134 lines
5.6 KiB
Markdown
134 lines
5.6 KiB
Markdown
---
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stage: Create
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group: Source Code
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info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/product/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
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---
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# Get started learning Git
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Git is a version control system you use to track changes to your code
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and collaborate with others. GitLab is a web-based Git repository manager
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that provides CI/CD and other features to help you manage your software development lifecycle.
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To use GitLab, you don't need to know how to use Git. However, if you
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use GitLab for source control, it's beneficial to understand it.
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Learning Git is part of a larger workflow:
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## Understand repositories and working directories
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A Git repository is essentially a directory that contains all the files,
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folders, and version history of a project.
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It serves as a central hub to store, manage, and share your code.
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When you initialize a Git repository or clone an existing one, Git
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creates a hidden directory called `.git` in the project directory.
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This hidden directory contains all the necessary metadata and objects
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that Git uses to manage the repository, including the complete history
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of changes made to the files. Git tracks changes at the file level, so you can
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view the modifications made to individual files over time.
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To create and change code, you clone a Git repository and work in the local copy,
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in your working directory. Then, to collaborate, you push your changes to a remote
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Git repository, which is hosted on GitLab. Then the changes are available
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to other team members. And you can pull changes made by others, so that your local repository
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stays up to date.
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For more information, see:
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- [Repositories](../../user/project/repository/index.md)
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## Learn about branching and merging
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In Git, you use branches so that you and your team can work on different features,
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bug fixes, or experiments simultaneously, without interfering with each other's work.
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You can then make changes, commit them, and test them in isolation without impacting
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the stability of the default branch. Branches can be created, merged, and deleted.
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The default branch is usually called `main` or `master`.
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After a feature is complete or a bug is fixed, you can merge the changes from your branch
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into the default branch. Merging combines the changes from one branch into another.
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If conflicts arise during the merge process (for example, if the same lines of code have been
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modified in both branches), the conflicts must be resolved manually. After a successful merge,
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the branch can be deleted if it is no longer needed. Deleting the branch helps keep the repository
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organized and maintainable.
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For more information, see:
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- [Branches](../../user/project/repository/branches/index.md)
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## Understand the Git workflow
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A typical Git workflow involves the following steps:
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1. Cloning a repository to your local machine.
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1. Creating a new branch for your changes.
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1. Making changes to files in your working directory.
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1. Staging the changes you want to commit.
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1. Committing the changes to your local repository.
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1. Pushing the changes to the remote repository.
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1. Merging your branch into the default branch.
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Your organization might use a slightly different workflow,
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including using forks. A fork is a personal copy of the repository
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and all its branches, which you create in a namespace of your choice.
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You might work on your changes in a fork before merging them to
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the default branch of the source project.
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For more information, see:
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- [Tutorial: Make your first Git commit](../../tutorials/make_first_git_commit/index.md)
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- [Forks](../../user/project/repository/forking_workflow.md)
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## Install Git
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Before you start using Git commands and contributing to GitLab projects, you must download
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and install the Git client on your computer. The installation process varies depending on
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your operating system.
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For information on how to install Git, see [Install Git](how_to_install_git/index.md).
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## Familiarize yourself with Git commands
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To work with Git from the command line, you need to use various Git commands.
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Some of the most commonly used commands include:
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- `git clone`: Clone a repository to your local machine
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- `git branch`: List, create, or delete branches
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- `git checkout`: Switch between branches
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- `git add`: Stage changes for commit
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- `git commit`: Commit staged changes to your local repository
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- `git push`: Push local commits to the remote repository
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- `git pull`: Fetch changes from the remote repository and merge them into your local branch
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For more comprehensive information and detailed explanations,
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see [Command Git commands](commands.md) guide.
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<!--- Use this section when the [Generate an SSH key pair](../user/ssh.md) page is added to the navigation
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### Use SSH with Git
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When you work with remote repositories, you should use SSH for secure communication.
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GitLab uses the SSH protocol to securely communicate with Git.
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When you use SSH keys to authenticate to the GitLab remote server,
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you don't need to supply your username and password each time.
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To learn how to generate and add SSH keys to your GitLab account,
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see [Generate an SSH key pair](../user/ssh.md).
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-->
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## Practice using Git
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The best way to learn Git is by using it in practice. Create a test project,
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experiment with different commands, and try out various workflows.
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GitLab provides a web-based interface for many Git operations,
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but it is also used to understand how to use Git from the command line.
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For a hands-on approach to learning Git commands, see the [Tutorial: Make your first Git commit](../../tutorials/make_first_git_commit/index.md).
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For other helpful resources, see [Tutorials: Learn Git](../../tutorials/learn_git.md).
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