Git Basics

Now that you've made your first edit, let's understand what Git actually does and why it's so helpful for collaborative work.

What is Git?

Think of Git as a sophisticated "undo" system that:

Tracks every change to every file
Remembers who made each change and when
Allows multiple people to work on the same project without conflicts
Keeps a complete history so nothing is ever truly lost

Key Concepts (Simplified)

Repository ("Repo")

A repository is like a project folder that Git watches. Our website is one repository.

Commit

A commit is like saving a snapshot of your work. Each commit includes:

What files were changed
Who made the changes
When the changes were made
A message describing the changes

Branch

A branch is like a parallel version of the project where you can make changes safely. Think of it as making a copy, editing the copy, then merging the good changes back to the original.

Pull Request

A pull request is like saying "Hey, I made some improvements - would you like to include them?" It's a way to propose changes and discuss them before they become part of the main project.

The Git Workflow (What You Just Did)

When you made your first edit, here's what happened:

You created a branch - A safe copy to work on
You made changes - Edited the file
You committed - Saved a snapshot with a description
You created a pull request - Asked for your changes to be reviewed
Someone will review - A team member checks your work
Changes get merged - If approved, your changes join the main project

Why This System Works

Safety

Multiple people can work simultaneously without breaking each other's work
Every change is tracked, so mistakes can be undone
Changes are reviewed before going live

Transparency

Anyone can see what changed and why
The history shows how the project evolved
Credit is given to each contributor

Collaboration

Team members can suggest improvements to your changes
Discussions happen around specific edits
Knowledge is shared through the review process

Common Git Terms

Term	Simple Explanation
Clone	Make a copy of the entire project on your computer
Fork	Make your own copy of someone else's project
Push	Send your changes from your computer to the server
Pull	Get the latest changes from the server to your computer
Merge	Combine changes from one branch into another
Conflict	When two people changed the same thing - needs manual fixing

What's Next?

Now that you understand the basics, you can either:

Continue making edits through the web interface (easiest)
Learn to Clone and Edit Locally for more advanced work

Video Tutorial

[Administrator: Add a video tutorial explaining Git concepts with visual examples and analogies]

Remember

Git protects you - Your changes are safe and reviewable
Mistakes are fixable - Nothing is ever permanently lost
Learning takes time - Don't worry about understanding everything at once
Practice helps - The more you use it, the more natural it becomes

The most important thing to remember: Git is designed to help people work together safely. All the complexity exists to prevent problems and make collaboration possible.

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