To put your project up on GitHub, you’ll need a repository for it to live in. Let’s create one!

On GitHub, you can store all kinds of projects in repositories.

Create a new repository on GitHub

  1. New repository menuIn the upper-right corner of any page, click , and then click New repository.
  2. Repository name fieldCreate a short, memorable name for your repository. For example, “hello-world".
  3. Repository descriptionOptionally, add a description of your repository. For example, “My first repository on GitHub."
  4. Choose between creating a public or private repository.
    • Public repositories are a great choice for getting started! They’re visible to any user on GitHub, so you can benefit from a collaborative community.
    • Public and private repository optionsPrivate repositories require a little more setup. They’re only available to you, the repository owner, as well as any collaborators you choose to share with. Private repositories are only available for paid accounts.
  5. Initialize with a readme checkboxSelect Initialize this repository with a README.
  6. Create repository buttonClick Create repository.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully created your first repository, and initialized it with a README file.

Commit your first change

A commit is like a snapshot of all the files in your project at a particular point in time.

When you created your new repository, you initialized it with a README file.

Let’s commit a change to the README file.

  1. Readme file in file listIn your repository’s list of files, click README.md.
  2. Above the file’s content, click .
  3. New content in fileOn the Edit file tab , type some information about yourself.
  4. File preview buttonAbove the new content, click Preview changes.
  5. File preview viewReview the changes you made to the file. You’ll see the new content in green.
  6. Commit messageAt the bottom of the page, under “Commit changes," type a short, meaningfulcommit message that describes the change you made to the file.
  7. Commit changes buttonClick Commit changes.