Sorry, this page is no longer available
We may earn an affiliate commission when you visit our partners.
Course image
Bryan Krausen • 200,000+ Enrollments Worldwide

Learn How to use Git for your Version Control System to Manage Your Code, including Git Commits, Branches, Merging, Pull Requests, and More.

If you’re just getting started with Git or any version control—or still feel unsure whenever you see terms like commit, branch, or merge—this course is for you.

Read more

Learn How to use Git for your Version Control System to Manage Your Code, including Git Commits, Branches, Merging, Pull Requests, and More.

If you’re just getting started with Git or any version control—or still feel unsure whenever you see terms like commit, branch, or merge—this course is for you.

I created this course to take the confusion out of learning Git. You don’t need to be a developer or have years of IT experience. Whether you're new to tech, switching careers, or just tired of copy-pasting commands you don’t fully understand, Git Made Easy will give you the practical skills to manage code with confidence.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Install Git and get up and running fast

  • Create and clone repositories

  • Track your work with commits and branches

  • Push and pull code from GitHub

  • Resolve merge conflicts and work through real collaboration scenarios

  • Understand what Git is actually doing under the hood—without being overwhelmed

We’ll also go beyond the basics with tips for working with remotes, stashing changes, reviewing code, and using pull requests. Plus, you’ll get bonus content like a Markdown primer to help make your documentation shine.

This course is designed to be short, friendly, and highly practical—perfect for beginners, career changers, or anyone looking for a clear path to understanding Git. I keep the language simple, explain every step with amazing graphics, and make sure no one gets left behind.

By the end, you’ll not only know the Git commands—you’ll understand when and why to use them.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Understand what git is and why it’s used
  • Set up git and configure it on your local machine
  • Track changes using commits, branches, and history
  • Collaborate using github with pull requests and forks
  • Handle common workflows like merging and resolving conflicts
  • Work efficiently with git using essential commands and best practices

Syllabus

Start Here: Course Overview & Downloads

In this video, you’ll discover why Git and GitHub are must‑have tools for tracking, collaborating on, and safeguarding code, plus get a quick tour of the course. Finish the lecture and get ready to dive into Git commands with confidence.

Read more

In this video, we’ll preview the “Git Started the Right Way” section—installing Git on macOS or Windows, setting your name & email, and touring the Git command‑line. You’ll finish this section with the skills to code and collaborate with Git and GitHub.

In this video, you’ll learn what Git is, why it’s useful, and how it helps you track changes and work with others. You’ll also get familiar with common Git terms and real-world use cases.

In this video, you’ll learn the key differences between Git and GitHub and how they work together. You’ll see why Git is the core tool for version control, while platforms like GitHub simply make sharing and collaboration easier.

In this video, you’ll learn how to install Git on macOS, Windows, or Linux, and how to verify it’s working. By the end, you’ll have Git set up and ready to use for the rest of the course.

In this video, you’ll run your first Git commands, learn how to explore Git’s help system, and get familiar with working in the terminal. By the end, you’ll feel more comfortable navigating directories and using the Git CLI.

In this video, you’ll set up your global Git configuration by adding your name, email, and default branch name. These settings link your commits to you and help Git work smoothly on your machine. By the end, you’ll be ready to start creating and committing code.

In this video, you’ll create your first GitHub repository, set it to public or private, and explore basic repo settings. By the end, you’ll be ready to start connecting Git to GitHub and using your new repo in the course.

In this video, you’ll connect your local project to a GitHub repository and walk through the full Git workflow—from git init to git push. By the end, you’ll have your code committed and live on GitHub, ready to build on.

Regular quizzes help reinforce key concepts and ensure long-term retention of the material you've learned. By testing your knowledge throughout the course, you'll identify areas that need review and build confidence in your understanding before moving forward.

In this video, you’ll get an overview of the section that covers the essential Git commands and concepts you’ll use every day—like cloning, committing, branching, and pushing to GitHub. By the end, you’ll be ready to start working hands-on with real Git workflows.

In this video, you’ll learn how the Git workflow connects your local files to a remote repository like GitHub. You’ll understand when to use commands like clone, fetch, pull, add, commit, and push, and how changes move between your computer and the cloud.

