Forem: Daniel Joshua

Getting Started with Git and GitHub

Daniel Joshua — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 20:52:31 +0000

Introduction

Modern software development involves constant changes to code. Developers add features, fix bugs, and collaborate with others. Without a system to manage these changes, projects can quickly become disorganized.
This is where version control becomes essential.
Git is a distributed version control system that tracks changes in code, allowing developers to manage project history efficiently. GitHub is a cloud-based platform that hosts Git repositories and enables collaboration among developers.
Together, Git and GitHub help developers:

Track changes in their code
Work safely without losing previous versions
Collaborate with other developers
Manage and review code contributions

In this guide, you will learn how to install Git, create repositories, track changes, and collaborate using GitHub.

Overview of Version Control

Version control systems allow developers to:

Track changes in files over time
Revert to previous versions when needed
Collaborate without overwriting each other's work
Maintain a clear history of project changes

Why Git?
Git is one of the most widely used version control systems because it is:

Fast
Distributed
Reliable
Widely supported

Git vs GitHub
Tool Description
Git A version control system installed on your computer
GitHub A cloud platform used to host and share Git repositories
In simple terms:

Git manages your code history
GitHub stores and shares your repositories online

Installing and Setting Up Git

Before using Git, you need to install it on your computer.
Installing Git
Windows

Visit the Git website: https://git-scm.com
Download the Windows installer.
Click to Download.
Run the installer and follow the default setup options.

Verifying Installation

After installation, open your terminal or command prompt and run:
git --version
Example output:
git version 2.52.0.windows.1
This confirms Git is successfully installed

Configuring Git

Git uses your name and email to label commits.
Set your username:
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
Set your email:
git config --global user.email "your@email.com"
Check your configuration:
git config --list
This displays the settings currently configured for Git.

Creating a Git Repository

A repository (repo) is a project folder that Git tracks
Initialising a Local Repository
Navigate to your project folder:
cd my-project
Initialize Git:
git init
This command creates a hidden .git directory that stores repository history.

Creating a Repository on GitHub

Log in to GitHub.
Click New Repository.
Enter a repository name.
Choose Public or Private.
Click Create Repository.

GitHub will generate a remote repository where your code will be stored online.

Enter your desired name.

You can add Description if you wish, then Click on Create Repository

Connecting Local Repository to GitHub

Add the remote repository:
git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repository-name.git
Check the remote connection:
git remote -v
This shows the remote repository URLs linked to your project.

Working with Files in Git

Git tracks file changes through a process involving staging and committing.

Checking Repository Status
Use:
git status
This command shows:

Modified files
Untracked files
Files staged for commit

Staging Files
To stage a specific file:
git add filename.txt
To stage all changes:
git add .
Understanding the Staging Area
The staging area acts like a preparation space where you select which changes should be included in the next commit.
Workflow example:
Working Directory → Staging Area → Git Repository

Making Commits

A commit saves a snapshot of your project at a specific point in time.
Creating a Commit
git commit -m "Add homepage layout"
The -m flag allows you to include a commit message describing the change

Writing Good Commit Messages
Good commit messages should:

Be clear
Be concise
Describe what changed

Example:
Fix login authentication bug
Add README documentation
Update navigation menu styling

Viewing Commit History
To see previous commits:
git log
This displays:

Commit ID
Author
Date
Commit message

Pushing Changes to GitHub

Once commits are made locally, they can be uploaded to GitHub.
Setting the Main Branch
Many repositories use main as the default branch.
Rename your branch if needed:
git branch -M main

Pushing to GitHub
Upload commits:
git push -u origin main
Explanation:

origin → remote repository
main → branch name
-u → sets upstream tracking After this, future pushes can be done with: git push

Pulling and Updating Code

When working with remote repositories, you may need to update your local copy.
Fetch and Merge Updates
git pull
This command:

Downloads changes from GitHub
Merges them into your local repository This keeps your project synchronized with the remote repository.

