GitHub Cheatsheet

Authentication & Setup

Personal Access Token Setup

  1. Go to GitHub.com → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens → Tokens (classic)
  2. Click “Generate new token (classic)”
  3. Configure:
    • Note: “Local Development Token”
    • Expiration: 90 days (or your preference)
    • Scopes: Check repo, workflow, write:packages, delete:packages
  4. Click “Generate token”
  5. Copy token immediately (format: ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)

Git Configuration 

# Set up user identity
git config --global user.name "arenjay-ventures"
git config --global user.email "your-email@example.com"

# Configure credential helper
git config --global credential.helper manager-core

# Test authentication
git fetch

Using Personal Access Token

  • Username: arenjay-ventures
  • Password: Use your Personal Access Token (not GitHub password)
  • Windows Credential Manager will store these credentials

Repository Management

Clone Repository 

# HTTPS (recommended)
git clone https://github.com/arenjay-ventures/repository-name.git

# SSH (if configured)
git clone git@github.com:arenjay-ventures/repository-name.git

Create New Repository 

# Initialize local repository
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

# Add remote origin
git remote add origin https://github.com/arenjay-ventures/repository-name.git
git branch -M main
git push -u origin main

Repository Operations 

# Check repository status
git status
git remote -v

# Add remote repository
git remote add origin https://github.com/arenjay-ventures/repository-name.git

# Change remote URL
git remote set-url origin https://github.com/arenjay-ventures/repository-name.git

Branch Management

Branch Operations 

# List branches
git branch -a

# Create and switch to new branch
git checkout -b feature-branch
git switch -c feature-branch  # Modern syntax

# Switch between branches
git checkout main
git switch main  # Modern syntax

# Delete branch
git branch -d feature-branch
git push origin --delete feature-branch

Branch Workflow 

# Pull latest changes
git pull origin main

# Create feature branch
git checkout -b feature/new-feature

# Make changes, commit
git add .
git commit -m "Add new feature"

# Push feature branch
git push origin feature/new-feature

# Create Pull Request on GitHub, then merge

Commit Management

Making Commits 

# Stage specific files
git add filename.txt
git add folder/
git add *.md

# Stage all changes
git add .

# Commit with message
git commit -m "Descriptive commit message"

# Commit with detailed message
git commit -m "Add new feature" -m "Detailed description of changes"

# Amend last commit
git commit --amend -m "Updated commit message"

Commit Best Practices

  • Use present tense: “Add feature” not “Added feature”
  • Keep first line under 50 characters
  • Use detailed description for complex changes
  • Reference issues: “Fix #123: Resolve authentication bug”

Push & Pull Operations

Push Changes 

# Push to current branch
git push

# Push to specific branch
git push origin main
git push origin feature-branch

# Force push (use carefully)
git push --force-with-lease origin main

# Push all branches
git push --all origin

Pull Changes 

# Pull latest changes
git pull

# Pull from specific branch
git pull origin main

# Fetch without merging
git fetch origin
git merge origin/main

GitHub Pages Setup

Enable GitHub Pages

  1. Go to repository → Settings → Pages
  2. Source: “Deploy from a branch”
  3. Branch: main (or gh-pages)
  4. Folder: / (root)
  5. Save

Jekyll Configuration 

# _config.yml
title: "Your Site Title"
description: "Site description"
theme: just-the-docs
url: "https://arenjay-ventures.github.io/repository-name"

Issue & Pull Request Management

Creating Issues

  • Use clear, descriptive titles
  • Include steps to reproduce for bugs
  • Use labels for categorization
  • Assign to team members

Pull Request Workflow 

# Create feature branch
git checkout -b feature/issue-123

# Make changes and commit
git add .
git commit -m "Fix #123: Resolve authentication issue"

# Push branch
git push origin feature/issue-123

# Create PR on GitHub
# After approval, merge and delete branch

Advanced Operations

Undo Operations 

# Undo last commit (keep changes)
git reset --soft HEAD~1

# Undo last commit (discard changes)
git reset --hard HEAD~1

# Undo uncommitted changes
git checkout -- filename.txt
git restore filename.txt  # Modern syntax

# Revert a commit
git revert commit-hash

Stash Operations 

# Stash current changes
git stash
git stash push -m "Work in progress"

# List stashes
git stash list

# Apply stash
git stash apply
git stash pop

# Drop stash
git stash drop

History & Logs 

# View commit history
git log --oneline
git log --graph --oneline --all

# View file history
git log --follow filename.txt

# View changes
git diff
git diff --staged
git show commit-hash

Troubleshooting

Common Issues 

# Authentication failed
git config --global credential.helper manager-core
git push  # Will prompt for credentials

# Merge conflicts
git status  # Shows conflicted files
# Edit files to resolve conflicts
git add resolved-file.txt
git commit -m "Resolve merge conflict"

# Detached HEAD
git checkout main
git checkout -b new-branch  # If you want to keep changes

Reset Operations 

# Reset to remote state
git fetch origin
git reset --hard origin/main

# Clean working directory
git clean -fd

GitHub CLI (Optional)

Install GitHub CLI 

# Windows (using winget)
winget install GitHub.cli

# Or download from: https://cli.github.com/

GitHub CLI Commands 

# Authenticate
gh auth login

# Create repository
gh repo create repository-name --public

# Create issue
gh issue create --title "Bug report" --body "Description"

# Create pull request
gh pr create --title "Feature request" --body "Description"

# List repositories
gh repo list arenjay-ventures

Best Practices

Repository Structure

  • Use descriptive commit messages
  • Keep commits atomic (one logical change per commit)
  • Use branches for features and fixes
  • Regularly pull latest changes
  • Use .gitignore for unnecessary files

Security

  • Never commit passwords or API keys
  • Use environment variables for sensitive data
  • Regularly rotate Personal Access Tokens
  • Use SSH keys for frequent operations
  • Enable 2FA on GitHub account

Collaboration

  • Use Pull Requests for code review
  • Write clear PR descriptions
  • Use labels and milestones
  • Keep discussions constructive
  • Follow the repository’s contributing guidelines