Git Procedure for Beginners

Before asking for help, please first search the issue on Google or ask an AI assistant. If the problem persists, then ask a colleague.

Introduction

Git is a version control system used to manage code changes. A key concept in Git is the branch.

What is a branch?

A branch is a copy of the code where you can work independently without affecting the main version. This allows multiple people to work in parallel.

Two types of branches: - Local: Exists only on your computer. - Remote: Shared on GitHub (or another server, but here GitHub).

You’ll often need to: - Merge updates from main into your branch - Push your own changes to main

You only need a few commands to do this.

Prerequisite: You should have Git installed on your computer.

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Keeping Your Branch Up to Date

main → my-branch

To get the latest updates from main into your branch:

1. Switch to your branch:

   git checkout my-branch
   

2. Fetch updates from main:

   git fetch origin main
   

3. Merge them into your branch:

   git merge origin/main
   

If Git shows conflicts, open the listed files, make corrections, then run:

git add .
git commit -m "Resolve merge conflicts"

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Pushing Changes from Your Branch to main

my-branch → main

Once your updates are tested, you may want to move selected changes into main.

1. Switch to main:

   # Make sure you're on your branch
   git checkout main
   
   # Save and stage your changes
   git add .
   git commit -m "Describe your changes"
   
   # Push your branch to GitHub
   git push origin my-branch
   

2. View your commit history:

   git log --oneline
   

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Summary of Key Commands

Action	Command
Switch to your branch	git checkout my-branch
Fetch updates from main	git fetch origin main
Merge changes into your branch	git merge origin/main
Pull updates from main (fetch + merge)	git pull origin main
Switch to main	git checkout main
View commit history	git log --oneline
Push changes to main	git push origin main

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Final Tips

• Use git status to see what’s going on
• Use git log --oneline to see commit history
• Use Google or AI tools for troubleshooting
• Ask teammates only after checking the basics

You don’t need to master Git to contribute — just keep your branch up to date and make your changes visible to the team in a clean and organized way.