How to Use Git and GitHub

via Udacity

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This course may be unavailable.

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Provider

Udacity
Pricing

Free Online Course
Languages

English
Duration & workload

3 weeks
Sessions

Finished

Found in

Overview

Effective use of version control is an important and useful skill for any developer working on long-lived (or even medium-lived) projects, especially if more than one developer is involved. This course, built with input from GitHub, will introduce the basics of using version control by focusing on a particular version control system called Git and a collaboration platform called GitHub.

This course is part of the Front End and Full Stack Nanodegrees..

Why Take This Course?

Git is used by many tech companies, and a public GitHub profile serves as a great portfolio for any developer. But more than that, you’ll establish an efficient programming workflow that allows you to:

Keep track of multiple versions of a file
Track bugs by reverting to previous working versions of a file
Seamlessly collaborate with other developers on a project

The use of tools like Git and GitHub is essential for collaborating with other developers in most professional environments.

Syllabus

Lesson 1: Navigating a Commit History

In this lesson, you’ll learn about a few different types of version control systems and discover what makes Git a great version control system for programmers. You’ll also get practice using Git to view the history of an existing project. You’ll learn to see all the versions that have been saved, checkout a previous version, and compare two different versions.

Lesson 2: Creating and Modifying a Repository

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to create a repository and save versions of your project. You’ll learn about the staging area, committing your code, branching, and merging, and how you can use these to make you more efficient and effective.

Lesson 3: Using GitHub to Collaborate

In this lesson, you’ll get practice using GitHub or other remote repositories to share your changes with others and collaborate on multi-developer projects. You’ll learn how to make and review a pull request on GitHub. Finally, you’ll get practice by collaborating with other Udacity students to write a create-your-own-adventure story.

Project: Contribute to a Live Project

Students will publish a repository containing their reflections from the course and submit a pull request to a collaborative Create-Your-Own-Adventure story.

Taught by

Sarah Spikes and Caroline Buckey

Reviews

4.5 rating, based on 50 Class Central reviews

Start your review of How to Use Git and GitHub

Gregory J Hamel ( Life Is Study) @greg

How to use Git andGitHub is a 3-week introductory course offered by Udacity covering the basics of the Git version control system. As a short course with only 3 lessons, it focuses on the giving students a solid grounding in the basics of Git and do…

How to use Git andGitHub is a 3-week introductory course offered by Udacity covering the basics of the Git version control system. As a short course with only 3 lessons, it focuses on the giving students a solid grounding in the basics of Git and doesn't stray too far into any advanced topics. Lesson 1 covers version control in general, checking differences between files, commits, cloning, git log and getting Git set up on your computer. Lesson 2 covers basics of repositories, branches, merging and merge conflicts. Lesson 3 introduces GitHub and related commands and considerations including remotes, pushing, pulling, forking and issues that may arise due to collaboration.

How to use Git and GitHub does exactly what a short intro level course should do: stay focused on covering the basics in detail without taking diversions into esoteric features that are likely to confuse students and distract them from forming foundation knowledge. Sarah and Caroline do a good job explaining things at a level and pace appropriate for an intro course. The course has a bit more reading embedded in the video playlist than most Udacity courses. Also, many of the quizzes require you to run commands on your computer and copy and paste output back into Udacity, which can be a bit troublesome. It would be nice if they had an interactive Git environment similar to Code School's Git course allowing you to do everything you need to do right in the browser. Still, How to Git and GitHub is a great place to start if you are learning about Git for the first time.

I give this course 4.5 out of 5 stars: Great.
Prose Simian

I started Udacity's CS253* recently & about 1/3 of the way in realised: 'I need some way to keep all these different files synchronised or my tiny brain will be fried by the end of this'. So I decided to bite the bullet and finally 'learn Git'. I'd…

I started Udacity's CS253* recently & about 1/3 of the way in realised: 'I need some way to keep all these different files synchronised or my tiny brain will be fried by the end of this'. So I decided to bite the bullet and finally 'learn Git'. I'd previously watched a few youtube tutorials. But a gnawing sense that I didn't quite grok it was still keeping me from using Git with my own projects.

Could "How to Use Git and GitHub" be a solution. It turns out: yes. This course has less of Udacity's (signature) pointless quirkiness, and more than most of (what I've seen of) Udacity's usual in terms of patient explanation, conceptual framework, and opportunities to practice. (In this case fixing broken code with immediate effects on gameplay in a couple of Javascript games. A great choice because you see the impact whether you know Javascript or not.)

