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Lesson 3: Working with Branches and Commits

This lesson covers how to create and switch branches, make commits, push changes, and merge updates in Git.

Step 1: Understanding Branches​

A branch in Git is an independent line of development that allows you to work on new features or fixes without affecting the main code.

  • The main branch is the default and stable branch.
  • New branches allow parallel development and prevent incomplete changes from affecting the main project.
  • Once a branch is ready, it can be merged back into main.

Step 2: Creating and Switching Branches​

Using GitHub Web​

  1. Open your repository on GitHub.
  2. Click the "main" dropdown at the top left.
  3. Type a new branch name (e.g., feature-branch).
  4. Click "Create branch".

Using Git (Command Line)​

  1. Check existing branches: 
    git branch
  2. Create a new branch: 
    git branch feature-branch
  3. Switch to the new branch: 
    git checkout feature-branch

Alternatively, create and switch in a single command:

git checkout -b feature-branch

Step 3: Making, Committing, and Pushing Changes​

Once you are on a branch, you can start making changes.

  1. Modify a file or create a new one:

    echo "New feature added" > feature.txt

  2. Check the repository status:

    git status
    • This shows untracked or modified files.

  3. Add the file to staging:

    git add feature.txt

  4. Commit the changes with a descriptive message:

    git commit -m "Added feature.txt with a new feature"
    • Each commit creates a history entry in Git.

  5. Push the changes to GitHub:

    git push origin feature-branch
    • This uploads the feature-branch to GitHub so others can see your changes.

Step 4: Merging Branches​

After testing, merge the changes back into main.

Using GitHub Web (Pull Request)​

  1. Open your repository on GitHub.
  2. Click "Pull requests" → "New pull request".
  3. Select feature-branch and compare it to main.
  4. Click "Create pull request" and provide a description.
  5. Once reviewed, click "Merge pull request".

Using Git (Command Line)​

  1. Switch back to the main branch: 
    git checkout main
  2. Merge the feature branch into main: 
    git merge feature-branch
  3. Push the updated main branch to GitHub: 
    git push origin main

Step 5: Deleting a Branch (After Merging)​

Once the branch is merged, it can be deleted to keep the repository clean.

Using GitHub Web​

  1. After merging, click "Delete branch" in the pull request.

Using Git (Command Line)​

  1. Delete the branch locally: 
    git branch -d feature-branch
  2. Delete the branch on GitHub: 
    git push origin --delete feature-branch