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Git Basics

Understand version control with git. Run real git commands and save the output to a file as evidence.

Duration: 25 minLevel: BeginnerExercises: 5

Your first git commits

Git basics: your first commits

Git is the standard tool for version control of code: it stores snapshots of your files so you can trace and roll back every change. Every developer uses it daily.

Key terms

Repository (repo): a project folder managed by Git (git init creates it).
Staging (git add): you choose which changes go into the next snapshot.
Commit (git commit): a saved snapshot with a description.
Log (git log): the list of all commits.

Work in the folder /home/student/git-uebung/. In this lesson you save the output of each command into a stepN/schrittN.txt file as proof.

Your goal

You create a repo, add a file, make your first commit and view the history.

Exercises

1. Initialize a repository
Concept: initialise a repository. git init turns a normal folder into a Git repository (it creates a hidden .git folder). Save the output as proof.
```
mkdir -p /home/student/git-uebung && cd /home/student/git-uebung
git init > schritt1.txt
cat schritt1.txt
```
Check: schritt1.txt contains the word Initialized (from "Initialized empty Git repository").
2. Status of an empty repo
Concept: git status. git status shows the current state: which branch you are on and what changes exist. In a fresh repo everything is "clean".
```
cd /home/student/git-uebung
git status > schritt2.txt
cat schritt2.txt
```
Check: schritt2.txt contains branch or commit (from the status output).
3. Track a file
Concept: staging with git add. Before a file goes into a commit, you must "stage" it. Create a file, stage it, and record the status.
```
cd /home/student/git-uebung
echo "hello" > hallo.txt
git add hallo.txt
git status > schritt3.txt
cat schritt3.txt
```
Check: schritt3.txt mentions hallo.txt (as a staged file).
4. Make your first commit
Concept: commit. A commit saves the staged changes as a snapshot with a description (-m). Use the message first commit.
```
cd /home/student/git-uebung
git -c user.email=student@lab -c user.name=Student commit -m "first commit" > schritt4.txt
cat schritt4.txt
```
The -c user.... options set name/email for the commit once (otherwise Git complains).

Check: schritt4.txt contains first commit.
5. Show the commit log
Concept: commit history. git log shows all commits. With --oneline you get one line per commit: the shortened commit ID (hash) plus the message.
```
cd /home/student/git-uebung
git log --oneline > schritt5.txt
cat schritt5.txt
```
Check: schritt5.txt contains a line with a hash (at least 7 chars) followed by text.

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Your first git commits

Git basics: your first commits

Key terms

Your goal

Exercises

1. Initialize a repository

2. Status of an empty repo

3. Track a file

4. Make your first commit

5. Show the commit log

Related courses

Now practice it yourself