Definitions & Lingo
master the vocabulary of version control before you begin
Pro Tip: Bookmark this page! These terms will come up throughout your GitHub journey. Understanding them makes everything else click into place.
🛠️ Development Tools
IDE (Integrated Development Environment)
A software application that bundles developer tools -- like a code editor, debugger, and compiler -- into a single interface (e.g. VS Code, Cursor, Google Antigravity).
Terminal (Command Line)
A text-based interface used to give instructions to your computer. In VS Code, this is built-in.
Workspace
In VS Code, this refers to the root folder of your project, including all its specific settings and configurations.
🔄 Version Control Basics
Version Control (Git)
A system that records changes to a file or set of files over time so that you can recall specific versions later.
Repository (Repo)
The fundamental unit of GitHub. It is a folder that contains all your project files and the revision history for each file.
🌐 Remote vs. Local
Remote
The version of your repository hosted on the internet (GitHub.com). Think of it as the "cloud" copy that everyone can access.
Local
The version of your repository stored on your physical computer's hard drive. This is where you do your actual work.
🚀 Core Git Actions
Clone
The action of downloading a remote repository to your local machine to create a connected copy.
Commit
A snapshot of your local files at a specific point in time. You must write a "Commit Message" to explain what changed.
Push
Uploading your local repository content (commits) to a remote repository. Send your changes to the cloud!
Pull
Fetching, downloading, and altering content from a remote repository and immediately updating the local repository to match that content.
🌿 Branching & Merging
Branch
A parallel version of a repository. It is contained within the repository but does not affect the primary (usually called main) branch until you merge it.
Merge
Combines changes from one branch (like a feature branch) into another (like the main branch).
Pull Request (PR)
A formal proposal to merge code changes from one branch of a repository into another. It allows others to review and discuss the changes before they are merged.
📝 File Types
Markdown (.md)
A lightweight markup language used to format text (like headings, bolding, and lists) in plain-text files. README files are written in Markdown!
✨ Quick Memory Check!
Can you explain the difference between Push and Pull to a friend? What about Remote vs. Local? Understanding these pairs is key!