Brtest Tutorial

Git & Version Control

Version control tracks changes to your code over time so you can collaborate, experiment safely, and roll back mistakes. Git is the most popular version control system and works locally on your computer as well as with remote services like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket.

🔧 Install & First-Time Setup

Install Git from your package manager or official site. Then set your name and email (used in commit history):

git --version
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"
git config --global init.defaultBranch main
git config --global core.editor "code --wait"  

📁 Create a Repository

A repository (repo) is a folder tracked by Git.

mkdir my-site
cd my-site
git init
echo "# My Site" > README.md
git status

# dependencies
node_modules/
# builds
dist/
build/
# system files
.DS_Store
# env
.env

📝 Stage & Commit Changes

Git tracks changes in three places: working directory → staging area → repository.

git add index.html css/style.css
git commit -m "Add homepage and styles"
git log --oneline

🌿 Branching & Merging

Branches let you develop features without touching main. Merge when ready.

git switch -c feature/navbar
# ...edit files...
git add .
git commit -m "Implement responsive navbar"
git switch main
git merge feature/navbar

# Open the conflicted files, keep desired changes, remove conflict markers:
# <<<<<<< HEAD
# (your changes)
# =======
# (their changes)
# >>>>>>> branch-name
git add conflicted-file.html
git commit -m "Resolve merge conflict in header"

🌐 Connect to a Remote (GitHub/GitLab)

Push your local repo to a remote service to back it up and collaborate.

git remote add origin https://github.com/yourname/my-site.git
git branch -M main
git push -u origin main

git clone https://github.com/yourname/my-site.git
cd my-site
git pull       # fetch and merge remote changes
git push       # upload your new commits

🚀 Typical Web Flow (Solo)

1. Pull latest (git pull).
2. Branch for a task (git switch -c feature/foo).
3. Code, then commit in small steps.
4. Merge back into main.
5. Push to remote and deploy.

👥 Team Flow (Pull Requests)

Teams often use PRs (pull/merge requests) for code review.

1. Create a branch and push it.
2. Open a PR on the platform (GitHub/GitLab).
3. Request review, address feedback.
4. Squash/rebase if needed, then merge.

🔄 Undo & Fix Mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes; Git makes it easy to recover.

# Unstage a file (keeps changes)
git restore --staged file.css

# Discard local changes in a file (cannot be undone)
git restore file.css

# Amend last commit message/files
git commit --amend

# Go back to a previous commit (safe, keeps history)
git revert <commit-hash>

🏷️ Tags & Releases

Use tags to mark versions (e.g., v1.0.0) and create release notes.

git tag v1.0.0
git push origin v1.0.0
git tag -l

📦 Stash (Shelve WIP)

Temporarily save changes without committing.

git stash
git pull
git stash pop

✅ Best Practices

• Commit often with clear messages.
• Use branches for features and fixes.
• Keep main always deployable.
• Protect main with reviews/status checks (on the platform).
• Use .gitignore and never commit secrets (.env).
• Tag releases and keep a CHANGELOG.

🚀 Bonus: Deploy with Git

Many hosts support deploying on git push, or via CI/CD.

# On push to main:
#   1) Install deps
#   2) Build
#   3) Upload build (or restart server)