Pushing your first project to github

git_and_github_instructions.md

1. Make sure git is tracking your project locally

Do you need a refresher on git? Go through Codecademy's git course.

1. Using your terminal/command line, get inside the folder where your project files are kept: cd /path/to/my/codebase. → You cannot do this simply by opening the folder normally, you must do this with the command line/terminal.
   → Do you need a refresher on using your command line/terminal? I've compiled my favorite resources here.

2. Check if git is already initialized: git status
   If you get this error message: fatal: Not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git, that means the folder you are currently in is not being tracked by git. In that case, initialize git inside your project folder and make your first commit:

   git init
   git add .
   git commit -m "initial commit"

   → If you get another error message, read carefully what it says.

   • Is it saying git isn't installed on your computer by saying that the word 'git' is not recognized?
   • Is it saying that you're already in a folder or sub-folder where git is initialized?
   • Google the error output to understand it, and to figure out how to fix it.

---

2. Create a remote, empty folder/repository on Github.

1. Login to your Github account.

2. At the top right of any Github page, you should see a '+' icon. Click that, then select 'New Repository'.

3. Give your repository a name--ideally the same name as your local project. If I'm building a travel application, its folder will be called 'travel-app' on my computer, and 'travel-app' will be the Github repository name as well.

4. Click 'Create Repository'. The next screen you see will be important, so don't close it.

---

3. Connect your local project folder to your empty folder/repository on Github.

The screen you should be seeing now on Github is titled 'Quick setup — if you’ve done this kind of thing before'.

1. Copy the link in the input right beneath the title, it should look something like this: https://github.com/yourname/yourproject.git
   This is the web address that your local folder will use to push its contents to the remote folder on Github.

2. Go back to your project in the terminal/command line.

3. In your terminal/command line, type git remote add origin [copied web address] Example: git remote add origin https://github.com/yourname/yourproject.git

4. Push your branch to Github: git push -u origin main

5. Go back to the folder/repository screen on Github that you just left, and refresh it. The title 'Quick setup — if you’ve done this kind of thing before' should disappear, and you should see your files there.

I got the same error error: failed to push some refs to 'https://github.com/*****

But following this order it worked:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "First commit"
#Go to https://github.com --- Create a new repository (without README.md)
git remote add origin https://github.com/userProfile/projectName.git
git push -u origin master

You saved me!! I think I just forgot to use "git init" originally when I committed changes. Then I cloned to GitKraken which made more of a mess, but figured out how to delete local copy in folders.

Thanks

To push a local repository to GitHub, the official guide now recommends that we use the following commands:

git remote add origin [your github repo's address]
git branch -M main
git push -u origin main

Thank you very much

step 1 - Create a git repo from your GitHub home page. Click on create a new repo name it as per your project.
step 2 - Click on add files.
step 3- open your project folder, drag and drop your project files in your repo.
that's it.

Really great article. Thanks

This is by far the most detailed tutorial. Much appreciated!

Nice Elaboration,
Worked very well

Thanks. Helped me

Thanks, it was helpful!

I was unable to get this to work:

ashbu@DESKTOP-8NAGQ06 MINGW64 ~/Documents/trio_ircproxy
$ git remote add origin https://github.com/ashburry-chat-irc/trio_ircproxy.git
fatal: not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git

I downloaded my repo on to my new computer now I want to work on it.
Should it not ask me to log in first?

Easy to use! Thanks.

Thanks for this post.

Page needs update. 2/5/22.
It's why people are getting errors since the master/main default conversion.

If "git push origin master"
produces error
"src refspec master does not match any
error: failed to push some refs to 'https://github.com/..."

Instead try "git push origin main"

There was general default update from 'master' to 'main'.... but that has not yet propagated to this page.

"... your terminal/command line, type git remote add origin [copied web address]
Example: git remote add origin https://github.com/mindplace/test-repo.git
Push your branch to Github: git push origin master"

The last word "master" should now (if defaults are used) be "main"

Thank you.
Have a great day.

