Step 1: Set Up a Remote Repository

A remote repository on GitHub serves as a shared space for your project. It houses all the application's code, allowing team members to work independently before merging their contributions.

Step 2: Clone the Repository

Suppose you begin working on the messaging feature. You will need to clone the remote repository to your local machine using the following command:

$ git clone remote_repo_location name_of_clone

This command requires the remote repository's URL and the desired name for the local copy. To locate the remote repository's address, you can run:

$ git remote -v

This will show you the origin, or the URL of the connected remote repository.

Step 3: Establish Your Project Branch

Create a specific branch for your messaging feature, which we can label 'messaging_service':

$ git branch messaging_service

Then, switch to that branch:

$ git checkout messaging_service

Step 4: Commit Your Changes

After coding and testing your feature, stage your changes:

$ git add .

This command will stage all modified files, allowing you to commit your work to the local repository:

$ git commit -m "Final Messaging Service Code"

Step 5: Sync with the Remote Repository

As multiple developers work on the same remote repository, it will continuously evolve. To keep your local copy updated, utilize the 'fetch' command:

$ git fetch

This downloads the latest changes from the remote repository to your local machine. By default, these changes will be stored in a remote branch named 'origin/master' or 'origin/main'. To integrate these updates into your branch, execute:

$ git merge origin/master

To verify that your local repository is current, check the latest commit:

$ git show HEAD

Ensure it matches the most recent commit on the remote.

Step 6: Share Your Progress

Once you are ready to share your code for peer review, push your changes to the remote repository:

$ git push origin messaging_service

This command specifies the remote repository (origin) and your branch name, creating a new branch named 'messaging_service' on the remote.

Step 7: Code Review Process

Your teammates can now examine your code in the 'messaging_service' branch. If everything checks out, they can merge your contributions into the main branch.