Version Control with Git and GitHub

As a production-ready engineer, version control is crucial for managing your codebase and collaborating with other developers. Git is a widely used version control system that allows you to track changes, create branches, and merge code. GitHub is a popular platform built on top of Git that provides a central repository for hosting your code and collaborating with others.

To get started with Git and GitHub, follow these steps:

1. Install Git: Download and install Git on your local machine. You can download Git from the official website: https://git-scm.com/downloads.

2. Create a GitHub Account: Sign up for a free GitHub account if you haven't already. GitHub offers both free and paid plans depending on your needs.

3. Set Up Git: Configure your Git username and email address using the following commands:

1$ git config --global user.name "Your Name"
2$ git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

4. Initialize a Git Repository: Once Git is installed and configured, navigate to your project directory in the terminal and run the following command to initialize a Git repository:

1$ git init

5. Add and Commit Changes: Use the git add command to stage your changes and the git commit command to commit them to the repository. For example:

1$ git add .    # Stage all changes
2$ git commit -m "Initial commit"

6. Create and Switch Branches: Use the git branch command to create a new branch and the git checkout command to switch to a different branch. For example:

1$ git branch feature/login       # Create a new branch
2$ git checkout feature/login     # Switch to the new branch

7. Push and Pull from Remote Repository: Use the git push command to push your changes to a remote repository on GitHub and the git pull command to pull changes from the remote repository. For example:

1$ git push origin master     # Push changes to the master branch
2$ git pull origin master     # Pull changes from the remote master branch

By using Git and GitHub, you can easily manage your codebase, collaborate with other developers, and showcase your work to potential employers. Make sure to regularly commit your changes, create branches for new features or bug fixes, and push your code to a remote repository on GitHub. Remember to also explore other topics such as creating RESTful APIs, database connectivity, authentication and authorization, Docker, and building a payment app with third-party integration to enhance your skills as a production-ready engineer.