Great Gist, thanks. It helped me - but as others have noted, it needs an update. In particular, the authentication part is missing. I had hoped that the new gh CLI would resolve all of that rather convoluted authentication business - just as the GitHub Desktop did for Desktops. But oddly, the GitHub people are saying that the deliberately left commit & push out of gh CLI because it wasn't useful!?!? Thanks again!

If you still run into this issue in 2022...i.e you want to push an existing repository from your VSCode

...best to follow this pact

1. Create an empty repo(don't tick the 'CREATE README" option) on GitHub
2. git remote add origin <repo URL ie https://github.com/(your Github name)/repo name.git>
3. git branch -M main
4. git push -u origin main

This should work perfectly!!!

Definitely needs updating. Through a half hour of trial and error, I found that this tutorial gets off track if you check the box to "create Readme". Yeah, don't do that and it will go much smoother.

Definitely needs updating. Through a half hour of trial and error, I found that this tutorial gets off track if you check the box to "create Readme". Yeah, don't do that and it will go much smoother.
Yeah thanks for adding to that too.

Wow! This instructions are so clear and on-point.

However, I was faced with a little challenge at Step-4 in Section-3 (3. Connect your local project folder to your empty folder/repository on Github.). This was the error:
git@github.com: Permission denied (publickey). fatal: Could not read from remote repository.

I took the steps from this solution, and I was back on track.

Yeah glad you found a solution to that!

Another solution to some permission errors would be creating a GitHub Personal Access Token(PAT) too.

Thank you for this.

and in last step this worked for me:

git push -uf origin master

For the error: failed to push some refs to.....
try 'master' instead of 'main' in git push -uf origin main

please can someone help me solve this error
error: src refspec main does not match any

What you’re trying to do?

Definitely needs updating. Through a half hour of trial and error, I found that this tutorial gets off track if you check the box to "create Readme". Yeah, don't do that and it will go much smoother.
Yeah thanks for adding to that too.

if you already created readme file and you didn’t put much info in it you can use: git push --force -u origin master
it will remove your Readme file and push your local code to the git

So helpful, Thank you.

I'm getting Authentication failed when I enter my credential after the push command. I insert the correct ones but still get the error. Any help?

I think, to push the project to main branch, we need to add:
git branch -M main

or we can push the project to master branch
git push -u origin master

error: failed to push some refs to 'https://github.com/anasrawuthar/djangoweb.gi
t'

Anas@DESKTOP-PQVUR5J MINGW64 ~/3D Objects
$ git init
Initialized empty Git repository in C:/Users/Anas/3D Objects/.git/

Anas@DESKTOP-PQVUR5J MINGW64 /3D Objects (master)
$ ^[[200
bash: $'\E[200~': command not found

Anas@DESKTOP-PQVUR5J MINGW64 ~/3D Objects (master)
$

Anas@DESKTOP-PQVUR5J MINGW64 ~/3D Objects (master)
$ git add .
warning: adding embedded git repository: static
hint: You've added another git repository inside your current repository.
hint: Clones of the outer repository will not contain the contents of
hint: the embedded repository and will not know how to obtain it.
hint: If you meant to add a submodule, use:
hint:
hint: git submodule add static
hint:
hint: If you added this path by mistake, you can remove it from the
hint: index with:
hint:
hint: git rm --cached static
hint:
hint: See "git help submodule" for more information.

Anas@DESKTOP-PQVUR5J MINGW64 ~/3D Objects (master)
$ git commit -m "initial commit"
[master (root-commit) e0fc14d] initial commit
2 files changed, 1 insertion(+)
create mode 100644 desktop.ini
create mode 160000 static

Anas@DESKTOP-PQVUR5J MINGW64 ~/3D Objects (master)
$ git remote add origin https://github.com/anasrawuthar/djangoweb.git

Anas@DESKTOP-PQVUR5J MINGW64 ~/3D Objects (master)
$ git push -u origin main
error: src refspec main does not match any
error: failed to push some refs to 'https://github.com/anasrawuthar/djangoweb.gi
t'

Anas@DESKTOP-PQVUR5J MINGW64 ~/3D Objects (master)