In this video, you’ll learn how to use git clone to copy repositories from GitHub to your local machine. By the end, you’ll know how to download code from any public repo and start working with it in your own environment.

In this video, you’ll learn how to stage changes using git add, including new, modified, and deleted files. You’ll also see how to unstage files and use git status to track what’s ready to commit. By the end, you’ll be able to manage your staging area with confidence.

In this video, you’ll learn how to use git commit to save changes from your staging area to your local Git repository. You’ll also see how to write clear commit messages and create separate commits for different changes. By the end, you’ll understand how to track your work with meaningful commits.

In this video, you’ll learn how to use git push to upload your code to GitHub. This keeps your work backed up and shareable with your team.

Get hands-on with Git and practice the foundational Git commands in a live environment.

In this video, you’ll learn how to use git pull to download the latest changes from GitHub to your local machine. This keeps your files up to date with edits made by teammates or collaborators.

In this video, you’ll learn how Git branches let you safely test new ideas without touching your main code. You’ll also see how to create, switch, and manage branches using commands like git branch, git switch, and git switch -c.

In this video, you’ll practice Git branching by creating a feature branch, making changes, and merging back into main. You’ll also use git switch, git commit, git diff, and git merge to manage and compare branches.

In this video, you’ll learn how to use a .gitignore file to prevent Git from tracking unwanted files, like logs or local config files. You’ll also see how to create a custom .gitignore or use a prebuilt template from GitHub.

In this video, you’ll learn how to create a clear, professional README.md file using Markdown. You’ll see how to structure project info, add headers, code snippets, and helpful links to guide anyone using your GitHub repo.

In this section, you’ll go beyond the basics and explore powerful Git commands like git log, git stash, git revert, and git reset. These tools will help you troubleshoot issues, manage changes, and work more efficiently when real-world problems pop up.

In this video, you’ll learn how to use git log to view your commit history. You’ll see how to scroll, search, and format the output to better understand past changes.

In this video, you’ll learn how to use git stash to temporarily set aside changes without committing them.
It’s a great way to pause your work, switch tasks, and come back later without losing progress.

In this video, you’ll learn how to use git revert to safely undo a commit without rewriting history.
It’s perfect for fixing mistakes on shared branches while keeping a clean project history.

In this video, you’ll learn how to use git reset to move your branch pointer, unstage files, or undo commits.
You'll also see the difference between the soft, mixed, and hard options, and when to use each safely.

In this section, you’ll shift from solo work to team collaboration by learning how to connect to a remote repo, push and pull code, fork projects, and create pull requests. These real-world skills will help you contribute confidently to team and open-source projects.

In this video, you’ll learn how forking works in GitHub, why it’s useful, and how to create a fork of someone else’s repository. You’ll also practice cloning it to your machine, making your own changes, and syncing with the original project (upstream).

In this video, you’ll learn how to create a pull request in GitHub to propose changes, start a review process, and safely merge updates into a shared branch—an essential skill for team collaboration and open source work.

In this video, you’ll learn how to review a pull request, leave comments on code changes, and collaborate with your teammates to approve or request changes before merging updates into the main branch.

In this video, we’ll celebrate your progress and wrap up the course with a few final tips. We’ll quickly recap what you’ve learned, and I encourage you to keep practicing. I would also love to invite you to connect and share your journey with me on social media.

Save this course

Create your own learning path. Save this course to your list so you can find it easily later.
Save

Activities

Coming soon We're preparing activities for [NEW] Git Made Easy: A Crash Course for Beginners - 2025. These are activities you can do either before, during, or after a course.

