Git Basics

Question 1

What kind of program is Git?

Answer 1

Git is a version control system.

Question 2

What are the differences between Git and a text editor in terms of what they save and their record keeping?

Answer 2

Git: Saves differences in files and folders and keeps all historical versions.

Text Editor: Only one version of the file.

Question 3

Does Git work at a local or remote level?

Answer 3

The local level.

Question 4

Does GitHub work at a local or remote level?

Answer 4

The remote level.

Question 5

Why is Git useful for an individual developer?

Answer 5

Allows to historically track why/when individual developer did what they did with code

Question 6

Why are Git and GitHub useful for a team of developers?

Answer 6

Allows the team to collaborate with one another and see who changed a file and why they changed a file

Question 7

How do you create a new repository on GitHub?

Answer 7

Press the + button next to the profile icon and click on new repository.

Question 8

How do you copy a repository onto your local machine from GitHub?

Answer 8

‘git clone git@github.com:USER-NAME/REPOSITORY-NAME.git’.

Question 9

What is the default name of your remote connection?

Answer 9

Origin

Question 10

Explain what origin is in git push origin main.

Answer 10

Origin is the name of the remote repository that the main branch is being merged to.

Question 11

Explain what main is in git push origin main.

Answer 11

Main is the default branch of the file’s respective local repository.

Question 12

Explain the two-stage system that Git uses to save files.

Answer 12

git add file-name: Places the file in a ‘waiting room’ with the changes made to the file.

git commit file-name: Approves the file so it can be pushed out and copied remotely.

Question 13

How do you check the status of your current repository?

Answer 13

‘git status’.

Question 14

How do you add files to the staging area in git?

Answer 14

‘git add .’ if you have multiple files to add.

‘git add file-name’ if you have a single file to add.

Question 15

How do you commit the files in the staging area and add a descriptive message?

Answer 15

‘git commit -m “Your message here.” ‘

Question 16

How do you push your changes to your repository on GitHub?

Answer 16

‘git push’ if you only have a main branch

‘git push origin branch-name’ if you’re working off another branch

Question 17

How do you look at the history of your previous commits?

Answer 17

‘git log’

Question 18

What are two benefits of having well-written commit messages and a good commit history?

Answer 18

1. It establishes consistent and concise communication to you and your team
2. Helps maintain the project log and the team is able to see who worked on what changes

Question 19

How many characters should the subject line of your commit message be?

Answer 19

Around 50 characters but no more than 72.