Intro to Git and GitHub

Colby College Workshop, June 2021  

Installing Git

Note 1: The installers may install both a GUI and a Bash Git environment. This workshop will work exclusively in the Bash environment.

Note 2: Some students have experienced issues installing Git on their Macs. A workaround that seems to work can be found here.

Creating a GitHub account

If you do not have a GitHub account already created, create one by pointing your browser to https://github.com/. Note that there are different plans to choose from. Select the free version.

What is Git

Git is a locally installed application used to keep track of changes made to a project folder. In its simplest use, it allows you to create snapshots of a project folder that you can revert to at anytime in your workflow. In its advanced use, it can create simultaneous versions of a project folder (called branches) whereby you chose to explore what/if scenarios in an analysis. You can also assign different authors to different branches with each branch tackling a specific task. Git is part of a family of software applications called version control systems.

Git is available in both a GUI and a command line environment.

What is GitHub

GitHub is a web hosted service used to store and maintain code based projects. While it’s a completely separate environment from Git (Git and GitHub are developed and maintained by separate entities), they are often used together in a typical workflow: You use git on your computer to track changes in a project folder, then use GitHub to host and share you project across the web.