Career center

Learners who complete [NEW] Git Made Easy: A Crash Course for Beginners - 2025 will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Software Developer
A Software Developer designs, builds, and maintains software applications across various platforms, from web and mobile to desktop and enterprise systems. This career demands meticulous attention to code quality and seamless team collaboration. This course directly prepares you for the critical everyday tasks of a Software Developer by teaching you how to use Git for version control. You will learn to track your work with commits and branches, pushing and pulling code from GitHub, and resolving merge conflicts, which are fundamental aspects of collaborative coding environments. Understanding what Git is actually doing under the hood, along with efficient command usage and best practices, will ensure you manage your codebase with confidence and contribute effectively to any development team. This course is an essential foundation for anyone aspiring to become a successful Software Developer.
Web Developer
A Web Developer creates and maintains various aspects of websites and web applications, whether focusing on the user-facing frontend, the server-side backend, or operating as a full-stack professional. Regardless of specialization, nearly all modern web development relies on collaborative coding. This course is indispensable for a Web Developer, providing command of Git for managing application code, coordinating with design and development teams, and deploying updates efficiently. You will gain practical skills in tracking your work with commits and branches, pushing changes to GitHub, and pulling updates from collaborators, which are daily necessities. The ability to resolve merge conflicts and understand Git's underlying mechanisms ensures smooth, conflict-free development cycles, making you a highly effective contributor to any web project.
DevOps Engineer
A DevOps Engineer bridges the gap between development and operations, automating infrastructure, deployments, and continuous integration/delivery pipelines. This role involves extensive work with code and configuration files, making robust version control indispensable. This course is exceptionally well-suited for a DevOps Engineer, as it equips you with the essential Git skills needed to manage infrastructure as code. You will learn to create and clone repositories for configuration files, implement branching strategies for different environments, manage changes with commits, and collaborate effectively using pull requests. Handling common workflows like merging and resolving conflicts, key to maintaining stable deployments, is a core part of the curriculum. Mastering Git empowers you to build reliable, scalable systems and streamline development operations.
Site Reliability Engineer
A Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) combines software engineering principles with operational challenges, focusing on building highly reliable and scalable systems. SREs frequently manage infrastructure configurations, automation scripts, and monitoring tools, all of which benefit from robust version control. This course is highly beneficial for a Site Reliability Engineer, equipping you with critical Git skills for managing operational code. You will learn to manage configurations as code using commits and branches, ensuring changes are trackable and reversible. Collaborating effectively by pushing and pulling code from GitHub and mastering pull request workflows is essential for team-based incident response and system enhancements. The ability to handle merge conflicts and understand Git's underlying logic helps maintain system stability and allows for efficient, controlled changes to production environments.
Machine Learning Engineer
A Machine Learning Engineer designs, builds, and deploys intelligent systems, translating models from research into production-ready applications. This involves managing extensive codebases for data pipelines, model training, and deployment infrastructure. This course is highly relevant for a Machine Learning Engineer, providing the essential Git skills for managing complex ML projects. You will learn to track changes efficiently with commits and branches, vital for iterating on models and experiments, and collaborate seamlessly by pushing and pulling code from GitHub. The ability to resolve merge conflicts and understand Git's operations ensures smooth integration of team contributions. Mastering Git allows you to maintain clean, versioned code for models and infrastructure, ensuring reproducibility and efficient teamwork in a fast-paced environment. This role often requires an advanced degree.
Cloud Engineer
A Cloud Engineer designs, implements, and manages cloud-based infrastructure and services, often utilizing "infrastructure as code" principles to automate provisioning and configuration. Version control is fundamental to maintaining consistency and reliability across cloud environments. This course provides crucial skills for a Cloud Engineer, enabling you to manage infrastructure as code configurations and deployment scripts effectively using Git. You will learn to create and clone repositories for your cloud templates, track changes with commits and branches for different environments or feature rollouts, and collaborate efficiently by pushing and pulling code from GitHub. The ability to handle common workflows like merging and resolving conflicts is vital for team-based infrastructure management and ensuring seamless, automated cloud operations.
Release Engineer
A Release Engineer owns the process of delivering software from development to production, managing branching strategies, deployment pipelines, and ensuring software versions are consistently built and released. Mastery of version control is at the heart of this role. This course is exceptionally well-suited for a Release Engineer, providing a deep understanding of Git essentials for managing the entire release lifecycle. You will learn to track changes using commits, effectively manage code branches for different release cycles, and coordinate complex merges. The practical experience with pushing and pulling code from GitHub and handling merge conflicts is critical for maintaining stable release branches. Understanding advanced commands like revert and reset helps troubleshoot issues, ensuring smooth, controlled, and repeatable software deployments.
Game Developer