This opportunity to practice on someone else's code seems to have been what I was missing. It makes the experience basically stress-free: mess up and you can just delete the folder, clone the repo, git init and try again. And you know exactly when you've got it right: your git output matches what was expected. So I'm feeling like I'll be confident enough to use Git on the remainder of CS253 by the end.

Some minor caveats:
- I did end up with doing a bug-fix (to bullet delay in Asteroids) in "detached Head" state. Easy enough to work out how to fix that with a quick Google, but perhaps the clarity of instructions isn't quite 100%.
- More thought could have gone into the (very similar) colours indicating different types of relationships on the concept maps.
- As with most Udacity courses, important text gets obscured by the youtube UI when the video is paused. (Doh...)
- The audio volume is seriously inconsistent between tracks.

But overall, Ms Buckey and Ms Spikes have done a great job in putting the course together, and also gone above and beyond in the forums (and on GitHub, where I was surprised to see a pull request approved just now). So they get a 5 for this one.

You go geek girls!

*https://www.class-central.com/mooc/324/udacity-web-development
Anatoly @akamch

Adequate introduction to git usage. Following the examples will teach you the most needed basic commands and workflow. Can be finished in one sitting of 4-5 hours.
Bruce Thompson @Bruce

Perfect for a beginner like me. I am not a coder and don't work in a team so there were sections where I just watched the videos.
I liked the step-by-step approach so I could actually get my Windows and Linux computers all set up for git.
I liked the quizzes and hands-on exercises that cemented the learning.

If you haven't done much from the console, you may struggle a little. I cut my teeth on MSDOS so it wasn't an issue for me, and I actually enjoyed this aspect of the course.
Krisztian Toth @kritoth

Git and Github is a must for anyone who plans to be in the software industry. This course is designed for total beginners without having any programming experience.
Easy to follow, well designed. After a few weeks from starting, you will be confident navigating with command-prompt, and will have two repos in Github even though at the beginning you never used cmd and didn't have a clue what is Github at all!
Martin Laskowski

I took this course to get a fuller grasp on Git and GitHub having just begun using these in my Udacity Android Developer Nanodegree (also awesome). Course creators Caroline Buckey and Sarah Spikes convey with super clarity and detailed granularity…

I took this course to get a fuller grasp on Git and GitHub having just begun using these in my Udacity Android Developer Nanodegree (also awesome).

Course creators Caroline Buckey and Sarah Spikes convey with super clarity and detailed granularity exactly what Git is, why it exists, how it works, and some typical contexts in which it enables different version control workflows.

The course has a good number of fun exercises which also include plenty of interaction with existing multi-contributor repositories on GitHub.

Caroline and Sarah also used two teaching tools that totally helped it all stick: an interactive visual concept-map that progressively grew as we learned new Git concepts and their relationships, and a Q & A style reflections log that later became - you guessed it - a functioning repository of text files on GitHub.

Even though the GitHub Desktop GUI app is now available for Mac and Windows, I highly recommend this course specifically because it makes exclusive use of the command line interface and the GitHub website which offer much more functionality and power than the lightweight Desktop interface.

Cool, enjoy!

Martin Laskowski
DK

As someone with a background in programming, computer science, etc., I found the pace of the course to be painfully slow. All I needed was a walkthrough on how to set up and use Git and GitHub. The course includes that, mixed in with tons of baby st…

As someone with a background in programming, computer science, etc., I found the pace of the course to be painfully slow. All I needed was a walkthrough on how to set up and use Git and GitHub. The course includes that, mixed in with tons of baby steps. Not bad, but not useful for me. Once I got through half of the second week of the course, I had learned enough to use git and setup my own GitHub account and start managing it. I probably would have benefited some from finishing the rest of the course but whatever I can just Google if I have specific questions. For someone that is a complete beginner, the slow pacing of the course might be helpful. Also, I found it easier at times to jump over the YouTube and just watch all the videos on their Channel and PlayList over there and skip the Udacity website completely.
Daniel W. Carnagey

This course was a short, sweet intro to Git. I finished it in 1.5 weeks and spent approximately 18 hours total. I would have spent less time if I could have got the workspace set up correctly (see below). Sarah and Caroline are excellent teachers,…

This course was a short, sweet intro to Git. I finished it in 1.5 weeks and spent approximately 18 hours total. I would have spent less time if I could have got the workspace set up correctly (see below).

