GitHub For Dummies

Get more out of your coding with GitHub

For today’s coders, GitHub is a must. The world’s largest software development platform, GitHub helps developers store, track, and collaborate on software projects. In this easy-to-follow Dummies guide, you’ll find insight into creating repositories, establishing projects, collaborating, incorporating open-source resources, and establishing yourself as a valued member of the GitHub community. With a working knowledge of GitHub, you’ll be a better, more employable programmer. The simple instructions and interactive examples in this book will get you there quickly.

• Get the instructions you need for using GitHub to collaborate on software projects
• Become more attractive to employers with knowledge and experience in the largest development platform
• Set up GitHub Desktop, create a repository, and launch your first project
• Use GitHub Skills courses to learn new tricks, for beginners to pros

You’ve learned how to write a little code—now learn how to share it with GitHub.

Introduction 1

Part 1: Getting Started with GitHub.com 5

Chapter 1: Understanding the Git in GitHub 7

Chapter 2: Setting Up Your Collaborative Coding Environment 25

Part 2: Starting Your First Solo Project 35

Chapter 3: Introducing GitHub Repositories 37

Chapter 4: Setting Up a GitHub Website Repo 57

Chapter 5: Creating a Website with GitHub Pages 73

Part 3: Contributing to Your First Project 91

Chapter 6: Forking GitHub Repositories 93

Chapter 7: Writing and Committing Code 109

Chapter 8: Working with Pull Requests 129

Part 4: Managing and Contributing to Large Projects 149

Chapter 9: Exploring and Contributing to OSS 151

Chapter 10: Starting Your Own OSS 165

Chapter 11: Inner-Source Your Code on GitHub 185

Part 5: Making GitHub Work for You 203

Chapter 12: Collaborating Outside of GitHub 205

Chapter 13: GitHub Workflow Integrations 219

Chapter 14: Personalizing GitHub 233

Part 6: The GitHub Ecosystem 247

Chapter 15: Exploring the GitHub Marketplace 249

Chapter 16: GitHub and You 259

Chapter 17: Attending Events 267

Part 7: The Part of Tens 277

Chapter 18: Ten Ways to Level Up on GitHub 279

Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Improve Your Development Workflow 291

Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Being an Effective Community Member 299

Index 307

Sarah Guthals, PhD is the Director of Developer Relations for Sentry, and previously worked at GitHub as an Engineering Manager. She is coauthor of Helping Kids with Coding For Dummies.

Today’s programmers can’t get by without Git

When it’s time for new code to go out into the world, it’s time for GitHub^® tools. GitHub^® For Dummies teaches you how you can use the world’s biggest code host to store, organize, and collaborate on software projects. This hands-on resource lets you hit the ground running when you get a job. And if you’re flying solo, you can use GitHub to network and pitch your ideas. Build repositories, work on code with others, and infuse some efficiency into your workflow. GitHub is, well, the hub of the software development community. So Git coding!

Inside…

• Learn why so many dev teams rely on GitHub for workflow
• Master the basic Git syntax
• Collaborate more efficiently
• Store your software online
• Contribute to cool projects
• Network with other coders
• Complete GitHub Skills courses