With Git installed and configured, you are ready to put it to practical use by creating your first repository. This chapter introduces the fundamental commands for managing a local project.

You will learn how to:

• Initialize a new repository using git init.
• Understand the core workflow: the distinction between modified, staged, and committed states.
• Stage changes for inclusion in the next snapshot using git add.
• Save snapshots of your project's state using git commit, including how to write effective commit messages.
• Check the status of your files and the repository using git status.
• Inspect the project's history using git log.
• Configure Git to ignore specific files or directories using a .gitignore file.

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to create a basic Git repository, track changes to your files, and view the history of those changes.