When people first hear the word “GitHub,” they often assume it’s only for professional programmers working in big companies. In reality, GitHub is useful for anyone who writes code, learns programming, builds projects, collaborates with others, or simply wants a safe, organized place to store and manage their work. Whether you are a student building your first Python project, a developer working on a team, or a professional maintaining production systems, GitHub becomes a central workspace where your code, documentation, and collaboration live together.
At a practical level, “getting started with GitHub” means you set up your GitHub account, prepare your machine to work with repositories, learn the core workflow you’ll use every day, and understand the small setup decisions that save you time later. The goal is not to memorize features. The goal is to build a reliable foundation so you can create repositories, publish projects, collaborate confidently, and keep your work safe.
To begin with GitHub, you only need a computer and an internet connection. If your work involves coding, it’s also important to have a code editor installed (such as Visual Studio Code, PyCharm, IntelliJ, or even a simple editor), because GitHub itself is not an editor. GitHub is where your project lives and evolves, while your editor is where you write and modify files.
Many people also install Git on their machine at the start. Git is the version control tool that tracks changes in your project and allows you to push those changes to GitHub. GitHub and Git work together: Git is the “engine” on your computer, and GitHub is the “platform” where your repository can be stored, shared, and collaborated on. You can still browse and read code on GitHub without installing anything, but if you want to create commits and upload code from your laptop, Git installation is the next step.
Your GitHub journey typically starts by creating an account. While this sounds simple, your account details matter because they become part of your public developer identity. Your username will appear in repository links, contribution activity, and collaboration records. Choosing a clean, professional username helps if you later share projects in resumes, portfolios, or client work.
After creating your account, set up your profile thoughtfully. Add a profile photo, a short bio, and—if relevant—your location, tech interests, or portfolio link. For beginners, this helps you gradually build a credible presence. For professionals, it ensures your GitHub profile looks consistent with your work identity. Think of your profile as a small landing page that tells others what you do and what you build.
Another important step is email verification. GitHub uses your email for security and for linking your commits to your profile. If you commit code using an email that is not connected to your GitHub account, your commits may not show up as contributions on your profile. This is a small detail that many beginners miss, and later they wonder why their activity is not visible.
Once you log in, GitHub can feel feature-heavy because it supports everything from open-source collaboration to enterprise code management. The good news is that beginners only need to understand a few key areas at first.
The most important concept is the repository, often called a “repo.” A repository is a project folder hosted on GitHub that contains your code files, documentation, images, configuration files, and the full history of changes over time. When you create a repository, GitHub gives you a home for that project and a unique URL that you can share.
Inside a repository, the README file is usually the first thing people see. It’s a simple text file (often written in Markdown) that explains what the project is, what it does, how to run it, and how to use it. Beginners sometimes ignore README files, but professionals treat them as a basic standard. A strong README makes your project understandable and reusable.
GitHub also provides tabs such as Issues, Pull Requests, Actions, and Settings. You don’t need to master everything now, but it helps to know why they exist. Issues are used to track tasks, bugs, and feature requests. Pull Requests are used to propose changes and review code before merging. Actions is for automation like testing and deployment. Settings is where you manage access, repository configuration, and security.
If you plan to upload code from your system, installing Git is a practical next step. After installing Git, you can confirm it’s available by running a version command in your terminal. This step matters because GitHub does not automatically track your local files; Git does. Once Git is installed, your workflow becomes simple: you make changes in your editor, Git records those changes in commits, and then you push those commits to GitHub.
During setup, Git also needs your identity information, usually your name and email. This identity is embedded into commit history. For professional work, it’s common to use a consistent name and an email that matches your GitHub account. If you want your commit email to remain private, GitHub offers a “noreply” email option. The key idea is that every commit should be attributable and consistent.
When you interact with GitHub from your machine, you’ll authenticate using either HTTPS or SSH. HTTPS is often easier at the beginning because it works like a standard login-based connection. However, modern GitHub workflows typically use a personal access token instead of your password for security.
SSH is another option that professionals love because once you set it up, you don’t need to repeatedly enter credentials. SSH uses a secure key pair stored on your machine. You add your public key to GitHub, and your private key stays safe on your device. For long-term daily development, SSH is often smoother. For beginners, it may feel like an extra step at first, but it becomes a “set once, use forever” setup.
The important takeaway is that both methods are valid. If you are just starting and want the simplest path, HTTPS is fine. If you’re serious about long-term development, collaboration, and professional workflows, SSH is worth setting up early.
Creating a repository is one of the most important milestones in learning GitHub. When you click “New repository,” GitHub asks for a repository name, visibility, and optional initialization files. Choosing a clear repository name helps you and others understand the project quickly. For example, instead of naming a repo “project1,” a better name might reflect what it does, such as “python-number-guessing-game” or “ml-linear-regression-notes.”
You also choose between public and private. A public repository is visible to everyone and is ideal for portfolios and open-source work. A private repository is accessible only to you and the people you invite, which is useful for personal learning, client work, or internal projects. Professionals often start private and switch to public when the project is polished.
GitHub lets you initialize the repository with a README, a .gitignore, and a license. Initializing with a README is helpful because it creates the first commit and gives your repo a visible introduction. The .gitignore file tells Git which files not to track, such as cache files, logs, environment variables, or large temporary outputs. This is especially important for Python projects (where pycache and virtual environments should not be committed) and for web projects (where node_modules should not be committed). The license matters if you plan to share code publicly; it communicates how others can use, modify, or distribute your work.
Once your repository exists, the most common workflow is simple and repeatable. You write code locally, you create commits to capture meaningful checkpoints, and you push those commits to GitHub. Over time, your repository becomes a timeline of improvements: bug fixes, new features, refactors, documentation updates, and releases.
The key skill is learning to think in small, meaningful commits rather than making one huge commit at the end. A commit should represent a clear change, like “Add input validation,” “Update README with setup steps,” or “Fix calculation bug.” This practice is valuable for beginners because it makes your progress trackable. It’s also valuable for professionals because it makes teamwork and debugging easier.
When you push your commits to GitHub, your code becomes available from anywhere, and your work becomes safe from device failures. This alone is a major reason people adopt GitHub early. Your laptop can crash, but your repository history remains accessible.
GitHub supports both command-line Git and graphical tools like GitHub Desktop. Beginners often start with GitHub Desktop because it shows changes visually and reduces the fear of commands. Professionals often prefer the command line because it is fast, flexible, and works everywhere. The best approach is the one that helps you stay consistent.
If you are teaching or learning, starting with GitHub Desktop can remove friction. Once you are comfortable, moving to the command line gives you deeper control and prepares you for real-world developer environments. Many experienced developers use both depending on the situation. The point is not to argue which is “better,” but to choose the tool that helps you build reliable habits.
Before you go too far, it’s worth securing your GitHub account like a professional. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA). This simple step protects your account even if your password is leaked. For students, it protects your personal projects. For professionals, it protects codebases, client work, and team repositories.
It also helps to review your account settings and notifications so you don’t miss collaboration updates. GitHub is designed for teamwork, and notifications become your signal system when someone opens an issue, comments on a pull request, or requests a review.
By the end of this first step, you should feel comfortable with the idea that GitHub is your project home, a place where your work is stored, organized, and shareable. You don’t need to know every feature. You only need a strong base: a well-made account, a basic profile, Git installed, authentication set up, and the confidence to create repositories and push your work.
Once this foundation is in place, everything else becomes easier. When you learn “What is Git?” and “What is GitHub?” in the next sections, you’ll already have a real environment to relate the concepts to. That’s the best way to learn GitHub—not as theory, but as a tool you actually use for building and improving projects.