Many new developers feel intimidated by the terminal or command prompt. You might want to share a portfolio project or back up your work, but the complexity of Git commands acts as a barrier. You do not need to install Git or learn command-line scripts to start using GitHub. Even if you are someone who is just learning how to code, and you have worked on something that you feel should be shared on Github, the whole Command Line process may feel a bit of a hassle or intimidating, but fortunately, there is an easier way.
This method allows you to drag and drop your project files just like you would with Google Drive or Dropbox, and guide details exactly how to publish your code using the GitHub web interface.
Before we begin this tutorial, here are some pre-requisites –
- A GitHub Account Obviously): You can register for a free account at GitHub.com.
- Your Project Files: Have your code ready in a folder on your computer. You can also include screenshots, or anything else that you think should go along with the main code file.
With these locked in, let’s begin the tutorial –
Table of Contents
Create a new repository
A repository (or “repo”) is simply the project folder where your code lives on the internet. Before you can upload your files, you need to create a repository where the project files will be hosted. This is how you can do it –
Step 1. Login to your Github account using the right credentials.
Step 2. On the main page, click on the profile icon that you see on the top right hand side.
Step 3. From the drop down menu that appears, click on the ‘Repositories’ option.
Step 4. On the repositories page, click on the ‘New’ button that is in green colour.
Step 5. Now, enter the repository name. make sure the name is relevant to your project. Also, make sure you toggle ‘ON’ the ‘Add Readme’ option.
Step 6. Leave everything else untouched, and click on the ‘Create Repository’ button.
This will now create a new repository for your project, and you will be redirected to the Repository home page.
Add Project files
Once you have created the Repository, you can now add the relevant files to the same, and this is how you can do it.
Step 1. On the repository home page, click on the ‘Add file’ button.
Step 2. Click on the upload files button.
You can now browse to the project files, select them, and upload the same, and once you confirm, the files will appear in the list on the repository main page. You are now ready to share the repo with the outside world or add it to your CV or portfolio.
This manual upload method is perfect for static projects, simple scripts, or one-time backups. As your projects grow larger, you may eventually want to learn the desktop tools, but this web-based approach remains the fastest way to get your code online today.
