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GitHub from zero to hero: account, SSH and a first push

Part 1 of the GitHub guide: what GitHub adds to Git, creating a repository, signing in with gh, an SSH key or a token, and putting a project online.

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This guide takes the recipe book from Git from zero to hero online: we change it through a pull request, let a robot test it, and publish it as a website. It assumes you know git add, git commit and branches.

What GitHub is (and what it adds to Git)

Git is the version control tool; it runs on your computer and needs no internet. GitHub hosts Git repositories in the cloud and adds tools for planning, reviewing, testing and deploying.

On the left, your computer with a local repository holding commits A, B and C. On the right, GitHub with a remote repository holding the same commits. git push uploads from the computer to GitHub, and git fetch or git pull downloads. Below, GitHub adds issues, pull requests, Actions, Pages, projects and releases.

The repository itself (the commits) is plain Git. GitHub’s layer on top:

  • Issues to track tasks, bugs and ideas.
  • Pull requests to propose a change and have it reviewed before it lands.
  • Actions to run tests and deployments automatically.
  • Pages to host a static website straight from a repository.
  • Projects, Releases, Discussions and a security toolbox around all of that.

GitLab and Bitbucket do the same job with different names; the Git part works identically with all of them.

Get started

Create an account and a repository

Sign up at github.com, then use New repository (the + menu at the top right):

  • Name: recipes.
  • Visibility: public (anyone can read it) or private (only people you invite). You can change it later.
  • Add a README: yes. A README is a Markdown file shown on the repository’s front page, the first thing anyone reads.
  • .gitignore and license: optional templates. A .gitignore keeps junk out of the repo. Without a license, nobody else is formally allowed to reuse your code.

Connect your computer: SSH or HTTPS

To push, GitHub has to know it’s you, and it no longer accepts your account password for Git operations over HTTPS. Three good options:

  1. GitHub CLI (gh) is the easiest. Install it from cli.github.com (or brew install gh), then:

    gh auth login
gh auth status

    It signs you in through the browser and stores the credentials for Git. gh browse opens the current repo in the browser, and gh <command> --help lists every flag.

  2. SSH key, which I prefer: set it up once and forget it:

    ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "dana@example.com"

    Accept the default location and choose a passphrase. This makes a private key (~/.ssh/id_ed25519, never share it) and a public key (~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub). Paste the public one into Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key on GitHub. Then test:

    ssh -T git@github.com

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

    That is the success message. Repository URLs then look like git@github.com:dana/recipes.git.

  3. HTTPS with a personal access token works anywhere but means managing a token. A credential helper (which gh auth login configures) keeps it painless.

Put your project on GitHub

It exists on GitHub already. Clone it:

git clone git@github.com:dana/recipes.git
cd recipes

It exists only on your computer, like our recipe book. Create an empty repository on GitHub without a README, then connect and push:

git remote add origin git@github.com:dana/recipes.git
git push -u origin main

Or let the CLI do both steps, from inside the project folder:

gh repo create recipes --public --source=. --push

Refresh the repository page and your files and full history are there.

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