gh
Windows
winget install GitHub.cli

Authentication

gh auth login

Useful Commands

# List repositories
gh repo list
Create repository
gh repo create my-repo
Clone repository
gh repo clone owner/repo
Create issue
gh issue create --title "Bug" --body "Description"
Create pull request
gh pr create --title "Feature" --body "Description"
View PR status
gh pr status

GitHub Desktop

For a GUI experience:

1. Download from desktop.github.com 2. Sign in to your account 3. Clone or create repositories 4. Make commits and push with visual interface

Best Practices

Commit Messages

• Use imperative mood: "Add feature" not "Added feature"
• First line under 50 characters
• Detailed description after blank line

Pull Request Etiquette

• Keep PRs small and focused
• Include description of changes
• Reference related issues
• Respond to review comments

README Best Practices

# Project Name
Brief description.
Installation

Usage

Contributing
Explain how others can contribute.
License
MIT

Summary

GitHub extends Git with powerful collaboration features:

• Remote repository hosting
• Issues for tracking
• Pull Requests for contributions
• GitHub Actions for automation
• GitHub Pages for hosting

Next Lesson

Learn about SSH keys for secure authentication with GitHub.