A Game Developer designs, programs, and produces video games across various platforms, working on everything from game logic and graphics to user interfaces. Game development often involves large codebases and assets, requiring robust version control for team collaboration and iterative design. This course is highly beneficial for a Game Developer, equipping you with essential Git skills to manage game projects. You will learn to track changes efficiently with commits and branches, crucial for experimenting with new features or levels, and collaborate seamlessly by pushing and pulling code from GitHub. The ability to resolve merge conflicts helps manage contributions from multiple team members working on different aspects of the game, ensuring a smooth development pipeline and preventing costly asset or code overwrites.
Data Scientist
A Data Scientist analyzes complex datasets to uncover insights, build predictive models, and inform strategic decisions, often writing code in languages like Python or R for statistical analysis and machine learning. Reproducibility and collaboration are paramount in this field. For an aspiring Data Scientist, this course offers valuable skills in managing code for data analysis and model development using Git. You will learn to create and clone repositories for your analysis scripts and notebooks, track changes using commits and branches, and collaborate by pushing and pulling code from GitHub. Handling common workflows like merging and resolving conflicts is crucial for team projects and maintaining a clean project history. This foundational Git knowledge helps ensure your analyses are reproducible, trackable, and shareable with colleagues. This role often requires an advanced degree.
Embedded Systems Engineer
An Embedded Systems Engineer develops software and firmware for specialized hardware, often creating highly optimized code for devices ranging from IoT sensors to automotive systems. Managing these complex codebases, often with strict versioning requirements, is vital. This course provides strong Git foundations for an Embedded Systems Engineer, enabling efficient code management. You will learn to create and clone repositories for embedded code, track changes using commits and branches, and collaborate effectively by pushing and pulling code from GitHub. The ability to resolve merge conflicts and understand Git's underlying mechanisms is particularly important when coordinating hardware and software development cycles. This course helps ensure code stability, historical tracking, and seamless integration within multidisciplinary development teams.
Cybersecurity Engineer
A Cybersecurity Engineer designs, implements, and maintains security measures to protect computer systems, networks, and data. This often involves developing security tools, writing automation scripts, and managing configurations for various security platforms. This course is helpful for a Cybersecurity Engineer, providing essential Git skills for managing these critical code assets. You will learn to create and clone repositories for security scripts and tools, track changes with commits and branches for different security initiatives or policy updates, and collaborate securely by pushing and pulling code from GitHub. Understanding how to handle common workflows like merging and resolving conflicts ensures that security configurations are consistently applied and auditable, strengthening an organization’s defensive posture and enabling efficient security operations.
Computational Biologist
A Computational Biologist uses computational methods and bioinformatics tools to analyze biological data, develop algorithms, and build models to understand complex biological systems. The reproducibility of research and collaboration on shared codebases are critical. This course is helpful for a Computational Biologist, providing the essential Git skills to manage research code and analytical pipelines. You will learn to create and clone repositories for scripts and data processing workflows, track changes using commits and branches, and collaborate effectively by pushing and pulling code from GitHub. Handling common workflows like merging and resolving conflicts is vital for team-based projects and ensuring the scientific rigor of your work. This role typically requires an advanced degree.
Quality Assurance Engineer
A Quality Assurance Engineer ensures software products meet quality standards and user requirements, often developing and executing automated test scripts. In modern development, these test assets are integral parts of the codebase. This course is helpful for a Quality Assurance Engineer, especially those involved in test automation. You will learn how to use Git to manage test scripts, frameworks, and related documentation. The skills to create repositories, track changes with commits, and push and pull code from GitHub are valuable for collaborating with development teams and integrating automated tests into continuous integration pipelines. Understanding branching and merging helps you manage test environments and ensure test coverage aligns with new features, contributing to a robust and reliable software delivery process.
Technical Writer
A Technical Writer creates clear, concise, and accurate documentation for software, APIs, and complex systems, making technical information accessible to various audiences. Increasingly, documentation lives alongside code in version-controlled repositories. This course is helpful for a Technical Writer, particularly when working within developer tools or open-source projects. You will learn to manage documentation using Git, including creating and cloning repositories for your content. The course's focus on tracking changes with commits and branches, pushing and pulling content from GitHub, and especially the bonus Markdown primer, directly supports modern documentation workflows. Understanding pull requests allows you to propose and review changes collaboratively, enhancing your ability to integrate seamlessly into engineering teams and contribute to high-quality, versioned documentation.
Technical Project Manager
A Technical Project Manager oversees the planning, execution, and delivery of technical projects, often within software development or engineering. While not directly involved in coding, understanding the technical workflows of their teams is crucial for effective leadership and communication. This course may be useful for a Technical Project Manager by providing a foundational understanding of Git and version control. You will gain insight into how development teams manage their code, including concepts like commits, branches, and pull requests. This knowledge helps you better interpret project statuses, anticipate potential merge conflicts or integration challenges, and communicate more effectively with engineers. Understanding Git allows you to facilitate smoother project execution and make more informed decisions regarding technical sprints and releases.

