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Understanding GitHub

GitHub is a code collaboration website, that leverages a tool called git to more easily manage different versions of a codebase (a.k.a. version control). Git organizes code into repositories (ak.a. repos). Each repo contains the files for a given project.

Version control is like a "save" program for your project. By tracking and logging the changes you make to your file or file sets over time, a version-control system gives you the power to review or even restore earlier versions. Version control takes snapshots of every revision to your project, and you can then access these versions to compare or restore them as needed.

You can learn more about Git, GitHub and Version Control in this article.

For GitHub tutorials, check out the GitHub Learning Lab.

For instructions on installing git, head to the Setup Your Development Environment guide.

How Git[Hub] Works​

As developers make changes to a repository, git keeps track of the edited files. Developers then collect related edits into a commit, labeled with the summary of the change (e.g. "added feature X", "solved bug Y", "updated documentation for Z"). Commits are then be pushed to GitHub, which stores the updated code for everyone to access.

The GitHub Workflow​

To work on BobaBoard code, you will first need to clone the corresponding GitHub repository to your own machine. Every developer will clone the same repository, commit edited code on their own PC, and push commits to GitHub for storage. Periodically, you will also need to pull updates from GitHub to your own machine to keep the code in your respository up to date.

If conflicts between separate code edits arise, these are detected and solved by git through a process called merge.

Git Terminology​

  • repo: Short for repository. This refers to the project folder that git keeps track of, and all the files in it.
  • clone: The act of copying the "remote" version of the repository on GitHub to your own machine.
  • fork: Your own copy of a repo.
  • branch: A separate version of a repo that can be edited without affecting the main repo.
  • commit: A record of changes made to files in a git repo.
  • pull request: A "request" that the other person "pull" the changes from your repo into their repo. Used to merge changes from one fork of a repo into another.
  • merge: The process of combining changes made in two different versions of a repo (branch or fork) so that the receiving repo has all the changes made in both.

Git FAQ​

Why do I have to fork to work on anything?

Only the BobaLord is allowed to edit the original copy of BobaDocs. This is good, because it prevents random people from showing up and screwing up the site. This also means that you can't edit them directly. Forking creates a repo that you can edit, from which you can send the changes you make back to the original repo.

Why are branches useful?

Brances let developers separate what they're working on, so problems that arise when working on one issue don't affect any other work that may be being done concurrently. Making good use of branches is key to keeping a project history easy to understand. It also keeps multiple people working on the same project from stepping on each other's toes.