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Getting Started with Git

Every project needs version control. Git is that version control. There are others - Mercurial, Subversion, Visual Source Safe. But git won. It's free, open source, distributed, can work offline and large brands like GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket, or Azure DevOps use git. This section will focus on some important Git concepts you need to know.

First Step - Clone a repository

On a fresh machine, the first thing you always do (apart from git setup etc) is clone a repository. Your team will already have a repository on some git system (Github/Azure Devops/Gitlab). What this cloning does is simply copies files from the cloud to your machine.

Basic Clone Syntax

git clone https://github.com/username/repo-ontario.git
Most common method. Works everywhere.

git clone git@github.com:username/repo-ontario.git
No password prompts. Requires SSH key setup.

Pro Tip

The .git extension is optional. Modern systems automatically infer it: 

git clone https://github.com/username/repo-ontario

Different Ways to Clone

git clone https://github.com/username/repo-ontario.git repo-belgium
Creates a folder called repo-belgium instead of repo-ontario. Useful when the repo name is generic.

git clone -b development https://github.com/username/repo-ontario.git
Checks out the development branch instead of main. Saves you from doing git checkout development after cloning.

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/username/repo-ontario.git
Downloads only the latest commit. Way faster. Perfect for CI/CD or when you don't need history.

git clone --branch v1.0.0 https://github.com/username/repo-ontario.git
Gets the code at version 1.0.0. The --branch flag works for tags too.

git clone --depth 1 --single-branch https://github.com/username/repo-ontario.git
Downloads only one branch. Even faster for huge repos.

What Really Happens When You Run git clone?

Behind the Scenes: The Complete Clone Process

You type git clone https://github.com/someone/repo-ontario.git and boom—a whole project appears. But what's actually happening?

Phase 1: The Setup

flowchart LR
    A["git clone"] --> B["Create folder"]
    B --> C["Initialize .git/"]
    C --> D["Add remote 'origin'"]
    style A fill:#e1f5ff
    style D fill:#e8f5e9

Git creates a folder and initializes a hidden .git folder inside it. This .git folder is the brain—it contains everything Git knows about your project.

Inside the .git Folder
  • config → Repository settings
  • refs/ → Branch and tag references
  • objects/ → All the data (commits, files, everything)
  • HEAD → Points to your current branch
  • hooks/ → Automation scripts

Git then adds a remote called origin to .git/config:

.git/config
[remote "origin"]
    url = https://github.com/someone/repo-ontario.git
    fetch = +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*

What does that fetch line mean?

"For every branch on the remote (refs/heads/*), create a local tracking reference (refs/remotes/origin/*)."

So main → origin/main, dev → origin/dev, and so on.

Phase 2: The Download

flowchart LR
    A["GitHub Server"] -->|"Download everything"| B[".git/objects/"]
    B --> C["Create origin/main<br/>origin/dev<br/>origin/feature"]
    style A fill:#fff3e0
    style C fill:#e8f5e9

Git downloads everything: every commit ever made, every branch, every tag, every file version. You're getting a time machine, not just the latest code.

How Git Stores Data

It compresses all this using SHA-1 hashing and stores it in .git/objects/—like a library where every book has a unique barcode. Want a specific commit? Git looks up its hash and pulls it instantly.

Git creates read-only snapshots for all remote branches:

  • origin/main → What main looks like on GitHub
  • origin/dev → What dev looks like on GitHub
  • origin/feature → What feature looks like on GitHub

These are Read-Only

You can view them but can't edit them. They update only when you run git fetch or git pull.

Exception: Shallow Clones

If you used --depth 1, Git only downloads that one commit. No history, no other branches (unless you specified them).

Phase 3: The Checkout

flowchart LR
    A["Create local main"] --> B["Link main → origin/main"]
    B --> C["Extract files to<br/>working directory"]
    style A fill:#e1f5ff
    style C fill:#e8f5e9

Git creates your local branch (either main or whatever you specified with -b) and links it to its remote counterpart. This is called tracking.

Why Tracking Matters

It means git pull and git push know where to sync without you specifying every time. It's like speed dial—one command, it knows where to go.

Finally, Git extracts the latest commit's files into your working directory. Now you see actual code, README files, everything.

Advanced Clone Scenarios

Bare Repository (No Working Files)

git clone --bare https://github.com/username/repo-ontario.git
Creates just the .git folder without any working files. Used for setting up mirrors or servers.

Different Remote Name

git clone -o upstream https://github.com/username/repo-ontario.git
Instead of origin, your remote is called upstream. Useful when working with forks.