How to Upload Your Existing Local Project to GitHub

  Have you started coding a project on your computer but haven't put it on GitHub yet? This guide shows you the safest and easiest way to turn your local  folder into a Git repository and push it to the cloud.

The Scenario

You have a folder on your computer (maybe created in VS Code or PyCharm) full of Python code. It works locally, but now you want to save it to GitHub to keep it safe or share it.

Here is the step-by-step process.

Step 1: Initialize Git

First, open your terminal inside your project folder.

• VS Code: Press Ctrl + ` to open the terminal.
• PyCharm: Click the Terminal tab at the bottom.

Type this command to tell your computer "This folder is now a project":

git init

Step 2: Create a .gitignore File (Very Important!)

Before you save anything, you must tell Git which files to ignore. In Python, you never want to upload your virtual environment (venv) or compiled files (__pycache__).

Create a new file named .gitignore and add these lines:

venv/
.env
__pycache__/
.idea/
.vscode/
*.pyc

• Tip: If you skip this, you might accidentally upload thousands of useless files!

Step 3: Save (Commit) Your Files

   Now, let's stage and save your current work.

    1. Add all files to the staging area

 git add .

   2. Save them with a message

git commit -m "Initial commit"

   Step 4: Create a Repository on GitHub

1. Go to GitHub.com and log in.
2. Click the + icon in the top right and select New repository.
3. Repository name: Give it the same name as your folder (e.g., my-python-project).
4. Privacy: Choose Public or Private.
5. Do NOT check "Add a README" or ".gitignore" (since we already made them locally).
6. Click Create repository.

Step 5: Connect and Push

   GitHub will show you a page with commands. Look for the section titled "…or push an existing repository from the command line".

   Copy and run these three commands in your terminal one by one:

  1. Rename your branch to 'main' (standard practice)

git branch -M main

 2. Link your local folder to GitHub (Replace URL with your own!)

git remote add origin https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_REPO_NAME.git

 3. Push your code

git push -u origin main

Success!

Go back to your GitHub page and refresh it. You should now see all your code listed there.

From now on, whenever you make changes, you just need to run:

1. git add .
2. git commit -m "message"
3. git push