GitHub Basics Bootcamp

Welcome to the GitHub Basics Bootcamp. This repo teaches GitHub fundamentals through hands-on tasks that you complete in your own fork. Track completion by checking off items manually in PROGRESS.md.

How this works

• You fork this repo to your personal account or an organization.
• You complete tasks in order (A through L).
• You manually check off each task in PROGRESS.md.

Quick start: fork + setup

Option 1: Fork to personal account

1. Click Fork on the top right of this repo.
2. Select your personal account as the destination.
3. Set the fork visibility to Public (this is required for the bootcamp).

Option 2: Fork to an organization

1. Click Fork and choose your organization.
2. Set the fork visibility to Public (this is required for the bootcamp).
3. Ask an org owner to allow forking if required.

Lessons

Each task has a short lesson in the lessons/ folder. Read them as you go.

Folder guide

Use this as a map while you work through the tasks.

• lessons/ - Short explanations for each task (A-L). Open the matching lesson right before you do that step.
• conflict-exercise/ - Files used only for the merge conflict practice (task I). Open this folder when you reach the conflict step.
• PROGRESS.md - Your checklist. Check this after each task to record completion.

The bootcamp tasks (A to L)

Complete these in order. Each step includes:

• Commands to run
• What to click in GitHub
• What you should observe
• Which checkbox to check manually

A) Fork the upstream repo

Commands:

• None

GitHub UI:

• Click Fork on the upstream repo

Observe:

• You now own a fork under your account or organization

Manual check:

• Check off item A in PROGRESS.md

B) Clone locally

Commands:

# Replace URL with your fork URL
git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USER-OR-ORG/github-basics-bootcamp.git
cd github-basics-bootcamp

GitHub Desktop:

• On your fork, click Code > Open with GitHub Desktop (or use File > Clone repository in the app)
• Choose a local path and click Clone

GitHub UI:

• Click the Code button and copy the HTTPS URL

Observe:

• A new github-basics-bootcamp folder exists locally

Manual check:

• Check off item B in PROGRESS.md

C) Create a new branch

Commands:

git checkout -b feature/first-change

GitHub Desktop:

• Click Current Branch > New Branch
• Name it feature/first-change and create it

GitHub UI:

• No UI action required

Observe:

• git status shows you are on feature/first-change

Manual check:

• Check off item C in PROGRESS.md

D) Make a commit

Commands:

# Edit any file, for example lessons/C-branch.md
# Then commit
git add lessons/C-branch.md
git commit -m "docs: update lesson C"

GitHub Desktop:

• Edit a file (for example lessons/C-branch.md)
• In GitHub Desktop, select the change, add a commit message, and click Commit to feature/first-change

GitHub UI:

• No UI action required

Observe:

• git log -1 shows your new commit

Manual check:

• Check off item D in PROGRESS.md

E) Push the branch

Commands:

git push -u origin feature/first-change

GitHub Desktop:

• Click Push origin in the top bar

GitHub UI:

• Go to your fork and you should see a banner suggesting a PR

Observe:

• The branch appears on GitHub

Manual check:

• Check off item E in PROGRESS.md

F) Change your first and last name in certificate section

Update the certificate profile so your name appears in the certificate assets.

Commands:

# Edit certificate/profile.json and replace FIRST/LAST with your name
git add certificate/profile.json
git commit -m "docs: add certificate name"
git push

GitHub Desktop:

• Edit certificate/profile.json and replace FIRST and LAST
• In GitHub Desktop, add a commit message and click Commit to feature/first-change
• Click Push origin

GitHub UI:

• No UI action required

Observe:

• Your changes to certificate/profile.json are pushed to the branch

Manual check:

• Check off item F in PROGRESS.md

G) Open a Pull Request

Commands:

• None

GitHub UI:

1. Click Compare & pull request on your fork
2. Ensure the base branch is your default branch (usually main)
3. Create the PR

Observe:

• The PR is open

Manual check:

• Check off item G in PROGRESS.md

H) Merge the PR

Commands:

• None

GitHub UI:

1. On the PR page, click Merge pull request
2. Confirm the merge

Observe:

• The PR shows as Merged

Manual check:

• Check off item H in PROGRESS.md

I) Resolve a merge conflict

Follow the instructions in conflict-exercise/README.md to create and resolve a conflict.

Commands:

• See conflict-exercise/README.md

GitHub Desktop:

• Follow conflict-exercise/README.md for the edits
• When GitHub Desktop shows a conflict, open in your editor, fix it, mark as resolved, then commit and push

GitHub UI:

• You may resolve locally or in the GitHub conflict editor

Observe:

• The conflict is resolved and merged to the default branch

Manual check:

• Check off item I in PROGRESS.md

J) Open an Issue

Commands:

• None

GitHub UI:

1. Go to Issues
2. Click New issue
3. Add a title and description

Observe:

• The issue appears in the list

Manual check:

• Check off item J in PROGRESS.md

K) Add a label to the Issue

Commands:

• None

GitHub UI:

1. Open your issue
2. In the right sidebar, click Labels
3. Add any label (create one if needed)

Observe:

• The label appears on the issue

Manual check:

• Check off item K in PROGRESS.md

L) Create a release + tag

Commands:

• None

GitHub UI:

1. Go to Releases
2. Click Draft a new release
3. Create a new tag (for example v1.0.0)
4. Publish the release

Observe:

• The release appears in the list

Manual check:

• Check off item L in PROGRESS.md

Certificate (manual)

This repo includes certificate assets, but it does not auto-generate a PDF. If you want to personalize the certificate data:

1. Open certificate/profile.json
2. Replace FIRST and LAST with your real name
3. Commit and push the change

What to do next

• Check off your progress in PROGRESS.md.
• Use the lessons in lessons/ if you get stuck.
• When finished, keep this fork as your personal GitHub practice repo.