Hone

Lessons · Git · sending your commits

Sending commits up

git push sends your commits to a branch on the remote. The first time, -u sets the upstream so plain git push and git pull know where to go.

Hone is a place to practise programming. This is one of its lessons, written out in full and free to read without an account.

What it is for

Until you push, your work exists on one machine. Push is also how a branch becomes visible for a pull request.

How to think about it

Commit first: only commits travel. Push with -u the first time for a new branch, then plain push. If the push is refused, someone else pushed first: fetch, integrate, push again.

Worked example

git push -u origin main
Sends your commits and remembers origin/main as the upstream.
git push
From then on, the short form knows where to go.
git push -u origin feature
A branch that has never been pushed: name it the first time.

Your turn

Push a new branch and remember where it goes.

git push  origin feature

The trap

Only commits travel. Uncommitted edits stay on your machine, and a push with nothing new says Everything up-to-date while your work sits unsaved.

Practise sending your commits on HoneA question on it now, a coding challenge where there is one, and it is remembered for review. Free, no email needed.