Git and Github
I'm Iniobong Ema, a Cloud and DevOps Engineer, I'm passionate about automation, pipelines and building scalable systems. I document my journey, share tutorials and explore modern tech solutions-one experiment at a time. From Code to Cloud: My DevOps Journey. My contact information: Phone number: 08027604029 Gmail Address: iniema2025@gmail.com, iniakan4real2017@gmail.com
Introduction: Git & GitHub for Windows Users (A Cloud & DevOps Engineer’s Guide)
If you are using Windows and stepping into Cloud or DevOps engineering, Git and GitHub are not just tools you should know — they are tools you must master.
Every real-world DevOps task you will encounter — from Terraform infrastructure, Azure Bicep templates, Dockerfiles, Kubernetes YAMLs, to CI/CD pipelines — is tracked, reviewed, and deployed using Git. Without Git, collaboration breaks down. Without GitHub, automation and team workflows become nearly impossible.
For many Windows users, Git can feel confusing at first:
Why do I need Git Bash?
What is a repository?
Why am I pushing and pulling?
What exactly is a branch?
Why does Git keep complaining about conflicts?
This guide removes that confusion.
In this blog, I will walk you through Git and GitHub step-by-step specifically for Windows users, using:
Git Bash on Windows
Simple commands you can copy and run
Clear explanations of what each command does and why it matters
Practical DevOps-style workflows you’ll actually use on the job
No assumptions. No skipped steps.
By the end of this guide, you will be able to:
Install and configure Git correctly on Windows
Create and manage Git repositories
Track file changes with confidence
Make clean commits with meaningful messages
Push and pull code between your computer and GitHub
Work with branches and Pull Requests like a DevOps engineer
Avoid common Windows-specific Git mistakes
Whether you are:
A beginner transitioning into Cloud/DevOps
A student learning Git for the first time
Or a Windows user tired of trial-and-error tutorials
This article is designed to give you clarity, confidence, and practical skills you can immediately apply in real projects.
Prerequisites
A Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC
Internet connection
A GitHub account (free)
Let’s start by setting up Git properly on Windows — the right way.
Step 1: Installing Git on Windows (Correct Method)
Step 1: Download Git
Open your browser
Click on Windows
After selecting windows, beneath windows, click on ‘click here to download’
Step 2: Install Git
Run the installer and accept default settings.
Important points to confirm during installation:✔ Install Git Bash
✔ Use Git from the command line and third-party software
✔ Use OpenSSH
✔ Checkout Windows-style, commit Unix-style line endings
Finish installation.
Step 3: Open Git Bash
After installation:
On your windows search bar, type git, select git bash and click on ‘open’
Or search for Git Bash in the Start Menu
The terminal below will be displayed
Confirm Git Installation
In Git Bash, we will run configuration for our name, in the terminal, i will run ‘git --version. The page below must be displayed to ensure proper installation. If Git is installed correctly, you will see a version number as displayed.
Git is now ready for use.
Configure Git (Mandatory First Step)
Git needs to know who you are. Next is to set your name and Gmail. We will run git
git config --global user.name "Your Full Name"
git config --global user.email "your@email.com"
Set default branch to ‘main’. run this command ‘git config --global init.defaultBranch main’
confirm configuration by running this command ‘git config --list’
To change the main branch to git lab, run this command:
git-devops-windows/git-lab
Step 4. Creating Your First Local Git Repository
Step i: Create a Project Folder
run this command ‘mkdir git-devops-windows cd git-devops-windows’
Step ii: create a directory: run “mkdir git-lab^c”
step iii: create an empty folder in the directory: run “mkdir git-lab”
step iv: Change directory : run ‘cd git-lab’
To start a new project, you first of all run ‘git init’
To check create file, run: touch index.html
To edit the file, run ‘nano index.html. this page will be displayed
Type what ever you want, when you are done, press control key and letter x simultaneously, then Y on the keyboard and press enter key.
After pressing the enter key, it will take you back to this page
To view the content of the file, run ‘cat index.html’
Step 5: Creating a GitHub Repository (Remote Repo)
Log in to GitHub: Github.com
Click New repository
Give the repository a name, click on ‘create repository’
The page below will be displayed, you will run the highlighted commands
on the terminal, we ran ‘git init’ before. we are running ‘git add index.html’, because we have created that file already.
Next command is ‘git status’ for us to know the status of the vm. This means we are the branch, we have not done any commit yet, we have a new file called index.html and the rest.
To create commit, run ‘git commit -m "first commit"
TO connect the GitHub repo, you run ‘git remote add origin https://github.com/iniema2025-pixel/git-lab.git’
Next command is to run “git push -u origin main’
The page below will be displayed for you to sign in with. click on ‘sign in with your browser’
After Clicking on ‘sign in with your browser’ the page below will be displayed
After clicking on ‘Authorize git-ecosystem’ the page below will be displayed.
After clicking on ‘verify via email’ the page below will be displayed. Check your gmail, and enter the verification code, then click on ‘verify’
The confirmation page will be displayed as shown to show asuccesful authentication.
To confirm the push, refresh the GitHub app, the commands we have ran already will not be there again as shown below. The file name is shown and the commit'
Next is to open the ‘index.html’ file by clicking on it. The message we typed is displayed
Step 6: Git Pull
On GitHub browser, click on index.html file, , on the right hand side, click on the pencil icon that says edit this file
Add write ups to what we typed before and commit changes (save)
After clicking on ‘commit changes’ the page below will be displayed, click on ‘commit changes again’
If we go back to our git bash, and run ‘git status’ it will show that we are upto date
Its showing ‘nothing to commit’, we will go back to our bash and run ‘git pull origin main’
From here, we have seen the changes we made in our file and the likes.
Step 7: Git Push: To push means we are pushing our files from the local to remote repository. type this command ‘git push -u origin main’
Refresh GitHub — your files will appear online.
Step 8. Pulling Changes from GitHub
To download updates from GitHub: run ‘git pull’
Always pull before starting new work.
Step 9: Cloning a Repository on Windows
To copy a GitHub repo to your PC: run this ‘git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/git-devops-windows.git’
Cloning a repository.
Step 10: Working with Branches (DevOps Workflow)
Create and switch to a branch, run this command, git checkout -b feature/add-ci-pipeline or git switch -c feature/add-ci-pipeline
To view branches, run ‘git branch’
Push branch to GitHub, run ‘ git push -u origin feature/add-ci-pipeline’
Step 11: Pull Requests (PRs) on GitHub
Pull Requests allow teams to review code.
Steps:
Push your branch
Go to GitHub
Click Compare & Pull Request
Add title and description
Create PR
Review → Merge
Step 12: Updating Local Main Branch After Merge, run this command ‘git checkout main git pull origin main’
To delete completed branch: run ‘git branch -d feature/add-ci-pipeline’
Step 13:
.gitignore, run ’touch .gitignore’Create file:
Conclusion
For Windows users entering Cloud and DevOps, mastering Git and GitHub is a career-defining skill.
Once Git becomes second nature:
Collaboration becomes easy
Automation becomes reliable
Deployments become traceable
You work like a professional engineer
This guide gives you a solid foundation. From here, Git will support everything you build in the cloud.
