You now know a little bit about HTML and CSS. It is time to add a new skill to the mix. Let me introduce you to Git and Github.
This is the next class in the front-end developer track for Skillcrush and a brand-new series for my DEV profile. Today’s post is reviewing the first lesson in this new class. This introduces version control and Git, explains what they are, and encourages students to get organized.
Skillcrush Quick Note
Git & Github is going to have a different feel from HTML & CSS. HTML & CSS is very visual. As you can make changes, you can see them on screen.
For example, your desktop on you computer is very visual. So when you download files or add a file, you can see it being created. If you save a picture to a website, you will be able to see it.
Git & Github isn’t very visual. The command line uses a textual interface so you’ll be giving commands to make the changes happen. So you won’t be able to see the changes happening.
This can be uncomfortable for new developers. When I started to learn the command line, I got very frustrated since many times the commands I was giving weren’t working on the command line. So I’ve been there before.
If you are feeling uncomfortable with the command line, stick with it and keep practicing. It does get easier. If you get stuck, reach out for help in the comments of this post, using a resource like Google or Stack Overflow, or reach out to others in your favorite coding community.
Version Control
When developers talk about version control, they are talking about the system used to keep track of changes they make to a project. Developers like to say a project is “under version control” when they are using it. You can think of version control as having multiple versions of a file for a website.
A term developers love to use to describe their code is source code. Source code is the code inside the project. This code makes the program operate.
For example, developers save multiple versions of their work as rough-copy1, rough-copy2, rough-copy3, and then the final. Another file might be saved by a team member as essay-feedback1. This is version control because each version keeps the writing safe and current.
We’ve all been in a situation where something happens right when we are almost finishing something. This results in all the work you just done being lost. Keeping things safe and current makes sure that you won’t lose everything you’ve done.
Version control prevents this from happening by having multiple versions of your work saved for you, saving you lots of time. Remember developers like things that make their lives easier as much as possible and version control is there to help make things easier for you and any development team. Especially on big teams with a big project
A real-life example of version control in action is Google Docs. Google Docs has a history feature. This keeps track of the version they save of a file you are working on.
Git
Git is the most popular version control system. Developers use Git to keep track of every version of each file you are working on. It is popular because developers don’t have to save each file separately (think draft1 or draft2).
Instead, it creates a Git Repository. A Git Repository (repo for short from devs) is the folder Git creates to hold all versions of your files. When a developer saves changes to Git, it will make a new version of your files for you.
Anyone who has access to this repo can look at it and make changes to it. You can think of it like a filing cabinet with labels for versions. Git is great for teams because it prevents everyone from overwriting each other’s work.
Git is open source (open source means that it is free to download and use) so it is a key skill to know when working on a development team. Open source is great on resumes and looks good in portfolios. You can see this in the job postings for developer jobs.
Introducing the Class Project
Skillcrush introduces the big project for this class. This project is a Github profile. Github is online platform developers use to host Git repositories from people all over the world.
Github is great for when developers work on teams since they can share repos easily with anyone on Github. Once you finish this project, you’ll have started your professional presence on the web. This will make it easier to get employers’ attention now and you’ll have some contributions you’ve already made to the Github community
Throughout this class, you will be working on this project and doing things such as:
Creating a Github account
exploring repos on Github
adding repos to Github
hosting a website on Github
That’s just a preview of what is coming. For now, you’ll be concentrating on the version control basics and getting your feet wet with Git.
Challenge
Today’s challenge is to start getting organized with working with Git. That means putting resources in a folder in your browser and understanding the basics of version control and Git. Keep in mind what browser you want to use for this lesson.
Skillcrush recommends Chrome, but you can use one you like the best too. Regardless of what browser you use, Skillcrush suggests creating a folder in your bookmarks for specific coding resources.
To create a folder in Chrome, create a bookmark folder by clicking on the More menu (the three dots) in the top right of the browser.
Pick Bookmarks and List.
Click the Show Bookmark bar. This will put the bookmark bar underneath the address bar in the browser.
Right-click or control-click the Bookmark bar.
Pick add folder. Then name the folder. Skillcrush names their Git Resources.
Start bookmarking your resources. If you are on a Mac use cmd + d and PC users can use ctrl + d. I like to use the star icon on the top right in the address bar and pick the folder to put the link in.
Conclusion
The next lesson is where you’ll start using the command line and getting Git installed on your computer. Skillcrush shows students how to install Git on both a Mac and a PC. I don’t have a Mac so I’ll be describing how to install Git on a PC.
Resources
These are some of the Skillcrush recommended resources for Git. You might not need them now, but they will come in handy in the future.
What is Git?
The Official Git Handbook
Git’s Reference Page
This post was written on January 13, 2025.