Basic Collaboration Workflow

GitHub enables multiple developers to work on the same project.
Cloning a Repository
To download a project:
git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git
This creates a local copy of the repository.
Making Changes
Typical workflow:

Clone repository
Make code changes
Stage files git add .
Commit changes git commit -m "Improve API validation"
Push updates git push

Pull Requests (Overview)
A Pull Request (PR) is a feature on GitHub that allows developers to:

Propose code changes
Request reviews
Merge contributions into the main project Typical process:
Push changes to a branch
Open a Pull Request on GitHub
Team members review the code
Changes are merged into the main branch

Common Git Commands Summary

Command Purpose
git init: Initialize a new repository
git status: Check repository state
git add: Stage files for commit
git commit: Save changes to repository
git log: View commit history
git remote add origin: Connect local repo to GitHub
git push: Upload commits to GitHub
git pull: Download and merge updates
git clone: Copy a repository from GitHub

Best Practices for Using Git

Write Clear Commit Messages
Explain what the change does and why it was made.
Commit Frequently
Small commits make debugging and tracking changes easier.
Keep Repositories Organized
Use meaningful file names and folder structures.
Pull Before You Push
Always update your local repository before pushing changes to avoid conflicts.

Conclusion

Git and GitHub are essential tools for modern software development. They allow developers to track changes, collaborate efficiently, and maintain reliable project history.
In this guide, you learned how to:

Install and configure Git
Create repositories
Stage and commit files
Push code to GitHub
Pull updates and collaborate with others

Mastering this basic workflow will help you manage projects more effectively and collaborate confidently with other developers.
As your experience grows, you can explore advanced Git features such as branching strategies, merge conflict resolution, and automated workflows.
For now, the best way to learn Git is simple: use it regularly in your projects.

How to Deploy a Linux Virtual Machine(VM) on Microsoft Azure

Daniel Joshua — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 20:28:06 +0000

Deploying a Linux Virtual Machine on Microsoft Azure is one of the most common first steps into cloud computing. Whether you are a student, DevOps engineer, or system administrator, Azure makes it easy to spin up secure, scalable Linux servers in minutes.

step-by-step process to deploying a Linux VM on Azure

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

An active Microsoft Azure account
Basic knowledge of Linux and virtual machines
Internet access and a modern web browser

Step 1: Sign in to the Azure Portal

Open your browser and go to: https://portal.azure.com
Sign in with your Microsoft account

Step 2: Create a New Virtual Machine

In the Azure Portal dashboard, click Create a resource
Select Compute → Virtual Machine

Step 3: Configure Basic VM Settings
Under the Basics tab, fill in the following:

Subscription: Select your Azure subscription
Resource Group: Create a new one or select an existing group
Virtual Machine Name: e.g., linux-vm-01
Region: Choose the closest region to you
Image: Select a Linux distribution (e.g., Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS)
Size: Choose a VM size (e.g., Standard_B1s for free-tier users)

Step 4: Set Administrator Account
Choose how you want to access the VM:

Authentication type: SSH public key (recommended)
Username: e.g., azureuser
SSH Key: Generate a new key pair or use an existing one

Step 5: Configure Networking
Azure automatically creates networking resources, but confirm:

Virtual Network (VNet) is selected
Subnet is configured
Public IP is enabled
Inbound ports: Allow SSH (port 22)
Remember to create HTTP port 80 during configuration

Step 6: Review and Create the VM

Click Review + Create
Azure will validate your configuration
Click Create to deploy the VM

Step 7: Connect to the Linux VM via SSH
Once deployment is complete:

Go to the VM resource page
Copy the Public IP Address
Open a terminal and run:

Go to the VM Resource page:

Connect the Resource:

After connecting to the resource click on Edit Settings, a pull down menu will come up, then go back to your local system and locate your downloaded SSH Key pair and copy it and paste it into the path to your local machine, under SSH Command.

After copying the SSH Key into the path that will link the Linux-VM with the local system. open command line Interface and copy the generated SSH path to the command line interface opened with Administrator's Privileges
After pasting the SSH Key path, it will ask you if you are sure to continue, click yes! and continue. then run this sudo command: sudo apt update
This is a command used in Debian-based Linux systems (like Ubuntu) to refresh the local cache of available packages, downloading the newest lists from repositories

Then run the second command,sudo apt install nginx

Finally copy the Public IP Address from created in Azure Network and paste it into a browser, if everything goes well the bellow webpage would be displayed showing Welcome to nginx!

