Understanding GIT, GITHUB and Project lifecyle
In today’s software development world, version control systems (VCS) are an essential part of the development process. They allow developers to manage code changes, collaborate with others, and track the progress of a project. Git is one of the most popular VCS tools in use today, and for good reason. It’s fast, efficient, and provides powerful features that make managing code changes easier than ever.
In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the project lifecycle in Git. We’ll start by creating a new project, adding files to it, and making changes. Then, we’ll explore branching and merging, reviewing code changes, and submitting pull requests. Finally, we’ll cover how to sync a local Git repository with a remote repository and deploy the finished project. Whether you’re new to Git or a seasoned pro, this blog post will provide valuable insights into the project lifecycle in Git.
Creating new project
There are two approach to create an new project, both approaches are valid and can be used depending on your personal preference and the needs of your project.
Approach 1: Create remote repo first and then clone it to local
- Create a new repository on a remote hosting service like GitHub or GitLab.
- Open your terminal and navigate to the directory where you want to clone the project.
- Run the following command to clone the remote repository to your local machine:
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git clone <remote_repo_url>
- Start working on your project locally.
Approach 2: Create local repo first and then sync it to remote
- Open your terminal and navigate to the directory where you want to create the project.
- Run the following command to create a new Git repository:
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git init
- Start working on your project locally.
- When you’re ready to sync your local repository with a remote one, you’ll need to add a remote repository using the following command:
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git remote add <remote_name> <remote_repo_url>
where
is a nickname for the remote repository and is the URL of the remote repository. - Finally, push your local changes to the remote repository using the following command:
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git push <remote_name> <branch_name>
where
Project Life cycle
1. Creating a new project
The first step in the project lifecycle is creating a new Git repository. To do this, navigate to the directory where you want to create the repository and run the following command:
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git init
This will initialize a new Git repository in the current directory. Any one of the above approach can be used to create new project.
2. Adding files to the project
Once the repository is created, you can start adding files to it. To add a new file to the project, create the file in the repository directory and then run the following command:
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git add filename
This will add the file to the Git repository and stage it for commit.
3. Making changes and committing
After adding files to the project, you can make changes to them and commit the changes to the repository. To make changes to a file, edit the file and save your changes. Then, run the following command to stage the changes:
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git add filename
To commit the changes, run the following command:
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git commit -m "Commit message"
This will commit the changes to the repository with the specified commit message.
4. Branching and merging
One of the powerful features of Git is its ability to create branches and merge changes between them. Branching allows you to create a separate line of development for a particular feature or bug fix. To create a new branch, run the following command:
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git branch branchname
This will create a new branch with the specified name. To switch to the new branch, run the following command:
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git checkout branchname
Once you’ve made changes on the new branch, you can merge them back into the main branch using the following command:
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git merge branchname
This will merge the changes from the specified branch into the current branch.
4. Reviewing code and pull requests
As part of the project lifecycle in Git, it’s important to review code changes and pull requests submitted by other developers. To review code changes, you can use the “git diff” command to view the changes made to a file. To submit a pull request, create a new branch for the changes and then submit the pull request through the Git hosting platform, such as GitHub or GitLab.
5. Syncing with a remote repository
To synchronize your local Git repository with a remote repository, you need to add the remote repository URL to your local repository configuration. To do this, run the following command:
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git remote add origin remote_repository_url
This will add a remote repository with the name “origin” and the specified URL. To push your local changes to the remote repository, run the following command:
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git push -u origin branchname
This will push your local changes to the specified branch in the remote repository.
6. Deploying the project
Once the project is complete and all changes have been merged and reviewed, it’s time to deploy it. Depending on the project, deployment can involve copying files to a server, uploading files to a cloud provider, or other tasks. Git can be used to manage deployment as well, by using tags to mark specific versions of the code and tracking changes to deployment scripts and configurations.
In conclusion, Git provides a powerful set of tools for managing the project lifecycle, from creating a new repository to deploying the finished project. By following best practices and guidelines, such as branching and merging, reviewing code, tracking changes, and syncing with a remote repository, developers can streamline their workflows and collaborate more effectively.