2.1Creating, Cloning, and Remotes

To start a project, you either create a new repository or copy an existing one to your machine.

■ Create and clone • Create new = via "New" at the top-right of GitHub, or locally with git init. When creating on GitHub, you can add a README, .gitignore, and LICENSE at the same time. • Clone = copy an existing repository with full history using git clone <URL>. This automatically registers the source under the default remote name origin.

■ Remotes and syncing (see the diagram) A remote is a named reference to where a repository is stored. You exchange commits between local and remote. • git push = send your local commits to the remote (upload). • git fetch = download the remote’s latest but do NOT integrate (merge) into your working branch. • git pull = combine git fetch with merge (or rebase, by config) to bring your local up to date. It is safer to fetch first, review, then integrate.

■ Initial files • README = the entry-point description of the project. • LICENSE = the terms for using, modifying, and redistributing the code. • .gitignore = a file listing files/patterns to exclude from tracking, such as build outputs, logs, dependency folders (e.g., node_modules), and secrets—preventing accidental commits of unwanted or dangerous files.