Git & Version Control

Explore & Discover

Imagine working on a school project and accidentally deleting half of it — with no way to get it back. Git solves that problem for code. Start by exploring GitHub.com without creating an account yet. Browse the "Explore" tab and find three projects that interest you — games, apps, websites, anything. Click into one and look at the commit history (the green "commits" link near the top). You are seeing a complete record of every change ever made, with notes about why. Watch "Git Explained in 100 Seconds" by Fireship on YouTube. You're ready for the next step when you can explain in your own words what a commit is and why someone would want a history of their code changes.

Learn the Basics

Git has five commands that cover 90% of daily use: init, add, commit, push, and pull. Learn what each one does before you type any of them. Watch "Git and GitHub for Beginners — Crash Course" by freeCodeCamp on YouTube (it is free and thorough). Then create a free account on GitHub.com and walk through their interactive "Hello World" tutorial, which takes about 10 minutes and does not require installing anything. Read the visual explainer at learngitbranching.js.org — it shows you what happens to your files as you run each command. You're ready for the next step when you can explain what each of the five core commands does without looking it up.

Build Your First Project

Install Git on your computer (free at git-scm.com) and connect it to your GitHub account. Create a new repository called "my-first-repo" and add a plain text file called notes.txt with three sentences about any topic you choose. Practice the full workflow at least three times: edit the file, git add, git commit with a descriptive message, git push. Your commit messages should describe what you changed — not "update" but "add section about Wasatch hiking trails." Check your GitHub profile page after each push to see the green contribution dot appear. You're ready for the next step when you have at least three commits visible in your GitHub repository history.

Experiment & Iterate

Branches let you experiment without breaking your working code — like making a copy of a document before rewriting it. Practice creating a new branch called "experiment," making changes there, then merging it back into your main branch. Do this three times with your test repo. Then intentionally create a merge conflict — edit the same line in two branches — and practice resolving it by choosing which version to keep. Use learngitbranching.js.org for interactive practice on branching without risking your real files. You're ready for the next step when you have successfully created, used, and merged at least two branches and resolved one merge conflict.

Advanced Techniques

Real developer teams use Git for collaboration, not just backup. Learn the pull request workflow: fork someone else's public GitHub repo, make a small improvement or fix a typo in their README, and submit a pull request. Many beginner-friendly repos are tagged "good first issue" — search that tag on GitHub to find ones welcoming new contributors. Learn to write a clear pull request description explaining what you changed and why. Watch "How to Contribute to Open Source on GitHub" by Eddie Jaoude on YouTube (free). You're ready for the next step when you have submitted at least one pull request to a public repository, even if it is just fixing a spelling error.

Final Project Showcase

Build a GitHub profile that shows your Git skills to anyone who looks: a pinned repository with a clear README that explains what the project is, at least 15 commits spread across two or more weeks (showing consistent work, not a dump), and a filled-in profile bio with your interests. If you have been learning coding at a program like Codeday Utah in Salt Lake City or through school, link to that experience in your bio. Fork a project you actually use or find interesting and add something genuinely useful — even a better README counts. You're ready for the next step when your GitHub profile is public, has at least two pinned repositories, and a stranger could understand who you are and what you build just from reading it.