Module 2, Lesson 2.1: Creating Your GitHub Account
"Your free home on the internet for all your projects."
This is a short, practical lesson. By the end, you’ll have a GitHub account ready to go. It takes about five minutes.
Before You Start
You’ll need:
A web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox — any of them)
An email address you have access to
That’s it. GitHub is free, and you don’t need a credit card.
Step 1: Go to GitHub
Open your browser and go to:
https://github.comYou’ll see GitHub’s homepage with a sign-up prompt.
Step 2: Click “Sign up”
Click the Sign up button (usually in the top right corner, or prominently in the middle of the page).
Step 3: Enter Your Details
GitHub will walk you through a short form asking for:
Email address — Use one you check regularly. GitHub will send a verification email.
Password — Make it strong. A mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.
Username — This is your public identity on GitHub. A few tips:
Keep it professional — it’ll appear on everything you share
Lowercase letters and hyphens work well
You can’t easily change it later, so choose thoughtfully
It doesn’t have to be your real name
Step 4: Verify You’re Human
GitHub will show you a small puzzle or visual challenge. Solve it to continue — this just confirms you’re not a bot.
Step 5: Choose a Plan
GitHub will ask which plan you want. Choose the free plan. It gives you everything you need for this entire course:
Unlimited public repositories
Unlimited private repositories
GitHub Actions (automation — we’ll use this later)
Full access to clone and explore any public repo
You do not need a paid plan.
Step 6: Verify Your Email
GitHub will send a verification code to your email address. Go check your inbox, find the email from GitHub, and enter the code it gives you.
Once verified, you’re in.
Step 7: (Optional) Set Up Your Profile
GitHub may ask a few questions about your experience level and what you want to do. You can answer honestly or skip — it just personalizes some suggestions. It doesn’t affect anything important.
Step 8: Confirm It Worked
Once you’re logged in, you should see your GitHub dashboard — a page with your username in the top right corner and a feed of activity.
Try visiting your own profile page:
https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAMEIf you can see a page with your name and a mostly-empty profile, you’re all set. It’ll fill up as you work through this course.
One Thing Worth Knowing
GitHub has two important settings you’ll want to be aware of when you create repositories later:
Public repository — Anyone on the internet can see it. This is how open-source software works.
Private repository — Only you (and people you invite) can see it.
For learning purposes, either works fine. We’ll talk about which to use when the time comes.
✅ Lesson Summary
Created an account: Signed up at github.com with email + password + username
Verified your email: Confirmed GitHub can reach you
Chose the free plan: Everything you need, at no cost
Found your profile page:
https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME
🎉 Lesson 2.1 Complete!
You now have a GitHub account. That’s your permanent home on the internet for code and projects — and it’s where the repository we’re learning from lives.
Next up: Lesson 2.2 — What is a terminal?
This is the lesson that unlocks everything. A lot of people find the terminal intimidating at first, but I’m going to show you it’s really just a text-based way of talking to your computer — and once you’re comfortable with it, it feels like a superpower.
Ready?