Creating Repositories on GitHub

There are several ways to create repositories on GitHub. This lesson covers all the methods and options.

Creating a New Repository

Via Web Interface

1. Click the + button in the top right
2. Select New repository
3. Fill in the details:

Field	Description
Repository name	URL-friendly name (e.g., my-project)
Description	Brief explanation (optional)
Visibility	Public or Private
Initialize	Add README, .gitignore, license

Repository Naming

Good names are:

• Lowercase with hyphens: my-awesome-project
• Descriptive: react-todo-app
• Concise: blog-api

Avoid:

• Spaces (use hyphens instead)
• Special characters
• Generic names like project1

Initialization Options

README.md

A README is the first thing visitors see:

# Project Name

Brief description of what this project does.

## Installation

```bash
npm install my-project

Usage

const myProject = require('my-project');
myProject.doSomething();

License

MIT

### .gitignore

Automatically exclude files from Git:

Node

node_modules/ npm-debug.log

Environment

.env .env.local

Build

dist/ build/

IDE

.vscode/ .idea/

GitHub provides templates for different languages/frameworks.

### License

Common licenses:

| License | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| **MIT** | Do anything, keep license notice |
| **Apache 2.0** | MIT + patent protection |
| **GPL v3** | Derivatives must also be open source |
| **BSD** | Similar to MIT |
| **Unlicense** | Public domain |

Choose carefully—it affects how others can use your code.

## Creating from Existing Project

### Push Existing Local Repo

If you have a local Git repository:

```bash
# Create empty repo on GitHub (no README/gitignore)

# Add remote
git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repo.git

# Push
git push -u origin main

Using GitHub CLI

# Create and push in one step
gh repo create my-project --public --source=. --push

Import from Another Service

GitHub can import from:

• GitLab
• Bitbucket
• Other Git hosts

Go to: github.com/new/import

Creating from Template

Using Template Repositories

Some repos are marked as templates:

1. Go to template repository
2. Click "Use this template"
3. Choose "Create a new repository"
4. Name your new repo

Your repo will have the same files but a fresh Git history.

Making Your Repo a Template

Settings → General → Check "Template repository"

Repository Settings

After Creation

Navigate to Settings tab:

Setting	Purpose
General	Name, visibility, features
Collaborators	Add team members
Branches	Protection rules
Pages	Host static website
Secrets	Environment variables for Actions

Branch Protection

Protect important branches:

Branch: main
Rules:
✓ Require pull request before merging
✓ Require approvals: 1
✓ Require status checks to pass
✓ Require branches to be up to date

Features to Enable/Disable

• Issues
• Wiki
• Projects
• Discussions
• Sponsorship

Repository Visibility

Changing Visibility

Settings → General → Danger Zone → Change visibility

⚠️ Warning: Making a private repo public exposes all history!

Visibility Options

Option	Use Case
Public	Open source, portfolio projects
Private	Work projects, sensitive code

Working with the New Repository

Clone to Local

# HTTPS
git clone https://github.com/username/repo.git

# SSH
git clone git@github.com:username/repo.git

# GitHub CLI
gh repo clone username/repo

Initial Setup After Clone

cd repo

# Verify remote
git remote -v

# Start working
git checkout -b feature
# ... make changes ...
git commit -m "Add feature"
git push -u origin feature

Creating Organization Repositories

For teams/companies:

1. Switch to organization context
2. Create repository as usual
3. Set team access:
   • Admin
   • Maintain
   • Write
   • Triage
   • Read

Repository Best Practices

Include These Files

├── README.md          # Project documentation
├── LICENSE            # How others can use it
├── .gitignore         # Files to exclude
├── CONTRIBUTING.md    # How to contribute
├── CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md # Community guidelines
├── CHANGELOG.md       # Version history
└── .github/
    ├── ISSUE_TEMPLATE/
    ├── PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
    └── workflows/     # GitHub Actions

Good README Structure

1. Title and badges
2. Description: What, why
3. Installation: How to set up
4. Usage: Basic examples
5. API/Documentation: Link or details
6. Contributing: How to help
7. License: Legal terms

Archiving and Deleting

Archive

Settings → Danger Zone → Archive

• Makes repo read-only
• Keeps all history
• Good for deprecated projects

Delete

Settings → Danger Zone → Delete

• ⚠️ Permanent - cannot be undone
• Type repo name to confirm

Summary

• Create repos via web, CLI, or import
• Initialize with README, .gitignore, and LICENSE
• Use templates for common project structures
• Configure branch protection for important branches
• Include essential files (README, LICENSE, etc.)
• Choose visibility carefully (public/private)

In the next lesson, we'll learn about cloning and forking repositories.