GitHub CLI Basics

Published on • 3 min read • Github Git Cli Fundamentals

What is GitHub CLI?

Github CLI is a command-line interface for GitHub that allows you to interact with GitHub repositories, issues, pull requests, and more directly from the command line. It provides a convenient way to perform common GitHub operations without leaving the terminal.

GitHub CLI Installation

You can install Github CLI by downloading the binary from the GitHub CLI releases page and adding it to your system’s PATH. Alternatively, you can use a package manager like Homebrew on macOS or Chocolatey on Windows to install Github CLI.

GitHub CLI Configuration

After installing Github CLI, you need to authenticate with your GitHub account using the gh auth login command. This will open a browser window where you can authorize the CLI to access your GitHub account. Once authenticated, you can start using Github CLI to interact with GitHub repositories.

Spinners

GitHub CLI Commands

Github CLI provides a set of commands for working with GitHub repositories, issues, pull requests, and more. Some of my most used commands are:

Repositories

  • gh repo list: List GitHub repositories.
  • gh status: Show the status of the current repository.
  • gh repo view <repository>: View a GitHub repository in the browser.
  • gh repo create <repository-name>: Create a new GitHub repository.
  • gh repo clone <repository>: Clone a GitHub repository to your local machine.
  • gh repo fork <repository>: Fork a GitHub repository.

Pull Requests

  • gh pr list: List pull requests in a GitHub repository.
  • gh pr status: Show the status of pull requests in the current repository.
  • gh pr view <pull-request-number>: View a pull request in the browser.
  • gh pr create: Create a pull request on GitHub.
  • gh pr checkout <pull-request-number>: Check out a pull request locally.
  • gh pr merge <pull-request-number>: Merge a pull request.

Issues

  • gh issue list: List issues in a GitHub repository.
  • gh issue status: Show the status of issues in the current repository.
  • gh issue view <issue-number>: View an issue in the browser.
  • gh issue create: Create a new issue on GitHub.

There are many more commands available in Github CLI, and you can explore them by running gh help or gh help <command>. or by visiting the GitHub CLI documentation.

GitHub CLI Tips

  • Use gh help to get help on commands and flags.
  • Use gh alias set to create custom aliases for frequently used commands.
  • Use gh config set to configure default settings for the CLI.

GitHub CLI supports tab completion by running gh completion and using the output in your shells runtime configuration.

Conclusion

GitHub CLI is my favorite way to interact with GitHub repositories and perform common GitHub operations from the command line.

github   git   cli   fundamentals