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GitHub Terms & Features (Big Open Source Survival Guide)

1️⃣ Repository (Repo)

A repository is the project.

It contains:

  • code
  • issues
  • pull requests
  • documentation
  • history

📦 Think: one repo = one project

2️⃣ Fork (VERY IMPORTANT)

A fork is your own copy of someone else’s repo.

Why forks exist:

  • you don’t have permission to push to the main repo
  • you work safely in your own copy

Flow:

Original Repo → Fork → Your Changes → Pull Request

3️⃣ Clone

Download a repo (or your fork) to your computer.

git clone https://github.com/yourname/project.git

4️⃣ Upstream

Upstream = the original repo (not your fork)

Used to stay updated.

git remote add upstream https://github.com/org/project.git
git pull upstream main

5️⃣ Branch

A branch is a separate line of work.

Big projects require:

  • one branch per feature or fix
  • no direct commits to main

Example:

fix-login-bug
docs-update
feature-auth

6️⃣ Pull Request (PR) 🚀

A Pull Request is:

“Please review and merge my changes.”

PR includes:

  • code changes
  • explanation
  • discussion
  • tests results

Big open source lives on PRs.

7️⃣ Review

Maintainers or contributors:

  • read your code
  • leave comments
  • request changes
  • approve or reject

Common review terms:

  • LGTM → Looks Good To Me
  • Requested Changes → fix things
  • Approve → ready to merge

8️⃣ Merge

Merge = combine your PR into the main project.

Usually done by:

  • maintainers
  • bots (after approval)

You rarely merge your own PR in big projects.

9️⃣ Issue 🐞

An Issue is a tracked problem or task.

Used for:

  • bugs
  • feature requests
  • discussions
  • questions

🔟 Issue Labels

Labels help organize issues.

Common labels:

  • good first issue (beginner friendly)
  • help wanted
  • bug
  • enhancement
  • discussion
  • blocked

👉 Start with good first issue

1️⃣1️⃣ Issue Assignment

Someone is responsible for the issue.

  • Assigned → someone is working on it
  • Unassigned → available

Always comment before starting work:

“Can I work on this?”

1️⃣2️⃣ Milestone

A milestone = group of issues for a release.

Example:

v2.0
Bugfix Sprint
Security Patch

1️⃣3️⃣ README.md

The front page of the project.

Contains:

  • what the project does
  • how to run it
  • how to contribute

Always read this first.

1️⃣4️⃣ CONTRIBUTING.md (CRITICAL)

This file tells you:

  • how to submit PRs
  • naming rules
  • branch rules
  • commit message style
  • testing rules

❌ Ignoring this = PR rejected

1️⃣5️⃣ CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md

Rules for behavior.

Used to:

  • prevent harassment
  • enforce respectful communication

Violations can get you banned.

1️⃣6️⃣ LICENSE 📜

Defines legal rights.

Common licenses:

  • MIT → very free
  • Apache 2.0 → free + patent protection
  • GPL → must share changes

Never ignore license rules.

1️⃣7️⃣ Discussions

Used for:

  • ideas
  • design talks
  • long conversations

Better than opening issues for questions.

1️⃣8️⃣ Projects (GitHub Projects)

A board to track work.

Columns:

  • To Do
  • In Progress
  • Review
  • Done

Used in large orgs.

1️⃣9️⃣ Actions (CI/CD) 🤖

GitHub Actions = automated checks.

They:

  • run tests
  • check formatting
  • block bad PRs

Your PR must pass Actions to merge.

2️⃣0️⃣ Checks

Checks show:

  • ✔ passed
  • ❌ failed
  • ⏳ running

Failing checks = no merge.

2️⃣1️⃣ Status Badges

Small icons in README:

  • build status
  • coverage
  • version

Shows project health.

2️⃣2️⃣ Commit

A saved change.

Good commit:

Fix crash on empty input

Bad commit:

fix
update
stuff

2️⃣3️⃣ Commit Squash

Multiple commits → one clean commit.

Used to:

  • clean history
  • simplify review

Often required before merge.

2️⃣4️⃣ Draft Pull Request

PR that is not ready.

Used when:

  • work in progress
  • want early feedback

2️⃣5️⃣ Templates

GitHub provides templates for:

  • issues
  • PRs

Forces contributors to include:

  • steps
  • expected behavior
  • screenshots

2️⃣6️⃣ Mentions (@username)

Notify people.

Examples:

@maintainer Can you review?
@team/frontend

2️⃣7️⃣ Notifications

You get notified when:

  • someone comments
  • review requested
  • PR updated

Big projects = lots of notifications.

2️⃣8️⃣ Security Advisories

Used for:

  • reporting vulnerabilities
  • private discussion
  • coordinated release

Never open public issues for security bugs.

2️⃣9️⃣ Releases

A release is a published version.

Includes:

  • version number (v1.2.0)
  • changelog
  • assets

3️⃣0️⃣ Tags

Tags mark important commits.

Example:

v1.0.0
v2.1.3

Used for releases.

3️⃣1️⃣ Watch / Star / Fork

  • ⭐ Star → show appreciation
  • 👀 Watch → get updates
  • 🍴 Fork → contribute

Stars matter for project visibility.

3️⃣2️⃣ Insights

Stats about:

  • contributors
  • commits
  • activity
  • code frequency

Used by maintainers.

3️⃣3️⃣ Maintainer

A maintainer:

  • reviews PRs
  • merges code
  • sets direction

Be respectful. They’re often volunteers.

3️⃣4️⃣ Bot Accounts 🤖

Bots do:

  • auto-merge
  • auto-format
  • dependency updates

Examples:

  • Dependabot
  • Renovate

3️⃣5️⃣ Permissions

Access levels:

  • Read
  • Write
  • Maintain
  • Admin

Most contributors have Read only.