Git is the backbone of modern DevOps.

Every CI/CD pipeline, every collaboration workflow, every production deployment — everything depends on version control.

Before learning advanced Git, we must understand the basics deeply.

Today we will:

• Understand what Git is

• Create our first Git repository

• Make real commits

• Build a clean commit history

• Understand how Git actually works internally

Let’s begin.

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🧠 What is Git?

Git is a Version Control System (VCS).

That means:

• It tracks changes in files

• It remembers every version

• You can go back in time

• You can collaborate safely

• You can see who changed what

Think of Git as:

A time machine for your code.

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🏗️ Core Git Architecture (Very Important)

Git works in 3 areas:

1. Working Directory → Where you edit files

2. Staging Area → Where you prepare changes

3. Repository → Where commits are permanently saved

Understanding this is 50% of Git.

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✅ Task 1 – Install and Configure Git

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1️⃣ Check if Git is Installed

git --version

What this does:

• Shows the installed Git version

• Confirms Git is installed

Example Output:

git version 2.53.0.windows.1

If you see this → Git is ready.

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2️⃣ Set Your Identity

Git needs your name and email to attach to commits.

git config --global user.name "Divyat Agrawal"
git config --global user.email "divyatagrawal01@gmail.com"

What --global means:

It sets configuration for all repositories on your system.

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3️⃣ Verify Configuration

git config --list

This shows:

• Your name

• Your email

• Other Git settings

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✅ Task 2 – Create Your First Repository

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1️⃣ Create Project Folder

mkdir devops-git-practice
cd devops-git-practice

• mkdir → creates folder

• cd → enters folder

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2️⃣ Initialize Git

git init

Output:

Initialized empty Git repository

What this does:

• Creates hidden .git folder

• Turns normal folder into Git repository

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3️⃣ Check Status

git status

Example Output:

On branch master
No commits yet
nothing to commit

What git status shows:

• Current branch

• Modified files

• Staged files

• Untracked files

git status is your best friend in Git.

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4️⃣ Explore .git Folder

ls -a

You’ll see .git.

Inside it:

HEAD
config
objects
refs
hooks

What .git does:

• Stores commit history

• Stores branch info

• Stores configuration

• Stores everything Git needs

⚠️ If you delete .git, all history is gone.

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✅ Task 3 – Create Git Commands Reference

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Create File

touch git-commands.md

Now check:

git status

You’ll see:

Untracked files:
  git-commands.md

What “Untracked” means:

Git sees the file but is not tracking it yet.

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✅ Task 4 – Stage and Commit

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1️⃣ Stage File

git add git-commands.md

What this does:

• Moves file to staging area

• Prepares it for commit

• Takes snapshot of current version

Think of it like:

Selecting changes you want to save.

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2️⃣ Check What’s Staged

git status

You’ll see:

Changes to be committed

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3️⃣ Commit

git commit -m "Add git-commands.md initial file"

What commit does:

• Creates permanent snapshot

• Assigns unique commit ID

• Saves it inside .git

Each commit:

• Has a hash

• Has author

• Has date

• Has message

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4️⃣ View History

git log

Compact view:

git log --oneline

Example:

3d60d95 Add basic workflow commands
f01fed8 add setup and version commands
9d7e6b7 adding commands of git

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✅ Task 5 – Build Commit History

Edit file.

Then check:

git diff

What git diff does:

Shows line-by-line changes.

• + added lines

• - removed lines

Then:

git add .
git commit -m "Add basic workflow commands"

Repeat 3 times to build history.

Why?

Because good developers:

• Make small commits

• Write clear messages

• Keep history clean

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✅ Task 6 – Understanding Git Workflow

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1️⃣ Difference Between git add and git commit

• git add → Moves changes to staging area

• git commit → Saves staged changes permanently

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2️⃣ What Does Staging Area Do?

It allows you to:

• Select specific changes

• Commit only what you want

Without staging, Git would commit everything automatically — which is risky.

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3️⃣ What Does git log Show?

It shows:

• Commit ID

• Author

• Date

• Commit message

It shows the history of the project.

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4️⃣ What is .git Folder?

It is:

• Git’s internal database

• Stores all commits

• Stores branches

• Stores configuration

Deleting it removes version control completely.

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5️⃣ Difference Between Areas

Area	Meaning
Working Directory	Where you edit files
Staging Area	Where you prepare changes
Repository	Where commits are saved

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🎯 Final Git Workflow (Simple Version)

1. Edit file (Working Directory)

2. git add (Move to Staging)

3. git commit (Save permanently)

4. git log (See history)

Repeat.