Uploading Local Files to GitHub and Updating Them

GitHub, a widely-used platform for version control and collaboration, offers a simple yet essential function: uploading your local files to a repository and updating them as your project progresses. If you’re new to GitHub and wondering how to get started with uploading and updating files, this guide is for you!

Using Git commands offers more control, helps understand version control deeply, and allows for efficient handling of complex tasks compared to the GitHub interface, which is easier for basic operations.

Before You Start: Ensure Git is Installed

Before diving into uploading files to GitHub, make sure Git is installed on your computer. You can download and install Git from git-scm.com if you haven’t already.

Now, let’s proceed with the guide to upload your files to GitHub and maintain their updates.

Step 1: Setting Up a New Repository on GitHub

1. Create a New Repository:

• Sign in to your GitHub account.
• Click on the “+” icon in the top right corner and select “New repository.”
• Give your repository a name and a brief description.
• Choose to make it public or private (based on your preference).
• Click on “Create repository.”

Step 2: Uploading Files to Your New Repository

1. Initialize Git in Your Local Project:

• Open your terminal or command prompt.
• Navigate to your project directory using the cd command.

2. Initialize a Git Repository:

• Type git init and hit Enter. This initializes a new Git repository in your project folder.

3. Add Your Files:

• Use the command git add . to add all files in the directory to the staging area.

4. Commit Your Changes:

• Enter git commit -m "Initial commit" to commit the changes to the repository.

5. Link Your Local Repository to GitHub:

• Go back to your GitHub repository page.
• Copy the repository’s URL.
• In your terminal, type git remote add origin <repository URL> and press Enter.

6. Push and Pull Your Files to GitHub:

• Then, execute git pull origin master to pull your local files.
• Finally, push your files to the GitHub repository by executing git pull origin master. It might ask for your credentials.

Step 3: Updating Files on GitHub

1. Make Changes Locally:

• Edit or add new files in your local project as needed.

2. Stage and Commit Changes:

• Use git add . to stage the changes.
• Commit the changes with git commit -m "Brief description of changes".

3. Push Changes to GitHub:

• Once again, push the changes with git push.

To summarize:

Uploading files to your new repository:

cd your_project_directory
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin <repository_URL>
git pull origin main 
git push -u origin main

Updating Files on GitHub:

# Make changes locally in your project
# Stage, commit, and push changes to GitHub
git add .
git commit -m “Brief description of changes”
git push origin main