taskmanager. He creates the folder, writes app.py, requirements.txt, and README.md — then his senior says: "Now make Git watch this folder forever."
1. The Story So Far
📖 Alex Mercer just joined TechLabs Inc. as a junior developer. His first task: build a Python task manager called
$ mkdir taskmanager && cd taskmanager $ git init Initialized empty Git repository in /home/alex/taskmanager/.git/
🧠 Analogy:
git init doesn't create your files — it plants a hidden brain (the .git folder) next to them that will remember every version of every file, forever, from this second onward.2. What git init Actually Creates
The .git/ folder is Git's memory. Never delete it — that's your entire project history, gone.
3. Tell Git Who You Are — git config
📖 Alex makes his first commit — Git shows "Unknown User." His senior: "You must configure Git before your first commit. Every commit carries your identity forever."
# Run ONCE per machine — applies to every repo git config --global user.name "Alex Mercer" git config --global user.email "alex@techlabs.com" git config --global init.defaultBranch main
| Config level | Scope & file |
|---|---|
--system | All users on the machine — /etc/gitconfig |
--global | Your user account only — ~/.gitconfig |
--local (default) | This repository only — .git/config |
✅ Priority: local overrides global overrides system. Set a work email globally, then override it per-repo with
git config user.email "..." (no --global) for a client's private repo.4. Watch the Three-Stage Workflow — Step by Step
📖 "Think of Git like a camera," Alex's senior explains. "git add puts your files in the frame. git commit takes the photo. git status tells you what's currently in the frame."
Click Step to move app.py through all three stages:
app.py is untracked — Git sees it but isn't watching it yet.
✉️ Analogy: Working directory = drafts. Staging area = selected drafts ready to send. Repository = sent items that can never be unsent.
5. The Daily Commands
# Always run this first — see what changed git status # Stage files git add . # all modified/new files (NOT deletions) git add app.py # one specific file git add -A # everything, including deletions # Commit — the permanent snapshot git commit -m "feat: add MongoDB database module and env template"
| Command | Stages |
|---|---|
git add . | All modified and new files in current directory |
git add filename | Only that specific file |
git add src/ | Everything inside the src/ directory |
git add -A | Everything, including deletions (more thorough than .) |
⚠️ Gotcha:
git add . does NOT stage deleted files. If you deleted files and want Git to record it, use git add -A instead.6. Commit Messages That Don't Embarrass You
Alex's actual commit history so far, each one a single logical change:
a3f9b12 initial commit: add app.py, README and requirements 4341109 feat: add MongoDB database module and env template
✅ Habit to teach early: one commit = one logical change. "Fixed stuff" tells nobody anything six months from now; "feat: add MongoDB database module" does. Chapter 9 covers the full Conventional Commits format.