Your first repository: init, status, add, commit, log and diff step by step

In this unit you'll create a real Git repository on your own computer and practise the core loop you'll repeat thousands of times in your career: edit → status → add → commit. You'll also learn to read the history and see exactly what changed. Follow along in a terminal: Git Bash on Windows, Terminal on macOS or Linux.

Step 1: Create a project folder

cd ~                    # go to your home folder
mkdir my-website        # make a folder
cd my-website           # enter it

On Windows, Git Bash understands these Linux-style commands. You can also create the folder in File Explorer, then right-click → "Open Git Bash here".

Step 2: Initialise the repository

git init

Output: Initialized empty Git repository in /home/you/my-website/.git/

Git created a hidden .git folder that stores all history. Never delete or edit it by hand: deleting .git deletes the whole history (your files stay, but they're no longer tracked).

Step 3: Create a file and check status

Create index.html in your editor (VS Code: code . opens the folder) with:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head><title>My website</title></head>
  <body><h1>Hello, I'm Wanjiku</h1></body>
</html>

Then:

git status

On branch main
No commits yet
Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
        index.html

Untracked means Git sees the file but isn't recording it yet. Run git status constantly: it always tells you what state you're in and suggests next commands.

Step 4: Stage the file

git add index.html
git status

Changes to be committed:
        new file:   index.html

Ways to stage:

To unstage (keep the change, just remove it from the next commit): git restore --staged index.html.

Step 5: Commit

git commit -m "Add home page with heading"

[main (root-commit) 3f2a1bc] Add home page with heading
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 index.html

3f2a1bc is the short hash, the commit's unique ID.

Writing good commit messages

• Use the imperative mood, like a command: "Add contact form", "Fix broken menu link", "Update prices".
• Keep the first line under about 50–72 characters.
• Say what and why, not "changes" or "stuff".
• For bigger commits, run git commit without -m to open an editor and write a summary line, a blank line, then details.

Step 6: Make more changes

Edit index.html to add a paragraph, and create style.css. Then:

git status

Changes not staged for commit:
        modified:   index.html
Untracked files:
        style.css

See exactly what changed

git diff                # changes not yet staged
git diff --staged       # changes staged for the next commit

Lines starting with - were removed; + were added. Then:

git add index.html style.css
git commit -m "Add intro paragraph and basic styles"

Step 7: Read the history

git log

commit 9c8d7e6... (HEAD -> main)
Author: Wanjiku Kamau <wanjiku@example.com>
Date:   Mon Sep 7 10:15:02 2026 +0300

    Add intro paragraph and basic styles

commit 3f2a1bc...
    Add home page with heading

Useful variations:

git log --oneline                 # one line per commit
git log --oneline --graph --all   # a drawing of branches
git log -p index.html             # full changes to one file
git log --author="Wanjiku"        # commits by one person
git show 3f2a1bc                  # details of one commit

Press q to leave the log viewer.

The cycle

edit files → git status → git diff → git add → git commit → (repeat)

Commit small and often: each commit should be one logical change. Small commits are easier to understand, review and undo.

Renaming and deleting tracked files

git mv style.css styles.css      # rename and stage the rename
git rm old-page.html             # delete and stage the deletion
git commit -m "Rename stylesheet and remove old page"

If you rename or delete in your file explorer instead, git add -A stages those changes too.

What's inside .git?

ls .git

You'll see HEAD (which branch you're on), config (repo settings), objects/ (compressed snapshots), refs/ (branch pointers). You don't need to touch these, but knowing they exist explains how Git works: branches are just tiny files pointing to commits.

Practice task

1. Create a folder recipes, run git init.
2. Add ugali.md with ingredients; commit "Add ugali recipe".
3. Add chapati.md; commit "Add chapati recipe".
4. Edit ugali.md to add steps; view git diff; commit "Add ugali cooking steps".
5. Run git log --oneline: you should see 3 commits.

Summary

• git init turns a folder into a repository (history lives in .git).
• git status shows untracked, modified and staged files; use it constantly.
• git add stages changes; git commit -m "message" saves a snapshot.
• git diff shows unstaged changes; git diff --staged shows staged ones.
• git log --oneline and git show explore history; commit small, often, with clear imperative messages.