GitHub Repositories and Features¶

Repository Basics¶

A repository is the most basic element of GitHub - it contains all project files, revision history, and collaboration features.

About Repositories - Repository overview Creating a Repository - Creation guide

Repository Visibility¶

Setting Repository Visibility - Visibility settings

Creating a Repository¶

Via GitHub.com: 1. Click "+" in the top-right corner, select "New repository" 2. Choose owner (personal or organization) 3. Enter repository name 4. Set visibility (public/private) 5. Optionally initialize with README, .gitignore, license 6. Click "Create repository"

Via GitHub CLI:

gh repo create my-project --public --clone
gh repo create my-project --private --add-readme

Via Git:

mkdir my-project && cd my-project
git init
git remote add origin https://github.com/user/my-project.git

Repository Templates¶

• Create a template repository to generate new repos with the same structure
• Templates include files, branches, and directory structure
• Users can create repos from templates without forking
• Useful for standardizing project setup across an organization

Creating a Template Repository - Template setup

Essential Repository Files¶

README.md¶

• First file visitors see when viewing a repository
• Should include project description, installation, usage, and contribution guidelines
• Rendered as HTML on the repository page
• Can include badges, images, and formatted content
• Profile READMEs (in a repo matching your username) appear on your profile

About READMEs - README best practices

.gitignore¶

• Specifies files and directories Git should ignore
• Patterns match file paths (e.g., *.log, node_modules/, .env)
• GitHub provides templates for common languages and frameworks
• Files already tracked by Git are NOT affected by adding to .gitignore
• Use git rm --cached <file> to stop tracking a file

Ignoring Files - .gitignore guide

LICENSE¶

• Defines how others can use, modify, and distribute your code
• Required for open source projects
• GitHub can add a license during repository creation
• Without a license, default copyright laws apply (all rights reserved)

Licensing a Repository - License guide Choose a License - License comparison tool

CODEOWNERS¶

• Located in root, docs/, or .github/ directory
• Automatically requests reviews from specified owners
• Uses pattern matching (similar to .gitignore)
• Works with branch protection rules requiring code owner review

# Example CODEOWNERS file
*.js @frontend-team
*.py @backend-team
/docs/ @docs-team
* @default-reviewer

About Code Owners - CODEOWNERS reference

Community Health Files¶

Creating Community Health Files - Community files guide

Clone vs Fork¶

Cloning¶

• Creates a local copy of a repository on your machine
• Maintains a direct link to the remote (origin)
• Used when you have write access or want a local copy
• Changes are pushed back to the same remote repository

# Clone via HTTPS
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Clone via SSH
git clone git@github.com:user/repo.git

# Clone via GitHub CLI
gh repo clone user/repo

Cloning a Repository - Clone guide

Forking¶

• Creates a server-side copy under your GitHub account
• Independent from the original (upstream) repository
• Used for contributing to projects you do not have write access to
• Pull requests are submitted from fork back to original

Fork workflow: 1. Fork the repository on GitHub 2. Clone your fork locally 3. Add upstream remote: git remote add upstream <original-repo-url> 4. Create a feature branch 5. Make changes and push to your fork 6. Open a pull request from your fork to the original repository

Fork a Repository - Fork guide Syncing a Fork - Keep fork updated

Clone vs Fork Comparison¶

GitHub Pages¶

GitHub Pages is a free static site hosting service directly from a GitHub repository.

Features: - Host static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript - Supports Jekyll for static site generation - Custom domain support with HTTPS - Source from root, /docs, or gh-pages branch - Available for all public repositories (free plan)

Setup options: 1. Repository settings - Pages - choose source branch and folder 2. Use a Jekyll theme from the theme chooser 3. Use GitHub Actions for custom build and deploy

URL format: - User/org site: username.github.io (from repo named username.github.io) - Project site: username.github.io/repository-name

GitHub Pages - Pages documentation Creating a GitHub Pages Site - Setup guide

Repository Settings¶

Features that can be enabled/disabled¶

• Issues
• Projects
• Wiki
• Discussions
• Sponsorship
• Preserve this repository (archiving)

Branch Settings¶

• Default branch name
• Branch protection rules
• Automatic branch deletion after PR merge

Collaboration Settings¶

• Manage access and invite collaborators
• Configure merge button options (merge, squash, rebase)
• Automatically delete head branches
• Allow auto-merge

Managing Repository Settings - Settings reference

Repository Navigation¶

Key tabs in a repository¶

Useful Features¶

• Keyboard shortcuts - Press ? on any GitHub page
• File finder - Press t to search files in a repository
• Command palette - Press Ctrl+K / Cmd+K for quick navigation
• Blame view - See who last modified each line
• History view - See all commits for a specific file
• Code navigation - Click symbols to jump to definitions

Keyboard Shortcuts - Shortcut reference

Key Exam Points¶

• Know the three repository visibility options and when to use each
• Internal repos are only available in organizations
• .gitignore does not affect already-tracked files
• CODEOWNERS automatically assigns reviewers on pull requests
• Templates create new repos; forks create linked copies
• GitHub Pages hosts static content for free from public repos
• Community health files can be in root, docs/, or .github/
• A repository without a LICENSE defaults to all rights reserved
• README.md is automatically rendered on the repository page
• Forks maintain an upstream relationship; clones maintain an origin relationship