Git
Git from scratch: version control for beginners
Git from scratch: from your first commit to working with a team on GitHub. It reads like a book, with exercises and a final project.
Who it's for
For anyone who has only heard of version control. No programming experience needed: git tracks the history of any files that change, from code and configs to text and markup.
What you'll be able to do
- Keep a history of your project and return to any earlier version
- See exactly what changed and when
- Work on several versions of a project at once
- Publish a project to GitHub and pull down someone else's
- Work on code with other people through pull requests
- Repair a repository when something goes wrong
What's inside
What's in the book
From your first commit to working with a team. The chapters run in order, each building on the one before, and a final project closes the book.
- Chapter 1. Git in five minutes: why you need it
- Chapter 2. Your first repository
- Chapter 3. Three areas and your first commit
- Chapter 4. Inspect, undo, ignore
- Chapter 5. Branches: parallel versions of a project
- Chapter 6. GitHub: the cloud and working together
- Chapter 7. How teams actually use git
- Chapter 8. First aid: when something goes wrong
- Final project
Short references for individual commands: git-status, git-add, git-commit, git-log, git-diff, git-reset, git-stash, git-branch, git-switch, git-merge, git-push, git-pull
How it works
You read it in the browser. The knowledge base is open without an account, and the first chapters are free once you register. Payment is one-time: one payment per course, with no time limit. You lock in what you read in the sandbox: a real terminal with git in your browser, the lesson's repository already built, every step checked.
Questions
Do I need programming experience to start?
No. The book starts from an ordinary folder of files and asks for nothing beforehand.
What is the difference between git and GitHub?
Git is a program on your computer that keeps your project's history and works offline. GitHub is a website you can publish that history to.
Which chapters are free?
The knowledge base is open with no account at all. The first three chapters of the book open once you register, which is free.
Is it a one-time payment or a subscription?
One-time. One payment per course, and access to every chapter stays with no time limit.
What do I need to follow along?
Nothing. The sandbox opens a real terminal with git right in your browser. If you would rather work on your own machine, any computer with git installed will do: Linux, macOS, or Windows, and chapter 2 covers the install.
What is the sandbox?
A throwaway container with a real terminal and git installed. The lesson's repository is already built in it, and every step has a check. The container has no internet, so the remote repository in the lessons sits on the same machine: clone, push, and pull work exactly the same against it.
Is the book useful if I am not a programmer?
Yes. Git helps anyone who keeps files that change: text, configs, markup, documentation.
Who wrote it
Written by Sergei Kulnev. The chapter order and the examples come from what beginners actually trip over in their first month with git.