Remote Repositories with GitHub

Setup

Create a GitHub Account

1. Go to GitHub Sign Up.
2. Fill in the required details.
3. Verify your email and complete the account setup.

In this unit, we will learn how to connect a local Git repository to GitHub, clone an existing repository to work locally, and fork repositories to contribute to open-source projects or collaborate with others. GitHub provides a platform for storing repositories online, enabling version control, collaboration, and backup of your work. This unit covers essential commands for working with remote repositories.

Section 1: Pushing a Local Repository to GitHub

Once you have a local repository, you can push it to GitHub to store it online and collaborate with others. This section covers adding a remote repository, pushing changes, and setting an upstream branch for future updates.

Code	Description	VS Code GUI
git remote add origin <URL>	Link the local repository to a remote GitHub repository	Click Source Control (Ctrl + Shift + G) → Click Publish Repository
git push -u origin main	Push local commits to the remote repository and set upstream	Click Source Control → Click … → Click Push

Exercises

1. Adding a remote and pushing the initial commit

   1. Open a local git repository on VS Code.
   2. Create a new public repository on GitHub (without initializing it with README. It should be completely empty) and note down the URL (Refer above figure to find it).
   3. In your local repository, add the remote URL using git remote add origin <repo-url>
   4. Push the local repository to GitHub using git push -u origin main.
   5. Verify that the repository is now visible on GitHub.

2. Pushing new file to GitHub

   1. Add a new text file with some content and commit the changes in local repository.
   2. Push the new commit to GitHub using git push -u origin main.
   3. Check GitHub to confirm that the new file is seen.

3. Pushing changes to a file to GitHub

   1. Add new lines to the text file and commit the changes in local repository.
   2. Push the new commit to GitHub
   3. Check GitHub to confirm that the changes are reflected in the file.

Section 2: Cloning a GitHub Repository to a Local Machine

If a repository already exists on GitHub, you can clone it to your local machine to work on it. This section covers cloning repositories and pulling the latest changes from GitHub.

Code	Description	VS Code GUI
git clone <repo-url>	Clone a GitHub repository to a local machine	Click Source Control (Ctrl + Shift + G) → Click Clone Repository
git pull origin main	Pull the latest changes from GitHub	Click Source Control → Click … → Click Pull

Exercises

Start these exercises on a new VS Code window opened to a folder that is not a git repository

1. Cloning an existing, public repository from Github

   1. Note the url of the workshop github repo (Refer image above).
   2. In the VS Code terminal, run git clone <repo-url> or use VS Code GUI to clone the repository.
   3. Open the cloned folder in VS Code and check that all the files are present on your local machine.

2. Cloning your own repository from GitHub

   1. Create a new public repository on GitHub, this time initializing it with a README and note the URL.
   2. In the terminal, run git clone <repo-url> or use VS Code GUI to clone the repository.
   3. Open the cloned folder in VS Code and check that the README file exists.

3. Pulling updates from GitHub

   1. Make a change directly on GitHub (edit the README file and commit).
   2. In the terminal, run git pull origin main or use VS Code GUI.
   3. Verify that the changes are now in your local copy.

Section 3: Forking a Repository on GitHub

Forking allows you to create a personal copy of someone else’s repository. This is useful for contributing to open-source projects or working on repositories you don’t have direct write access to. This section covers forking a repository, cloning the fork, and keeping it updated with the original repository.

Code	Description	VS Code GUI
(GitHub UI)	Fork a repository on GitHub	Click Fork on the GitHub repository page
git clone <your-fork-url>	Clone your forked repository locally	Click Source Control (Ctrl + Shift + G) → Click Clone Repository
git remote add upstream <original-repo-url>	Link the original repository as an upstream remote	NA
git push origin main	Push the merged changes to your forked repository on GitHub	Click Source Control → Click … → Click Push

Exercises

Start with a new VS Code window

1. Forking and cloning this repository

   1. Fork this repository on GitHub.
   2. Clone your forked repository using git clone <your-fork-url>.
   3. Make a change to the README file (or another relevant file).
   4. Commit and push the changes to your forked repository using git push origin main.

2. (Optional) Forking and Cloning Each Other’s Repositories

   1. Each participant creates a new public repository with a README file containing their name.
   2. Fork each other’s repositories on GitHub.
   3. Clone the forked repository locally using git clone <fork-url>.
   4. Add a new file (e.g., hello_your_name.txt) and commit the changes.
   5. Push the changes to the forked repository.

3. (Optional) Creating Pull Requests and Merging Changes

   1. Each participant creates a Pull Request (PR) to the original repository from their fork.
   2. The original repository owner reviews the PR.
   3. The repository owner merges the PR.