Lesson 11. Git, deployment, and professional workflow
You've built a project — great. Now you need to share it with the world and safely store it. Git represents your code's history and backup. Deployment puts your project live on the internet. In this lesson, you'll master the daily workflow of professional developers.
Topic breakdown
Git is a version control system. It saves every change in your code. If you make a mistake, you can revert to a previous state. When working in a team, each person works independently and merges results later. Git is the bedrock of professional development.
GitHub is a cloud platform for hosting Git repositories. If your code is on GitHub, it won't be lost even if your computer breaks. Furthermore, GitHub allows team collaboration, showcasing a portfolio, and automating deployment.
Deployment is the process of hosting a finished project on the internet. Vercel (ideal for Next.js, React), Netlify (for static sites), and Railway (for backends, bots) are the most popular free platforms. You push code to GitHub — the site updates automatically.
Professional workflow: write code -> Git commit -> push to GitHub -> automatic deploy -> test -> new modification. This cycle repeats every day, every hour. With vibe coding, you practice this workflow from day one.
What you'll learn
- Basic Git commands: init, add, commit, push, pull
- Creating a new repository on GitHub and uploading code
- Setting up automatic deployment on Vercel/Netlify
- Working with branches — isolating features
- Excluding unnecessary files via .gitignore
- Understanding and applying the professional work cycle (workflow)
Deep dive
How Git works: with every commit, Git saves a full snapshot of your project. You can revert to any commit at any time: 'git checkout <commit-hash>'. This provides a safety net — no matter the mistake, rolling back is always an option. When working with AI, this is crucial as Agent occasionally makes errant changes.
Branching strategy: 'main' (or 'master') is always the working version. To add a new feature: 'git checkout -b feature/contact-form' and work there. When ready: open a Pull Request, verify, and merge into 'main'. Adopt this pattern from day one.
Comparing deployment platforms: Vercel — ideal for Next.js and React, free tier offers 100GB bandwidth/mo, automatic HTTPS and CDN. Netlify — great for static sites and SPAs, includes form handling and serverless functions. Railway — for backends and bots, $5/mo free credits, supports Node.js and Python. Pick the platform suited to your project type.
AI and Git workflow: Cursor integrates tightly with the terminal. You can write in Chat: 'make a commit and push to GitHub' — the AI drafts the commands and you just click Run. The AI can even draft the commit message: 'write a commit message for these changes'. This is the power of vibe coding — even DevOps tasks are handled by AI.
Ready prompt template
Copy and adaptSet up Git for my project: 1) Create a .gitignore excluding node_modules, .env, .next, and dist. 2) Write a README.md with a brief project description, installation guide, and run commands. 3) Create a GitHub Actions workflow so that lint and build run on every push.
Why it works
Security: '.gitignore' — safeguards secret and bulky files
Documentation: 'README.md' — project info (vital for portfolios)
Automation: 'GitHub Actions' — automated checks on every push
Structure: 3 clear sequential tasks — AI configures everything
Practice
- Open terminal and navigate to your project folder
- Run 'git init' — initialize a new Git repository
- Run 'git add .' — add all files to staging
- Run 'git commit -m "first commit"' — save the changes
- Create a new repository on GitHub.com
- Run 'git remote add origin URL && git push -u origin main' — upload to GitHub
- Go to Vercel.com, select your GitHub repo, and click Deploy
- Make a project change, commit and push — observe the automatic update on Vercel
Common mistakes
- Uploading the .env file to GitHub — NEVER do this! Always ensure .env is in .gitignore
- Committing node_modules — a massive and unnecessary folder, it must be in .gitignore
- Leaving a vague commit message — not 'fix', but 'Added email validation on login page'
- Not using branches — for every new feature, create a branch: 'git checkout -b feature/login'
- Not pulling before pushing — in a team, always 'git pull' first
Lesson FAQ
Are Git and GitHub the same thing?
No. Git is software (runs on your computer, manages versions). GitHub is a platform (on the internet, hosts Git repositories). Git works without GitHub, but GitHub depends on Git.
Is deployment free?
Yes, Vercel and Netlify have free plans: unlimited static sites, 100GB of traffic a month, and automatic HTTPS. This is plenty for personal and hobby projects.
Is a private repository on GitHub free?
Yes, since 2019 GitHub provides private repositories for free. No one can see your code — only you and those you grant access to.