Sarah and Caroline are excellent teachers, and they keep the class moving at a brisk pace, without overwhelming you with info. You do not need any experience programming or using the command line to follow along. And while at the beginning of class, I thought that I would prefer the GUI to bash. Bash is just so much faster and I am glad that is what they taught.

As mentioned above, my only real trouble in the class was getting the workspace set up, and before that in trying to use Notepad++ as my default text editor. If the directions given in the class notes doesn't work the first time. Make sure that you didn't make any typos. If that is the case, search in Reddit/Stack overflow for the solution. Will save a bunch of time.
Panos Gr

The course is a great introduction to these very interesting technologies. The teachers are very thorough on the basic commands and usage of Git and set plenty of examples of real life dimension with which the student is able to understand and get used to the system of Git.
The class is well organized and spread out into 3 sections of increasing importance and difficulty as one continues on the progress you have done in previous ones.
Overall, after finishing this course you will have a full understanding of what a Version Control System (VCS) like Git is and how Github comes to complement and add features to it. It is a MUST if you are in IT or computer-related sciences, in my opinion!
Altaf Hussain

The course on how to use Git and GitHub is an excellent resource for beginners and advanced users alike. The course covers everything from setting up a Git repository to managing complex workflows using branches. The hands-on exercises and real-world examples provide a comprehensive understanding of Git and GitHub, making it a must-have for anyone looking to improve their software development skills. Overall, I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to improve their Git and GitHub proficiency.
QZ

This course would be very helpful for beginners who are frustrated trying to understand how to use Git. The explanations are very clear and the material is interactive. However more advanced programmers will be just fine following shorter web tutorials on the topic and searching up problems on Google as they arise. If the course's pace feels too slow for you, skim through the relevant bits (it's a self-paced course so you can always come back later) or drop the course altogether in favour of other less comprehensive sources.
Saurabh Khanduja

It's easy and must for anyone programming either in front-end, backend or space-end. It introduces stuff slowly since git is a large framework, and thus doesn't overwhelms you. Use of game-based exercises makes it very interactive. Finally, it teaches the rule of one commit per logic. To all of you who are about to take this course, ingrain this habit, it will make your life and your colleague's life simple when the servers are burning down because some big changes went in.
Anonymous

Instructors spoke way too fast, and many parts of the course were presented in an unclear manner. A lot of the concepts were not explained clearly. You could do a lot better elsewhere.
Salem Mcgonagle

A short course focusing on the basics of Git. The course can be completed quite quickly with just a few hours investment each day. Pacing can be slow at times with a few too many baby steps. Excellent for beginners but those with experience coding and/or using a command line interface may be better off looking for a quick 'how-to' primer guide elsewhere.
Megan O'Neil

I thought this was a great course. I had tried to take a course on Git and GitHub from coursera and left it pretty confused, I didn't really know how to use it again after and wasn't really sure what I'd use it for. I thought this course was well-organized, clear, and fun.
Akash Kumar Baranwal

Very good if you are starting with Git. It required about 12 hours to complete. The instructors and quizzes are really interactive.
Md Rafi Akhtar

A solid intro to using git and GitHub, this course has empowered me with great technology tools to work with. It's been about a year since I took this course, and I'm finding the application of the things I learnt here being used on a daily basis.

Almost every project I undertake now, I setup a git repository to save all its stable versions, to branch out while trying new features, to pushing my project repos on GitHub, and to collaborate with other developers out there, without breaking a sweat.

I highly recommend all beginners on taking this course. Doesn't matter what kind of a developer you are - web, android, AI, or otherwise - you will find this tool handy everywhere.
Ivan Vrategov

Before I stared my current job, I did not "code" in a team. I was not aware of the method of "version control". However, once was part of a team, version control is essential. The course gave the basic understanding of what version control is and methods to achieve this. Then we move to Git and GitHub. The instructors were really nice and enthusiastic. Their explanation and examples were understandable (props for their reflections questions!).

I recommend the course to everyone who is at begginer level and needs to get into how to use verion control.
Anonymous

I followed the course outline. Unfortunately i got stuck at the horizontal n vertical splitting of the bash terminal in my '09 Macbk pro. Way too soon in the course. I understand that the instructor strongly suggested to google answers. But I have done that n searched other forums like; Stackoverflow, Utube, FCC, and Linux.com. I tried "cntrl+a S" and other shortcuts. No success. If its my laptop..then l feel course should be aware of that possibility n provide alternate solutions.
Anonymous

You must know git to program. Came across only one problem so far there was a period after a URL that really messed things up. There is a video of google engineer talking of git early in course and when you do the date math there ypu have it very early odoption.