A hands-on, checklist-based introduction to Git and GitHub for people who work with data, reports, scripts, and analysis files.
This course is designed for learners who already have GitHub accounts but have not yet built confidence with day-to-day Git workflows. It avoids long lectures and focuses on small repeatable tasks.
- Statisticians, analysts, epidemiologists, evaluators, and public health data teams
- People who need to collaborate on scripts, documentation, reports, or reproducible analysis projects
- Beginners who have watched videos or attended group sessions but need guided practice that sticks
By the end, learners should be able to:
- Explain the difference between Git and GitHub
- Clone a repository from GitHub
- Check repository status
- Stage and commit changes
- Push local work to GitHub
- Pull updates from GitHub
- Create and use branches
- Open, update, and merge pull requests
- Follow a safe beginner workflow without losing work
This repository publishes as an Astro Starlight site at:
https://biginformatics.github.io/git-basics/
Local preview:
npm install
npm run devEach lesson is meant to be completed with Git open on the learner's computer. The goal is not to memorize commands. The goal is to practice the same workflow enough times that it becomes familiar.
Recommended format:
- Read the lesson goal.
- Complete the checklist.
- Run the commands yourself.
- Write down what happened.
- Repeat the practice task before moving on.
- Lesson 01 — What Git and GitHub Are
- Lesson 02 — Setup and First Orientation
- Lesson 03 — Cloning a Repository
- Lesson 04 — Status, Staging, and Commits
- Lesson 05 — Pushing and Pulling
- Lesson 06 — Branching
- Lesson 07 — Pull Requests
- Lesson 08 — A Complete Beginner Workflow
Git sticks when learners connect commands to a simple mental model:
edit files → check status → stage changes → commit locally → push to GitHub → open a PR
For beginners, confidence matters more than speed. Encourage small commits, frequent git status, and lots of repetition.