github-guru

🔄 05 – Collaboration & Pull Requests

Welcome to the collaboration zone 🤝 — where developers unite, contribute, and build amazing things together.

If Git helps you track your own code, GitHub helps you collaborate on everyone’s code 🌍.
Let’s go step-by-step from forking a repo to merging pull requests — just like pros in open source projects. 💪

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🍴 1. Fork a Repository

A fork is your personal copy of someone else’s repo on GitHub.

Think of it like cloning your friend’s notes to add your own highlights. 📝

🪄 Step-by-Step:

1. Go to the repository you want to contribute to.
2. Click the Fork button (top-right).
3. Choose your profile — GitHub creates a personal copy.
4. You can now experiment freely without affecting the original repo.

💡 Pro Tip:
Forking is essential for open-source contributions — it keeps your changes isolated and reviewable.

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🌿 2. Create a Feature Branch

Before you start coding, create a branch to organize your changes.
Each branch should represent one feature or bug fix.

⚙️ Commands:

git checkout -b feature/add-login-page

This creates a new branch called feature/add-login-page and switches to it.

💡 Branch Naming Convention:

Type	Example
Feature	feature/add-dark-mode
Fix	fix/navbar-alignment
Docs	docs/update-readme
Chore	chore/dependency-updates

✅ Keeps your repo clean and understandable for teams.

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✍️ 3. Make Changes & Commit

Now, modify your code or documentation.

Once done:

git add .
git commit -m "Add login page with responsive layout"

💡 Commit Tips:

• Use present tense (“Add feature”, not “Added feature”)

• Keep messages short but meaningful

• Reference issue numbers if applicable (e.g., #42)

🧠 Example:

“Fix: resolve login API error on mobile (#42)”

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🚀 4. Push to Remote Branch

Once your commits are ready, push them to your forked repository:

git push origin feature/add-login-page

This uploads your feature branch to GitHub.

💡 If it’s your first push:

git push -u origin feature/add-login-page

Now, head to GitHub — you’ll see a prompt like:

“Compare & pull request”

That’s your next step 👇

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🧩 5. Open a Pull Request (PR)

A Pull Request (PR) is how you propose changes to a project.
You’re basically saying, “Hey, I made some improvements — please review and merge!”

🪄 Steps:

1. Go to your forked repo on GitHub

2. Click Compare & pull request

3. Add:

   • A clear title: Add responsive login page

   • A short description of changes

4. Choose:

   • Base Repository: The original project

   • Base Branch: Usually main or dev

   • Head Branch: Your feature branch

5. Click Create Pull Request ✅

🎯 Example PR title:

“✨ Add responsive login feature (mobile support)”

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👀 6. Review & Merge PR

Once submitted, maintainers or teammates will review your PR.

💬 PR Review Process:

• 🧩 Code feedback & suggestions

• 🧪 Automated checks (CI/CD, tests)

• 🧠 Discussions or design notes

When approved:

• Maintainer clicks Merge Pull Request

• Changes become part of the main branch 🎉

⚙️ After Merge:

Sync your local main branch:

git checkout main
git pull origin main

💖 7. Contributing Guidelines for Open Source

Every big open-source repo has a CONTRIBUTING.md file that explains how to contribute effectively.

Here’s what you should include in yours 👇

🧰 Example Structure:

# Contributing Guidelines

1. Fork the repository 🍴
2. Clone your fork:
   git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/<repo-name>.git
3. Create a feature branch:
   git checkout -b feature/your-feature
4. Commit your changes:
   git commit -m "Add your awesome feature"
5. Push to your fork:
   git push origin feature/your-feature
6. Submit a Pull Request 🎉

💡 Pro Tip: Add labels for first-time contributors like:

• good first issue

• help wanted

They attract newcomers and boost engagement 💬

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⚡ Real-World Example: Team Workflow

Here’s how a team project works in GitHub:

# Developer 1 creates feature
git checkout -b feature/add-payment

# Developer 2 fixes a bug
git checkout -b fix/api-timeout

# Both push their changes
git push origin feature/add-payment
git push origin fix/api-timeout

# Review & merge PRs into main
git checkout main
git pull origin main

Now everyone stays synced — teamwork done right ✅

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🧠 Brain Hack — Think of PRs Like “Code Conversations”

• A commit is you talking to yourself 🗣️

• A PR is you talking to your team 💬

• A merge is your idea becoming part of the project 🚀

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💡 Best Practices for Collaboration

Habit	Why It Matters
Create branches per feature	Keeps history clean
Write meaningful commits	Easier reviews
Sync (pull) before pushing	Avoid conflicts
Respect code reviews	Builds trust
Use PR templates	Saves time for maintainers

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🪄 Bonus: Creating a Pull Request Template

To standardize PRs, create a file:

.github/pull_request_template.md

Example:

## 🧩 Description
Briefly describe the changes and motivation.

## ✅ Checklist
- [ ] Code tested
- [ ] Linting passed
- [ ] Documentation updated

## 💬 Related Issues
Closes #issue_number

This ensures clean, consistent PRs for every contributor 🧹

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🎯 Quick Recap

✅ You forked and cloned repos
✅ You created branches for features
✅ You pushed commits and opened PRs
✅ You learned how reviews and merges work
✅ You understood open-source contribution flow

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🌍 Real-World Analogy

GitHub Action	Real-World Example
Fork Repo	Make a personal copy of a recipe 🍴
Feature Branch	Add your twist to the recipe 🧂
Pull Request	Submit your version for tasting 👨‍🍳
Code Review	Friends give feedback 💬
Merge	Everyone agrees — add it to the cookbook 📘

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🌈 Next Up: “Advanced Git” 🧠

You’ll master:

rebase, stash, reset, and revert — the tools pros use to rewrite and clean history like time travelers. ⏳

👉 Continue → 06-Advanced-Git

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✍️ Written with 💖 by Mahesh Shukla — building open-source confidence, one pull request at a time 🔄

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