Your first GitHub repo, with three commits

What you'll learn

How to create a GitHub account, make your first repository, write a README and save your work in three commits. GitHub is where developers keep and share code, and it is the first place an employer looks.

Create the account

Sign up at github.com with the professional email you use for school or work. Pick a username close to your real name, such as aigerimt or a-toktosunova; you will put it on your CV. Turn on two-factor authentication in Settings, under Password and authentication. GitHub requires it for anyone who contributes code, so do it now. You must be at least 13.

Your first repository

A repository, or repo, is a folder with a memory: it remembers every version of every file. Click New repository. Give it a short name in lowercase with dashes, such as my-first-repo or bishkek-food-notes. Make it public. Tick "Add a README file".

Write a real README

The README is the front page of your repo. Open it, click the pencil, and write in Markdown:

• A title with #
• Two sentences about who you are and why this repo exists
• A short list of three things you want to learn this year
• A link to one thing you like on the internet

Keep it honest and simple. Markdown is just text with a few symbols: # for headings, - for lists, **bold** for bold.

Three commits

A commit is a saved step with a message that says what changed. Make three, each with a different change and a clear message:

1. Write the README (the first commit already happens when you create the repo; edit it and commit with a message like "Write the introduction").
2. Add a new file, for example notes.md with what you learned today. Message: "Add learning notes".
3. Change something: fix a typo, add a section. Message: "Add list of goals".

Good messages start with a verb and say what the commit does. "update" or "asdf" tells nobody anything.

You can do all of this in the browser. If you want to try the real developer way, install Git or GitHub Desktop, clone the repo, edit on your computer and push. Both count.

Before you submit

Open your repo while signed out, or in a private window. You should see the README rendered on the front page and "3 commits" or more in the history. Copy the URL, such as https://github.com/aigerimt/my-first-repo, and submit it.