GitHub: remotes, push, pull, clone, SSH keys, tokens and a profile that gets you hired

So far your repository lives only on your computer. GitHub puts it online: a backup if your laptop is stolen, a place to collaborate, and a public portfolio employers and clients can see. In this unit you'll connect a local repo to GitHub, push and pull changes, clone projects, set up secure authentication, and polish your GitHub profile.

Step 1: Create a repository on GitHub

1. Sign in at github.com → + (top right) → New repository.
2. Name it (e.g. my-website), add a short description.
3. Choose Public (portfolio) or Private.
4. If you already have a local repo, don't tick "Add a README" (it avoids a first-push conflict).
5. Click Create repository. GitHub shows the commands to connect.

Step 2: Connect your local repo (add a remote)

A remote is a named link to a copy of the repo elsewhere. The convention is to call your main one origin.

git remote add origin https://github.com/wanjiku-dev/my-website.git
git remote -v            # list remotes

Step 3: Push

git push -u origin main

• push sends your commits to the remote.
• -u (upstream) remembers that local main tracks origin/main, so afterwards plain git push and git pull work.

Refresh the GitHub page: your files and commit history are online.

Authentication

GitHub no longer accepts your account password for Git operations. Choose one:

Option A: HTTPS with a personal access token (PAT)

1. GitHub → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens → Fine-grained tokens → Generate.
2. Give it access to the repositories you need, with an expiry date.
3. When Git asks for a password, paste the token. A credential manager (installed with Git for Windows; gh auth login with GitHub CLI) stores it securely.

Option B: SSH keys (popular with developers)

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "wanjiku@example.com"   # press Enter for the default file; set a passphrase
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub                        # copy this PUBLIC key

GitHub → Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key → paste. Test:

ssh -T git@github.com

Then use SSH URLs: git@github.com:wanjiku-dev/my-website.git. Change an existing remote with git remote set-url origin git@github.com:wanjiku-dev/my-website.git.

Cloning: downloading a repository

git clone https://github.com/wanjiku-dev/my-website.git
cd my-website

Clone gives you the files, the full history, and an origin remote already set up. Clone into a different folder name: git clone URL new-folder.

Staying in sync: fetch and pull

A safe daily routine:

git switch main
git pull                     # get the latest
git switch -c feature/faq    # start new work from up-to-date main

"Rejected" pushes

! [rejected]  main -> main (fetch first)

Someone pushed commits you don't have. Run git pull (resolve any conflicts), then git push again. Never "fix" this with git push --force on a shared branch: it deletes your teammates' commits from the remote.

Pushing branches

git switch -c feature/faq
# commit work...
git push -u origin feature/faq

GitHub then offers a button to open a pull request (covered in the pull requests lesson).

README, licence and settings

A README.md is the front page of your repository. A good one has:

# Mama Mboga Online Shop

A responsive online grocery shop with M-Pesa checkout, built with HTML, CSS, JavaScript and PHP.

![Screenshot](screenshot.png)

## Features
- Product search and categories
- Cart and M-Pesa STK push checkout (sandbox)
- Admin dashboard for orders

## Run it locally
1. Clone the repo
2. Copy `config.sample.php` to `config.php` and add your sandbox keys
3. Open with PHP's built-in server: `php -S localhost:8000`

## Live demo
https://wanjiku-dev.github.io/mama-mboga

## Author
Wanjiku Kamau – [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/in/...)

• Add a licence (MIT is common for open projects) so others know how they may use the code.
• Add topics (tags) and a website link in the repo's About section.

A GitHub profile that gets you hired

1. Profile README: create a public repo named exactly like your username; its README shows on your profile. Introduce yourself, your skills and links.
2. Pin 4–6 best projects with clear READMEs, screenshots and live demos.
3. Commit regularly: the contribution graph shows consistent activity (quality matters more than green squares).
4. Real projects beat tutorials: a school fees tracker, a chama app, a booking site for a local business.
5. Contribute to open source: documentation fixes and small issues labelled "good first issue".
6. Use a professional photo, name, location (Nairobi, Kenya) and a link to your portfolio/LinkedIn.

Summary

• Create a repo on GitHub, connect it with git remote add origin URL, and publish with git push -u origin main.
• Authenticate with a personal access token (HTTPS) or SSH keys; never commit or share secrets.
• git clone downloads a repo with history; git fetch downloads, git pull downloads and merges.
• Rejected push → pull first; never force-push shared branches.
• A strong README and a polished profile with pinned real projects help you get hired.