- \n
- Repository (repo)<\/strong> \u2014 A project folder tracked by Git. It holds all your files and their full history.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Local<\/strong> \u2014 The copy of the repo on your own computer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Remote<\/strong> \u2014 The copy of the repo stored online (on GitHub’s servers).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Origin<\/strong> \u2014 The default name for the remote repo your local repo is linked to.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Commit<\/strong> \u2014 A saved snapshot of your changes, along with a message describing what you did.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Push<\/strong> \u2014 Sending your local commits up to the remote repo on GitHub.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Pull<\/strong> \u2014 Downloading changes from the remote repo to your local copy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Clone<\/strong> \u2014 Making a local copy of a remote repo on your computer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Branch<\/strong> \u2014 An independent line of development.
main<\/code> is the default branch in new repos.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nWhy GitHub Desktop + Xcode on macOS?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There are several ways to use Git \u2014 terminal commands, various desktop apps, and built-in IDE integrations. For this course we’re using GitHub Desktop<\/strong> alongside Xcode for a few reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Visual clarity<\/strong> \u2014 GitHub Desktop shows exactly what files changed and provides a clear commit\/push workflow without memorizing terminal commands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- macOS-native workflow<\/strong> \u2014 It integrates smoothly with Finder and Xcode on the Macs we use in class.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Lower barrier to entry<\/strong> \u2014 You can focus on learning the concepts of version control without getting tripped up by command-line syntax.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Creating a GitHub Account<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you don’t already have a GitHub account, go to github.com<\/a> and sign up. Use a personal email address you’ll have long-term \u2014 not your UGA address, since you’ll lose access after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"GitHub.com](\"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/appdev\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-08-at-4.01.19-PM-1024x768.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nChoose a professional username.<\/strong> This is how instructors and future employers will find you on GitHub. A simple variation of your name works well \u2014 avoid numbers, underscores, or jokes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Setting Up Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
GitHub requires two-factor authentication. After creating your account, go to Settings \u2192 Password and authentication<\/strong> and enable an authenticator app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"GitHub.com](\"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/appdev\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-08-at-4.01.55-PM-1024x768.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n- \n
- iOS:<\/strong> Use the built-in Apple Passwords app \u2014 go to Settings \u2192 Passwords, tap the key icon, and choose Set Up Verification Code<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Android:<\/strong> Use Google Authenticator or your authenticator app of choice<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Scan the QR code shown on screen with your authenticator app. After setup, you’ll be prompted for a 6-digit code from the app each time you sign in from a new device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Installing and Signing into GitHub Desktop<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Download GitHub Desktop at desktop.github.com<\/a>. It’s free and runs on macOS and Windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After installing, open GitHub Desktop and sign in with your GitHub account:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Open GitHub Desktop and go to GitHub Desktop \u2192 Settings<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Click Accounts<\/strong> in the left sidebar<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Click Sign Into GitHub.com<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Complete authorization in the browser window that opens<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
![\"GitHub](\"https:\/\/docs.github.com\/assets\/cb-62452\/images\/help\/desktop\/sign-in-github.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nJoining GitHub Classroom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
GitHub Classroom is how you’ll receive and submit assignments in this course. Your instructor will share an assignment invite link with you for each assignment you’ll submit to GitHub Classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first time you click an assignment invite link, you’ll be prompted to find and click your name in the roster<\/strong> to link your GitHub account with your UGA ID. Your roster ID is the portion of your UGA email before @uga.edu \u2014 two or three letters followed by five numbers (for example,
abc12345<\/code>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Prompt](\"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/appdev\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-08-at-4.02.10-PM-1024x768.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAccepting the assignment invitation creates a personal copy of the assignment repository under your GitHub account. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you encounter an error in GitHub Classroom when attempting to accept the assignment via an invite link, try visiting github.com and either:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Checking your notifications via the inbox icon in the top-right corner of the screen, or…<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Clicking on your profile icon, selecting Organizations, and then selecting your Classroom’s name (for example, 2026-spring-nmix-4030-weatherford-1135).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What is Git and GitHub? Git is a version control system \u2014 it tracks every change you make to your files over time, so you can go back to any previous version, see who changed what, and collaborate with others without overwriting each other’s work. GitHub is a cloud-based platform built on top of Git … Continue reading Getting Started with GitHub<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4225","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/appdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/appdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/appdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/appdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/appdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4225"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/appdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4263,"href":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/appdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4225\/revisions\/4263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/appdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Click Accounts<\/strong> in the left sidebar<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Android:<\/strong> Use Google Authenticator or your authenticator app of choice<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- macOS-native workflow<\/strong> \u2014 It integrates smoothly with Finder and Xcode on the Macs we use in class.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Local<\/strong> \u2014 The copy of the repo on your own computer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n