Lesson 2 — Git & GitHub Journey
H
Network Engineer with 3+ years of experience in infrastructure, system administration, and enterprise networking, currently transitioning into DevOps and Cloud Engineering.
Hands-on experience with Fortinet firewalls, routers, switches, Windows/Linux servers, and Hyper-V virtualization.
Currently building and learning with Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, Linux, CI/CD, GitHub Actions, and automation tools while leveraging MERN stack knowledge to understand the complete application lifecycle from development to deployment.
Passionate about cloud infrastructure, automation, containers, and modern DevOps practices. Regularly sharing my learning journey, projects, and hands-on experiments.
Understanding File Changes in Git
Today you’ll learn:
git diff
staging vs unstaging
restoring files
.gitignore
These are daily-use Git skills.
1. Modify Existing File
Change your file:
touch notes.txt
echo "New line added" >> notes.txt
Now check:
git status
You’ll see:
modified: notes.txt
Git detected changes.
2. View Exact Changes
Use:
git diff
This shows:
old content
new content
Example:
+ New line added
Meaning:
+ added line
- removed line
Important
git diff shows:
Working Directory vs Staging Area
3. Stage Changes
git add notes.txt
Now:
git status
4. Difference After Staging
You may see nothing.
Why?
Because changes are already staged.
Now use:
git diff --staged
This shows:
Staging Area vs Last Commit
VERY important: Core Git Understanding
git diff
↓
unstaged changes
git diff --staged
↓
staged changes
5. Unstage File
Suppose you accidentally staged something. Use:
git restore --staged notes.txt
Now file becomes unstaged again.
Check:
git status
6. Restore File (Discard Changes)
Suppose you made bad edits.
Use: git restore notes.txt
This removes uncommitted changes.
git restore <file>
# This removes uncommitted changes.
⚠ Dangerous: Changes are lost permanently.
Real Meaning: git restore file
Means: "Bring file back from last commit"
7. Create Unwanted Files
Example:
touch debug.log
touch secret.env
These should NOT go to Git.
8. Use .gitignore
Create:
touch .gitignore
Add:
*.log
*.env
node_modules/
dist/
Now Git ignores them.
Check: git status
Ignored files disappear.
Why .gitignore Matters
Never upload:
secrets
passwords
API keys
cache files
build folders
Very important in real projects.
Common .gitignore Examples
Node.js
node_modules/
.env
dist/
Python
__pycache__/
venv/
.env