NGINX is a high-performance, versatile tool used as a web server, reverse proxy, load balancer, content cache, and mail proxy, efficiently handling modern internet traffic by serving static content, managing requests to backend servers, distributing load for scalability, and improving performance through caching. Its event-driven architecture allows it to manage thousands of concurrent connections with low resource usage, making it ideal for busy websites and complex applications.

Conclusion
Deploying a Linux VM on Microsoft Azure is simple, fast, and flexible. With just a few clicks, you can provision secure cloud infrastructure suitable for development, testing, or production workloads.

Cloud Computing Architecture

Daniel Joshua — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 19:27:53 +0000

1. What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services—such as servers, storage, databases, networking, software, and analytics—over the internet (the cloud). Instead of owning and maintaining physical data centers, organizations can rent resources on demand from cloud providers.
Key Characteristics of Cloud Computing

On-demand self-service – Users can provision resources whenever needed
Scalability and elasticity – Resources scale up or down based on demand
Pay-as-you-go pricing – Pay only for what you use
High availability – Services are designed to be reliable and fault-tolerant

Cloud Computing Overview Figure 1:
High-level view of cloud computing where users access shared resources over the internet.

Types of Cloud Deployment Models

Public Cloud – Services offered over the public internet (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
Private Cloud – Dedicated cloud infrastructure for a single organization
Hybrid Cloud – Combination of public and private clouds
Multi-Cloud – Use of multiple cloud providers

Cloud Deployment Models Figure 2:
Public, Private, and Hybrid cloud deployment models.

Cloud Service Models

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) – Virtual machines, storage, networks
PaaS (Platform as a Service) – Runtime environments and development platforms
SaaS (Software as a Service) – Ready-to-use applications delivered via browser

Cloud Service Models Figure 3: Comparison of IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS layers.

2. What is DevOps?
DevOps is a set of practices, tools, and a cultural philosophy that aims to improve collaboration between Development (Dev) and Operations (Ops) teams. The goal is to deliver software faster, more reliably, and with higher quality.

Traditional vs DevOps Approach
In traditional software development, development and operations teams work in silos, leading to slow releases and frequent failures. DevOps breaks these silos by encouraging collaboration and automation.

Traditional vs DevOps Figure 4: Difference between traditional development and DevOps culture.

Core Principles of DevOps

Collaboration and communication
Automation
Continuous improvement
Customer-centric action DevOps Lifecycle The DevOps lifecycle is often represented as a continuous loop:

Plan
Code
Build
Test
Release
Deploy
Operate
Monitor DevOps Lifecycle Figure 5: Continuous DevOps lifecycle.

3. Relationship Between Cloud and DevOps
Cloud computing and DevOps complement each other. The cloud provides flexible infrastructure, while DevOps provides the practices to use that infrastructure efficiently.

How Cloud Enables DevOps

Quick provisioning of environments
Easy automation using APIs
Scalable CI/CD pipelines
Global availability

How DevOps Enhances Cloud Usage

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)
Monitoring and logging
Cost optimization through automation Cloud and DevOps Relationship Figure 6: How cloud computing and DevOps work together.

4. Common Tools Used in Cloud and DevOps
Cloud Platforms

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Microsoft Azure
Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

DevOps Tools

Version Control: Git, GitHub, GitLab
CI/CD: Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI
Configuration Management: Ansible, Chef, Puppet
Containers: Docker
Orchestration: Kubernetes
Monitoring: Prometheus, Grafana

DevOps Toolchain Figure 6: Typical DevOps toolchain.

5. Benefits of Cloud and DevOps Adoption

Faster software delivery
Improved system reliability
Better scalability and performance
Reduced operational costs
Enhanced security and compliance

6. Conclusion
Cloud computing and DevOps have transformed the way modern applications are built, deployed, and managed. Cloud provides the necessary infrastructure and scalability, while DevOps introduces automation, collaboration, and continuous delivery. Together, they enable organizations to innovate faster and respond efficiently to changing business needs.
As organizations continue their digital transformation journey, understanding and adopting cloud and DevOps concepts has become essential for IT professionals and businesses alike.