OpenCommit is a platform for hosting Git repositories. If you are new to development, here is the short version of what that means.
Git vs. OpenCommit#
It is important to understand the difference between the tool and the service:
- Git is the software that runs on your computer. It tracks the history of your files, allows you to “undo” changes, and manage different versions of your work.
- OpenCommit is the hosting service (the “Forge”). It provides a place to store your Git repositories online, collaborate with others via Pull Requests, track bugs via Issues, and automate tasks with Actions.
Analogy: Git is like your word processor; OpenCommit is like a collaborative cloud drive where you share your documents.
Core Concepts#
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Repository | Your project folder, containing all files and their full history. |
| Commit | A “snapshot” of your project at a specific point in time. |
| Branch | A parallel version of your project (useful for testing new features). |
| Main | The default, primary branch of your repository. |
| Remote | The version of your project stored on OpenCommit. |
The Basic Workflow#
Most work on OpenCommit follows this cycle:
- Clone: Download a repository to your computer.
- Edit: Make changes to your files locally.
- Commit: Save a “snapshot” of your changes with a descriptive message.
- Push: Upload your local commits to OpenCommit.
- Pull Request: Propose your changes to be merged into the main project.
Next Steps#
We recommend learning by doing. Follow our Quickstart to create your first repository and see these concepts in action.
For an in-depth Git education, we recommend the Pro Git Book.