Reading list

We haven't picked any books for this reading list yet.
Practical guide to using Git for version control. It covers all the essential commands and concepts, and provides clear and concise explanations.
Fun and engaging way to learn Git. It provides short and easy lessons that can be completed in a month.
Provides a deep dive into the internals of Git. It covers how Git stores data, how it performs operations, and how it can be customized.
Concise and easy-to-use reference guide to Git. It covers all the essential commands and concepts, and great resource for quick lookups.
Comprehensive and up-to-date reference guide to Git. It covers all the essential commands and concepts, and provides clear and concise explanations.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the Git version control system, including its basic concepts, commands, and workflows. It is an excellent resource for beginners and intermediate users who want to improve their understanding of Git.
Provides a concise overview of the essential Git commands and concepts. It is an excellent resource for beginners who want to learn the basics of Git quickly.
Comprehensive guide to the Git version control system. It covers a wide range of topics, including basic concepts, advanced workflows, and best practices. It valuable resource for experienced Git users who want to improve their skills.
Provides a quick reference to the most common Git commands. It is an excellent resource for beginners and intermediate users who want to learn the basics of Git.
Provides a practical introduction to version control using real-world examples. It is an excellent resource for beginners who want to learn the basics of version control.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the Perforce Helix version control system. It covers a wide range of topics, including basic concepts, advanced workflows, and best practices. It valuable resource for experienced Perforce Helix users who want to improve their skills.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the Helix Core version control system. It covers a wide range of topics, including basic concepts, advanced workflows, and best practices. It valuable resource for experienced Helix Core users who want to improve their skills.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the Subversion version control system. It covers a wide range of topics, including basic concepts, advanced workflows, and best practices. It valuable resource for experienced Subversion users who want to improve their skills.
Shares best practices and effective workflows for using Git and GitHub, helping developers improve their productivity and collaboration.
Teaches the fundamentals of Git through practical exercises, providing a structured approach for beginners to master GitHub's core concepts.
This beginner-friendly guide introduces the basics of GitHub, covering essential concepts and workflows for individuals new to the platform.
This concise and practical guide provides a quick reference for Git commands and workflows, making it a convenient companion for developers using GitHub.
This comprehensive guide covers all aspects of version control with Git, making it a valuable resource for developers looking to master GitHub's core functionality and underlying concepts.

Share

Help others find this course page by sharing it with your friends and followers:

Similar courses

Similar courses are unavailable at this time. Please try again later.
Our mission

OpenCourser helps millions of learners each year. People visit us to learn workspace skills, ace their exams, and nurture their curiosity.

Our extensive catalog contains over 50,000 courses and twice as many books. Browse by search, by topic, or even by career interests. We'll match you to the right resources quickly.

Find this site helpful? Tell a friend about us.

Affiliate disclosure

We're supported by our community of learners. When you purchase or subscribe to courses and programs or purchase books, we may earn a commission from our partners.

Your purchases help us maintain our catalog and keep our servers humming without ads.

Thank you for supporting OpenCourser.

© 2016 - 2025 OpenCourser