GitHub Cheat Sheet

git vs github

git is the version-control tool that runs on your machine. GitHub is a website that hosts git repositories and adds collaboration features on top: pull requests, issues, code review, project boards, and CI/CD (Actions). You can use git without GitHub, but GitHub is built entirely on top of git — everything below assumes you already know the basics from the git cheat sheet.

creating a repository

Click the + menu (top right of github.com) → New repository. Choose a name, public or private visibility, and optionally initialize with a README, a .gitignore template, and a license. Initializing with a README creates the first commit for you, so you can clone immediately instead of pushing an empty repo.

git remote add origin git@github.com:<user>/<repo>.git | | connects an existing local repo to a new, empty GitHub repo |'gh_repo1'

git push -u origin main | | pushes and sets main to track origin, so future git push/pull need no arguments |'gh_repo2'

ssh setup

SSH keys let you authenticate to GitHub without typing a password or token on every push. Generate a key once per machine, then register the public half with GitHub.

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com" | https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/connecting-to-github-with-ssh/generating-a-new-ssh-key-and-adding-it-to-the-ssh-agent | generates a new SSH key pair (press enter to accept the default file location) |'gh_ssh1'

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)" | | starts the ssh-agent in the background |'gh_ssh2'

ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 | | adds your private key to the running ssh-agent |'gh_ssh3'

Copy the public key with cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub, then paste it into GitHub under Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key.

ssh -T git@github.com | https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/connecting-to-github-with-ssh/testing-your-ssh-connection | tests the connection; a successful reply greets you by username, it does not open a shell |'gh_ssh4'

cloning: ssh vs https

git clone git@github.com:<user>/<repo>.git | | clone over SSH — no prompts once your key is set up above |'gh_clone1'

git clone https://github.com/<user>/<repo>.git | | clone over HTTPS — works through most firewalls, but needs a token instead of a password |'gh_clone2'

GitHub removed password authentication for git operations in 2021. If you clone over HTTPS, the "password" prompt expects a personal access token, not your account password.

forking and pull requests

A fork is your own copy of someone else's repository, made when you don't have push access to the original. The usual flow: fork → clone your fork → create a branch → commit → push to your fork → open a pull request (PR) back to the original repo.

Mark a PR as draft while it's still a work in progress — it can't be merged and doesn't notify reviewers until you mark it "Ready for review". Request specific reviewers from the PR sidebar; GitHub can also auto-assign reviewers via a CODEOWNERS file.

Merge strategy	What it does
Merge commit	Keeps every commit from the branch, plus a new merge commit — full history, noisiest log.
Squash and merge	Collapses the branch into one commit on main — clean log, loses individual commit history.
Rebase and merge	Replays the branch's commits onto main individually — clean log, keeps individual commits.

issues

Issues track bugs, tasks, and discussions. Attach labels (bug, enhancement, ...), assignees, and milestones to organize them. Reference an issue from any commit message or PR description with a closing keyword, and it closes automatically once that commit lands on the default branch.

git commit -m "fix off-by-one in pagination, closes #42" | | closes/fixes/resolves + #number auto-closes issue 42 on merge |'gh_issue1'

code review on github

Review a PR's Files changed tab, comment on specific lines, and optionally propose an exact fix with a ```suggestion code block — the author can apply it with one click. Submit your review as Comment, Approve, or Request changes; a repo can require at least one approval before a PR is mergeable (see branch protection below).

github search

github.com/search accepts qualifiers to narrow results by repo, language, author, and more — combine several in one query.

Qualifier	Example	Narrows to
user: / org:	user:babakpst	repos owned by a user or organization
repo:	repo:owner/name	a single repository
language:	language:python	code written in a specific language
is:	is:pr is:open	issue/PR state
stars:	stars:>500	repos above a star count
filename: / path:	filename:package.json	files by name or directory

keyboard shortcuts

Key	Where	Does
shift + ?	anywhere	opens the full keyboard-shortcuts help dialog
t	inside a repo	opens the fuzzy file finder
s or /	anywhere	focuses the search bar
.	inside a repo	opens the repo in github.dev, a web-based VS Code

permalinks

A normal file URL points at a branch, so the line numbers can drift as the branch changes. Press y while viewing a file to rewrite the URL to point at the exact commit instead — safe to share, it never moves.

To link specific lines: click a line number (shift-click for a range), then use the ... menu that appears → Copy permalink. This bakes both the commit and the line range into the link.

comparing branches or commits

Append /compare/<ref1>..<ref2> to a repo's URL to diff two branches, tags, or commit SHAs in the browser, e.g. github.com/<user>/<repo>/compare/main..feature-branch. Two dots compares the refs directly; three dots (main...feature-branch) compares against their common ancestor instead, which is usually what you want when reviewing a feature branch.

github actions (ci/cd)

Workflows live in .github/workflows/*.yml and run on events like push or pull_request. A minimal test workflow:


name: CI
on: [push, pull_request]
jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - run: echo "Running tests..."

branch protection rules

Settings → Branches → add a rule for main. Common protections: require a pull request (and at least one approval) before merging, require status checks (like the CI workflow above) to pass, and block force-pushes or direct pushes to the branch entirely.

github cli (gh)

gh auth login | https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_auth_login | authenticates the CLI with your GitHub account |'gh_cli1'

gh repo clone <user>/<repo> | https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_repo_clone | clones a repo without leaving the terminal |'gh_cli2'

gh pr create | https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_pr_create | opens a pull request from the current branch |'gh_cli3'

gh pr view --web | | opens the current branch's PR in the browser |'gh_cli4'

gh issue list | https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_issue_list | lists issues without leaving the terminal |'gh_cli5'

personal access tokens

Since password auth is gone, HTTPS git operations, the API, and headless gh use a personal access token instead — created under Settings → Developer settings. Prefer a fine-grained token scoped to one repo and the minimum permissions it needs over a classic token, which grants broad, account-wide access.

github pages

Settings → Pages lets you publish a repo (or one branch/folder of it) as a static website for free, either from a plain branch or via a GitHub Actions build. A good fit for hosting docs or a runnable demo next to a repo's source. Add a custom domain by placing a CNAME file with the domain name in the published folder.

reference

docs.github.com
cli.github.com
GitHub Actions docs
git-scm.com

github