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Advanced Git & GitHub: Work Like a Pro Team

Go beyond add, commit and push: understand how Git works inside, undo anything, keep a clean history, use power tools like bisect, and automate testing with GitHub Actions.

Advanced · 28 lessons · 6 h 16 min · Certificate on completion · With Avro Academy Team
Part of:🧭 Web Developer (JavaScript)
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From "it works on my laptop" to working like a professional team

You know how to commit, push, branch and open pull requests. This course teaches the skills that make people the Git expert on their team — and that come up in technical interviews.

What you'll learn

  • How Git really works: objects, snapshots, HEAD and branches as pointers
  • Undo anything: amend, revert, the three kinds of reset, and rescuing "lost" work with the reflog
  • Clean history: rebase, interactive rebase, fixup commits and safe force-pushing
  • Power tools: stash, cherry-pick, tags, searching history, and git bisect to find the commit that broke something
  • Team workflows: GitHub Flow, protected branches, PR templates and code owners
  • GitHub Actions: run your tests automatically on every pull request
  • Security and open source: what to do if you leak a secret, Dependabot, and licences

Before you start

Finish Git & GitHub for Beginners first, or be comfortable with commit, push, pull, branches and pull requests. The GitHub Actions module uses the Shift Swap app from Full-Stack Python (it's in the starter files, so you don't need to have done that course). You'll need Git and Python 3 installed.

How it works

  • 7 modules, 21 lessons, about 5 hours plus practice
  • A practice repository with real history (and a hidden bug to hunt down). It's built so your commit IDs match the lessons exactly
  • Every command in the lessons was really run, with its real output
  • Ready-to-use workflow, Dependabot, CODEOWNERS and PR template files
  • A quiz after each module and a certificate

Free forever — like every self-paced course on Avro Academy: all lessons, quizzes, downloads and your certificate. Our promise

Course outline

  1. Module 1: How Git really works

    Objects and snapshots, branches and HEAD as pointers, and remote-tracking branches.

  2. Module 2: Undo anything

    Amend and revert, the three kinds of reset, and rescuing work with the reflog.

    • Amend and revert15 min
    • Reset: soft, mixed and hard20 min
    • The reflog: rescuing 'lost' work15 min
    • Module 2 quiz5 min

  3. Module 3: Clean history

    Rebase, interactive rebase with fixup commits, and force-pushing safely.

    • Rebase vs merge20 min
    • Interactive rebase and fixup commits20 min
    • Force-pushing safely15 min
    • Module 3 quiz5 min

  4. Module 4: Power tools

    Stash, cherry-pick, bisect, tags and releases, and searching history.

    • Stash and cherry-pick15 min
    • git bisect: find the commit that broke it20 min
    • Tags and releases12 min
    • Searching history: log, blame and pickaxe15 min
    • Module 4 quiz5 min

  5. Module 5: Team workflows

    GitHub Flow, rulesets for main, PR templates, code owners and great commit messages.

    • GitHub Flow and protected branchesFree preview15 min
    • Pull request templates and code owners12 min
    • Commit messages and history teams love12 min
    • Module 5 quiz5 min

  6. Module 6: GitHub Actions

    Continuous integration for the Shift Swap app, secrets, Dependabot and badges.

    • Your first GitHub Actions workflow20 min
    • Secrets, Dependabot and status badges15 min
    • Module 6 quiz5 min

  7. Module 7: Security, open source and capstone

    Responding to leaked secrets, licences and contributing, and a team capstone project.

    • Leaked a secret? What to do20 min
    • Open source: licences and contributing15 min
    • Capstone: run a team project like pros20 min
    • Module 7 and final quiz5 min