Git and GitHub by Google Career Certificates

About this course

Version control is the backbone of modern software development, and knowing how to use it well can instantly level up the way you work. In this free online course, you will build confidence with Git and GitHub so you can track changes without fear, collaborate smoothly, and keep your projects organized as they grow. Whether you are starting your first repository or trying to work more professionally in a team, you will learn practical habits that translate directly to real development environments.

You will understand what Git is doing behind the scenes and why it is considered essential across technical roles, from developers to technical program managers. Along the way, you will develop the mindset of working in snapshots: making changes intentionally, committing them clearly, and keeping a readable history that helps both you and your teammates. Strong commit messages become a tool for communication, not an afterthought, and you will see how small improvements here can prevent confusion later.

Collaboration is where GitHub shines, so the course focuses on workflows that help teams move faster with fewer mistakes. You will practice working with branches and learn strategies that reduce the chance of conflicts before they happen. You will also get familiar with tools designed to protect code quality, making merges safer and reviews more effective when multiple people are contributing to the same project.

As you advance, you will explore techniques for handling changes responsibly, including how to keep a clean, linear history when appropriate and why that power must be used carefully in shared work. You will also learn how to undo changes safely, recognizing when it is better to create a corrective commit instead of rewriting the past. By the end, you will be able to navigate typical collaboration scenarios with clarity, communicate changes professionally, and use Git and GitHub as reliable tools in your developer and IT toolkit.