Git Quick Start Guide

Working with Repositories

Git is an extremely powerful version control software and has many more complex features than is covered here. The commands covered are the basic requirements to work with a Git repository. Feel free to look through this guide to explore what else Git has to offer!

Cloning

After setting up your Git environment, the first step to start working is cloning a repository to get a local version of the project files. This can be done by using the command git clone <repository-address>. The <repository-address> is typically either an HTTPS link or an SSH URI such as git@github.com:user/repository.git.

Status

The git status command is useful for tracking changes in the repository and the currently staged changes.

Committing

To commit your local changes to a remote repository (such as a GitHub repository), follow the three following steps to stage, commit and push your changes.

1. Stage Changes

Use the command git add <path> to stage changes in a file or directory located at <path>. In other words, this is selecting the desired changes to commit. The command git add --all stages all changes.

2. Commit Changes

Use the command git commit -m "description of changes" to commit your changes. The -m flag allows for a message to be written describing the changes made.

3. Push Changes

Use the command git push to push changes to the remote repository, which updates your changes there.

Pulling

After initially cloning the repository, the local repository can be updated with the latest changes from the remote by using the command git pull while in the local repository directory.