GitHub Usage: Step-by-Step Guide

1. What is GitHub?

GitHub is a web-based platform for version control and collaboration using Git. It allows multiple developers to work together on projects and manage code repositories in the cloud.

2. Creating a GitHub Account

Visit https://github.com and click on “Sign Up”. Provide your email, username, and password to create an account.

3. Creating a New Repository

After logging in:

Click the + icon on the top right → New repository
Fill in repository name, description (optional), choose public/private
Optionally add a README, .gitignore, or license
Click Create repository

4. Cloning a Repository

Use this command in your terminal to clone a remote GitHub repo locally.


            git clone https://github.com/your-username/your-repo.git

5. Pushing Code to GitHub

Once changes are committed locally, push them to GitHub:

git push origin main

6. Creating a Branch

Used for working on new features without affecting the main branch.


            git checkout -b new-feature

            git push origin new-feature

7. Pull Requests (PR)

Used to propose changes from a branch to be merged into the main branch.

Go to the GitHub repository
Click Pull Requests → New Pull Request
Compare your feature branch with main
Click Create Pull Request
Write description and submit

8. Merging a Pull Request

Once the code is reviewed and approved:

Click Merge pull request
Confirm by clicking Confirm merge

9. GitHub Settings Overview

Click on your profile picture → Settings. You’ll find:

Profile: Manage bio, photo, and visibility
Account: Update email, username, password
SSH and GPG keys: Add keys for secure access
Notifications: Customize email and web alerts
Developer Settings: Access tokens, GitHub Apps, OAuth

10. Generating Personal Access Token (New SSH/HTTPS Auth)

Required for secure access instead of password:

Go to Settings → Developer settings → Personal Access Tokens
Generate new token (classic)
Select scopes: repo, workflow, admin:repo_hook, etc.
Use the token as password when prompted

GitHub Features and Collaboration Tools

11. GitHub Pages (Host a Website)

GitHub Pages lets you host static websites directly from a GitHub repository.

Go to the repo → Settings → Pages
Select a branch (usually main) and folder (e.g., /root or /docs)
Click Save. Your site is live at: https://username.github.io/repo-name

12. GitHub Actions (CI/CD Automation)

Automate tasks like testing and deployment using workflows.

Go to Actions tab
Select a template or create a custom workflow (.yml file in .github/workflows/)
GitHub will run the workflow on push, pull request, etc.

13. Creating and Managing Issues

Use issues to track bugs, tasks, and feature requests.

Go to Issues tab → New Issue
Fill in title and description
Assign labels, milestones, and collaborators

14. GitHub Discussions

Used for open-ended conversations and community interaction in a repo.

Go to Discussions tab → New Discussion
Select a category (Q&A, Idea, Show and Tell, etc.)

15. Forking a Repository

Forking creates a personal copy of someone else’s repo under your account.

Click Fork on any public repo
You can now clone, edit, and create PRs back to the original repo

16. Watching and Starring Repositories

Star a repo to bookmark it. Watch a repo to get notifications of activity.

Click on Star or Watch in the upper right corner of a repo

17. Adding Collaborators

Invite others to contribute to your repository directly.

Go to Settings → Collaborators
Enter GitHub username or email
Set permissions: Read, Write, or Admin

18. GitHub Organizations

Use organizations to manage multiple projects, teams, and permissions centrally.

Create an org from https://github.com/organizations
Add members and assign roles
Manage repos and teams under the org

19. Setting Repository Topics and Descriptions

Adding topics helps users find your repository by category or technology.

Go to the repo → click the gear/settings icon next to the description
Add topics like: html, nodejs, api, portfolio

20. Deleting or Archiving a Repository

Remove or freeze a repo to prevent further changes.

Go to Settings → Danger Zone
Click Delete or Archive as needed
You will be asked to confirm the repo name to proceed

Advanced GitHub Features and Personalization

21. Contribution Graph

Your GitHub profile displays a heatmap of your commits and activity over the past year.

Public activity on public repositories is tracked
To improve the graph, make regular commits and contributions

22. GitHub Profile README

Add a custom README to your profile by creating a repository with the same name as your username.

Create repo: your-username/your-username
Add a README.md with your bio, portfolio links, and badges

23. GitHub CLI (gh)

Use GitHub directly from your terminal using GitHub CLI.


            gh repo clone owner/repo

            gh issue create

            gh pr list

Install from: https://cli.github.com

24. Adding Secrets (Environment Variables)

Used in GitHub Actions for storing sensitive data (API keys, tokens).

Go to: Settings → Secrets → Actions
Click New repository secret
Add key-value pair

25. Security Settings

Secure your account with 2FA, review devices, and manage app access.

Settings → Password and Authentication
Enable 2FA using an app like Google Authenticator
Revoke suspicious sessions under Sessions

26. Markdown in GitHub

Use Markdown syntax in READMEs, issues, PRs, and comments for formatting.


            **Bold**, *Italic*, `Code`, [Link](https://github.com)

            - List Item

            > Blockquote

27. Project Boards

Manage tasks visually using Kanban-style boards.

Go to: Projects → New Project
Add cards: Issues, PRs, or notes
Drag and drop across columns: To Do, In Progress, Done

28. GitHub Insights

Analyze contributions, commits, PRs, and code frequency in a repository.

Go to the repo → Insights tab
Check contributors, traffic, forks, commits, etc.

29. Sponsor a Developer

GitHub Sponsors allows supporting open source developers financially.

Developers opt-in and set up sponsor tiers
Click Sponsor on a user’s profile if available

30. GitHub Codespaces

Use an instant cloud-based development environment right inside GitHub.

Click Code → Codespaces → Create codespace
VS Code runs inside your browser with full terminal access

GitHub Reference Links

1. Official GitHub Docs

Comprehensive documentation for all GitHub features including repos, actions, issues, and more.

https://docs.github.com/en

2. GitHub Learning Lab

Interactive tutorials and courses to learn GitHub from beginner to advanced.

https://lab.github.com/

3. GitHub Pages Docs

Official documentation for setting up GitHub Pages to host static websites.

https://pages.github.com/

4. GitHub Actions Docs

Automate workflows using GitHub Actions – official guide and syntax.

https://docs.github.com/en/actions

5. GitHub CLI (gh) Docs

Documentation for using GitHub CLI to manage repos, PRs, and issues from the terminal.

https://cli.github.com/manual/

6. Markdown Guide (GitHub flavored)

Learn how to use markdown in GitHub READMEs, issues, and PRs.

https://guides.github.com/features/mastering-markdown/

7. GitHub Discussions Documentation

Overview of GitHub Discussions for community interaction within repositories.

https://docs.github.com/en/discussions

GITHUB

GitHub Usage: Step-by-Step Guide

GitHub Features and Collaboration Tools

Advanced GitHub Features and Personalization

GitHub Reference Links