Free Git & GitHub Course for Developers | Version Control

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TL;DR: Master version control with Git and GitHub — essential for every developer. Learn branching, merging, pull requests, and open source contribution.

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Free Git & GitHub course: 45 lessons, from the basics through to the advanced topics interviewers actually ask about. Every lesson is free, needs no sign-up, and runs in your browser with an editor and instant AI feedback.

Git & GitHub Course Syllabus — 45 Lessons

Work through them in order, or jump to the topic you need. 45 lessons include worked explanations and runnable examples.

Git Basics

• What is Git? — Git is a version control system that tracks changes to your code over time.
• Installing Git & Configuration — Before using Git, you need to install it and configure your identity.
• git init - Start a Git Repository — `git init` creates a hidden `.git` folder in your project directory.
• git status - Check Repository Status — `git status` shows what's happening in your repository right now.
• git add - Stage Changes — `git add` stages files — it tells Git "I want to include these changes in my next commit." Staging is the step between making changes and committing them.
• git commit - Save Changes with a Message — `git commit` saves your staged changes to Git history with a message.
• git log - View Commit History — `git log` shows all commits in reverse chronological order (newest first).
• git diff - Compare Changes — `git diff` shows line-by-line what changed between versions.
• .gitignore - Exclude Files from Tracking — Not all files should be in Git. Temporary files, API keys, passwords, and large binaries like node_modules/ should be excluded.
• git stash - Temporarily Save Work — Sometimes you start working on something, then need to switch to a different task without committing.

Branching & Merging

• git branch - Create & Manage Branches — A branch is an independent line of development.
• git checkout - Switch Branches — `git checkout` switches your working directory to a different branch.
• git merge - Combine Branches — `git merge` integrates changes from one branch into another.
• Handling Merge Conflicts — Merge conflicts happen when two people edit the same part of the same file differently.
• Understanding Fast-Forward Merge — A fast-forward merge happens when the main branch hasn't changed since you created your feature branch.
• git rebase - Rewrite Commit History — Rebasing rewrites your branch's commit history on top of another branch.
• Git Branch Strategies (Git Flow & Trunk-Based) — Branch strategies are team conventions for organizing branches.
• git cherry-pick - Apply Specific Commits — Cherry-picking applies one specific commit from another branch to your current branch, without merging the entire branch.

Remote Repositories

• What is GitHub? — GitHub is a cloud platform for hosting Git repositories.
• git clone - Copy a Repository — `git clone` downloads a complete copy of a repository from GitHub (or any remote server) to your computer.
• git remote - Manage Remote Connections — `git remote` manages connections between your local repository and remote servers (like GitHub).
• git push - Upload Changes to Remote — `git push` uploads your commits to a remote repository (usually GitHub).
• git pull - Download & Integrate Remote Changes — `git pull` is the opposite of push. It downloads commits from the remote repository and integrates them into your current branch.
• git fetch - Download Without Merging — `git fetch` downloads commits from the remote but doesn't integrate them into your branch yet.
• Fork & Pull Request Workflow — When you don't have direct push access to a repository, you fork it (create your own copy), make changes in your fork, then submit a pull request asking the original owner to accept your changes.
• Upstream Remote - Keep Fork in Sync — When you fork a repository, your fork is a snapshot at that moment.

Collaboration

• Pull Request Workflow - Review & Merge — A Pull Request (PR) is a request to merge your code into main.
• Code Review & Feedback — Code review is a team process where developers examine each other's code for bugs, style, security, and performance.
• GitHub Issues - Track Bugs & Features — GitHub Issues are tickets for bugs, features, and tasks.
• GitHub Actions - Automate Testing & Deployment — GitHub Actions automatically runs tests, linters, and deployments when code is pushed or a PR is opened.
• Branch Protection Rules — Branch protection prevents accidental merges to main.
• Squash Merge - Combine Commits — Squash merge combines all commits from a feature branch into a single commit before merging to main.
• git blame - Track Code Changes by Author — git blame shows who wrote each line of code and when.

Advanced Git

• git reset - Undo Commits — git reset moves the branch pointer backwards to an earlier commit.
• git revert - Safely Undo Changes — git revert creates a NEW commit that undoes a previous commit.
• git commit --amend - Modify Last Commit — git commit --amend modifies the last commit without creating a new one.
• git reflog - Recover Lost Work — git reflog shows a log of where HEAD has been (all your recent moves).
• git bisect - Find Broken Commits — git bisect does binary search through commits to find which one introduced a bug.
• git tag - Mark Release Versions — Tags mark specific commits as important milestones, usually releases.
• git submodules - Include External Repositories — Submodules let you include another Git repository inside your project.

GitHub Features

• GitHub Pages - Host Static Websites — GitHub Pages hosts your static website (HTML, CSS, JS) for free directly from your GitHub repository.
• README.md - Document Your Project — README.md is the first file visitors see on your GitHub repository.
• GitHub Gist - Share Code Snippets — GitHub Gist is a simple way to share code snippets, configurations, or notes.
• GitHub Copilot - AI Code Assistant — GitHub Copilot is an AI that suggests code as you type.
• GitHub Projects Board - Organize Work — GitHub Projects is a Kanban board for organizing issues and PRs.

Who this Git & GitHub course is for

School and college students in India starting from zero, and anyone revising Git & GitHub for placements, board practicals or a project. There is no prerequisite beyond being able to type — the first lessons assume no programming background at all.

How to study this course

1. Read the lesson, then run the example in the built-in editor before moving on — reading code is not the same as writing it.
2. Try the practice task at the end of each lesson. Getting it wrong and fixing it is where the learning happens.
3. When you are stuck, ask the free AI Tutor to explain that specific line rather than skipping ahead.

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