How to Push a Project to GitHub: A Step-by-Step Guide

Pushing your project to GitHub is an essential step for sharing your code, collaborating with others, and maintaining version control. This guide will walk you through the process using Git and SSH authentication.

Prerequisites

1. Git Installed: Ensure Git is installed on your system. You can download it from Git’s official website.
2. GitHub Account: Have an active GitHub account. If you don’t have one, you can sign up at GitHub.
3. A Local Project Directory: Have your project ready in a local directory.

1. Configure Git with Your User Details

Set up your username and email address for Git, which will associate your commits with your identity. Replace Ankush More and ankushitguy@gmail.com with your details:

git config --global user.name "Ankush More"
git config --global user.email "ankush.more.email@gmail.com"
git config --global init.defaultBranch main

git config --global user.name "Ankush More"
git config --global user.email "ankush.more.email@gmail.com"
git config --global init.defaultBranch main

2. Generate an SSH Key

An SSH key enables secure authentication without the need for a password. Run the following command to generate an SSH key:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -C "ankush.more.email@gmail.com"

ssh-keygen -t rsa -C "ankush.more.email@gmail.com"

When prompted, press Enter to save the key in the default location (~/.ssh/id_rsa). This generates two files:

• id_rsa: Your private key (keep this secure).
• id_rsa.pub: Your public key.

To display your public key, type:

cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

Copy the output of the public key.

3. Add SSH Key to Your GitHub Account

• Log in to your GitHub account.
• Navigate to Settings > SSH and GPG Keys.
• Click New SSH Key.
• Add a label (e.g., My Laptop) and paste the copied SSH key into the text box.
• Click Add SSH Key.

4. Test SSH Connection

Verify the SSH connection with GitHub:

ssh -T git@github.com

ssh -T git@github.com

You should see a confirmation message similar to:

Hi ankushitguy! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

Hi ankushitguy! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

This indicates that SSH authentication is set up correctly.

5. Initialize a Git Repository

Navigate to your project directory and initialize a Git repository:

cd /path/to/your/project
git init

cd /path/to/your/project
git init

This creates a .git directory in your project folder, which tracks version control.

6. Stage and Commit Your Files

Add Files to Git: Use git add to stage files for commit. To add all files in your project directory:

git add .

git add .

Create a .gitignore File: If there are files or directories you want Git to ignore (e.g., node_modules, .env), create a .gitignore file. Example:

node_modules/
.env

node_modules/
.env

Add it to the repository:

git add .gitignore

git add .gitignore

Commit Changes: Record your changes in the local repository:

git commit -m "Initial commit"

git commit -m "Initial commit"

7. Connect to a Remote Repository

Create a repository on GitHub. Note the repository URL (e.g., git@github.com:ankushitguy/blog.altgr.in.git).

Add the remote repository to your local project:

git remote add origin git@github.com:moreskylab/blog.altgr.in

git remote add origin git@github.com:moreskylab/blog.altgr.in

8. Push Your Project to GitHub

Push your local repository to the GitHub remote repository:

git push -u origin main

git push -u origin main

The -u flag sets the origin repository as the default remote, and master is the branch you are pushing to. For subsequent pushes, you can simply type:

git push

git push

Summary of Commands

Ref: https://kbroman.org/github_tutorial