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Tools → Git and GitHub →

T2L2. Preparing to use GitHub


To use GitHub, you need to sign up for an account, and configure related tools/settings first.

This lesson covers that part.

GitHub is a web-based service that hosts Git repositories and adds collaboration features on top of Git. Two other similar platforms are GitLab and Bitbucket. While Git manages version control locally, such platforms make it easier for individuals and teams to work together by providing shared access to repositories, issue tracking, pull requests, and permission controls. They are widely used in both open-source and commercial software development. Here we'll be using GitHub.

On GitHub, a Git repo can be put in one of two spaces:

  • A GitHub user account represents an individual user. It is created when you sign up for GitHub and includes a username, profile page, and personal settings. With a user account, you can create your own repositories, contribute to others’ projects, and manage collaboration settings for any repositories you own.
  • A GitHub organisation (org for short) is a shared account used by a group such as a team, company, or open-source project. Organisations can own repositories and manage access to them through teams, roles, and permissions. Organisations are especially useful when managing repositories with shared ownership or when working at scale.

Every GitHub user must have a user account, even if they primarily work within an organisation.

PREPARATION: Create a GitHub account

Create a personal GitHub account as described in GitHub Docs → Creating an account on GitHub, if you don't have one yet.

Choose a sensible GitHub username as you are likely to use it for years to come in professional contexts e.g., in job applications.

[Optional, but recommended] Set up your GitHub profile, as explained in GitHub Docs → Setting up your profile.

Before you can interact with GitHub from your local Git client, you need to set up authentication. In the past, you could simply enter your GitHub username and password, but GitHub no longer accepts passwords for Git operations. Instead, you’ll use a more secure method — such as a Personal Access Token (PAT) or SSH keys — to prove your identity.

A Personal Access Token (PAT) is essentially a long, random string that acts like a password, but it can be scoped to specific permissions (e.g., read-only or full access) and revoked at any time. This makes it more secure and flexible than a traditional password.

Git supports two main protocols for communicating with GitHub: HTTPS and SSH.

  • With HTTPS, you connect over the web and authenticate using your GitHub username and a Personal Access Token.
  • With SSH, you connect using a cryptographic key pair you generate on your machine. Once you add your public key to your GitHub account, GitHub recognises your machine and lets you authenticate without typing anything further.

PREPARATION: Set up authentication with GitHub

Set up your computer's GitHub authentication, as described in the se-edu guide Setting up GitHub Authentication.

GitHub associates a commit to a user based on the email address in the commit metadata. When you push a commit, GitHub checks if the email matches a verified email on a GitHub account. If it does, the commit is shown as authored by that user. If the email doesn’t match any account, the commit is still accepted but won’t be linked to any profile.

GitHub provides a no-reply email (e.g., 12345678+username@users.noreply.github.com) that you can use as your Git user.email to hide your real email while still associating commits with your GitHub account.

PREPARATION: [Optional] Configure user.email to use the no-reply email from GitHub

If you prefer not to include your real email address in commits, you can do the following:

  1. Find your no-reply email provided by GitHub: Navigate to the email settings of your GitHub account and select the option to Keep my email address private. The no-reply address will then be displayed, typically in the format ID+USERNAME@users.noreply.github.com.

  2. Update your user.email with that email address e.g.,

    git config --global user.email "12345678+username@users.noreply.github.com"

GitHub offers its own clients to make working with GitHub more convenient.

  • The GitHub Desktop app provides a GUI for performing GitHub operations from your desktop, without needing to visit the GitHub web UI.
  • The GitHub CLI (gh) brings GitHub-specific commands to your terminal, letting you perform operations on GitHub from your commandline.