Git & GitHub - lesson 2 | HackIndia Skills

Git & GitHub - lesson 2 | HackIndia Skills | HackIndia

Example

Safe first setup

This example is for a Node project. The same idea applies to Python, Java, Flutter, or any stack: ignore installs, secrets, logs, and build output.

cd my-college-project
git init

cat > .gitignore <<'EOF'
# installs
node_modules/

# secrets
.env
.env.local

# logs
*.log

# build output
dist/
build/

# OS and editor files
.DS_Store
.vscode/
EOF

git status

Common mistake

Do not commit secrets

A .env file often has API keys, database URLs, JWT secrets, or payment keys. If it reaches a public GitHub repo, assume it is leaked.

Instead, commit a sample file that shows the names of required variables without real values.

.env.example

MONGODB_URI=
JWT_SECRET=
RAZORPAY_KEY_ID=
RAZORPAY_KEY_SECRET=

Tip

Use AI carefully

You can ask ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude to create a .gitignore for your stack. Give it your tech stack and folder names.

Check the result before using it. It should not ignore real source folders like src, app, pages, components, or backend. It should ignore dependency folders, build output, logs, and local secrets.

Prompt:
Create a .gitignore for a MERN project with React in client and Express in server. We use .env files in both folders. Do not ignore source code.

Your to-do

Make first commit

Do each one yourself, then tap it to tick it off. The ticks are only a checklist for you: they are not marked or scored.

Run git status and read the list before adding anything.
Add only safe files with git add, not blindly if you are unsure.
Commit with a simple message like chore: initialise project repo.
Run git status again and confirm the working tree is clean.

0 of 4 done

git status
git add .gitignore README.md package.json package-lock.json src server client
git commit -m "chore: initialise project repo"
git status

Set up your repo safely

One safe rule

Choose the root

Check before init