Creating Local Repositories with Git and Adding/Checking in FIles

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Creating Local Repositories with Git and Adding/Checking in FIles

When working with source code or text documents on any local system, using Git allows you to track changes and revert at any time. In this scenario, the student will create an empty local repository using 'git' commands, create files within that repository, add and check them in and verify the repository shows up-to-date. After this exercise, the student will understand how to work with files and directories within a local repository to manage and track files and changes to them.

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Lab Info

Level

Beginner

Last updated

Sep 24, 2025

Duration

30m

Challenge

Create Directory for the Repository

The student is asked to create a new directory in the /home/cloud_user location called web-api. This can be accomplished from the /home/cloud_user directory when logged in as cloud_user with the mkdir command and the name of the directory to create.
Challenge

Initialize the New Git Repository
Initializing the new repository in the 'web-api' directory can be accomplished by executing the following commands:
```
cd /home/cloud_user/web-api  
git init
```
Verification of the creation of the repository can be seen with the command:
```
ls -al
```
Which will then show a directory called .git has been created.
Challenge

Repository README File Created
When asked to create the repository README file, you can accomplish that by executing the following command in the /home/cloud_user/web-api directory:
```
echo "Web-API v1" > README.md
```
Challenge

README File Added and Committed to the Repository
Finally, once the README.md file is created in the /home/cloud_user/web-api/ directory, you will need to add and commit the file to the repository. This can be done via the following commands:
```
git add README.md  
git commit -m "Some Comment Here for the Commit" 
```
You can then verify that everything is checked in and nothing else is left to do with the following command and output as follows:
```
git status

RESPONSE IN TERMINAL:
On branch master
nothing to commit, working directory clean
```

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