I'm just starting to learn programming and have zero experience with Git or version control. I understand that Git tracks changes in a project, but I'm not sure how to begin learning its commands and workflow. What books, videos, interactive tutorials, or websites would you recommend for an absolute beginner?
4 Answers
You can learn the everyday workflow by practicing this loop: first run git pull, edit your files, check the changes with git status, stage them with git add ., create a snapshot with git commit -m "Describe the change", and upload it with git push. Repeat that on a small project until it feels natural. You do not need to learn advanced branching or recovery commands right away.
Start with an interactive tutorial such as Learn Git Branching (learngitbranching.js.org) or Oh My Git! They let you experiment safely, and branches and commits make much more sense when you can see what is happening. After that, use Git on a small personal project instead of trying to memorize every command.
A beginner-friendly video course can help you get Git installed, create a local repository, and connect it to a remote service. The important part is to follow along rather than just watch. Make a small project, add a README and a .gitignore file, commit frequently, and use the repository as a record of your progress. Once the basic workflow is familiar, look up more advanced topics as you need them.
Git Immersion is a great step-by-step introduction. The official Pro Git book is also worth bookmarking for explanations and reference material. The Git Parable can help you understand why Git works the way it does, while Think Like a Git is better once you already know the basics.
Interactive lessons are especially useful if the command line feels intimidating. They give you a safe place to make mistakes before using Git on an important project.