How to Create a GitHub Account & Initial Setup Guide (with Images)

In the previous article, "What is GitHub? A Gentle Guide to How It Works and What It's For," we introduced how powerful a tool GitHub is for web creators. You might understand the concept, but many of you are probably wondering, "So, how do I actually get started?"

This article will walk you through it step-by-step, from the first step of creating a GitHub account, to the initial profile settings you should configure, and even setting up two-factor authentication to enhance security, all with screenshots (or what would be screenshots) of the actual screens. By the time you finish this guide, you'll be a full-fledged member of the GitHub community!

Complete in 3 Steps! How to Create a GitHub Account

Creating a GitHub account is surprisingly easy. All you need is your regular email address. Let's get started!

Step 1: Go to the Official Website and Sign Up

First, go to the official GitHub website. On the top page, you'll see a large field to enter your email address. Type in your email and click the "Sign up for GitHub" button.

Click here for the official GitHub website

[Image: The GitHub homepage, with the central email input field highlighted.]

When you see the screen that says, "Welcome to GitHub! Let's begin the adventure," your adventure has begun!

Step 2: Enter Your Account Information (Username & Password)

Next, you'll set up your basic account information.

[Image: The screen for entering a username, password, and notification preferences.]

• Enter your email: The email address you just entered will already be filled in.
• Create a password: Set a password. It must be at least 15 characters long, or at least 8 characters long and include a number and a lowercase letter. Choose a strong password that is hard to guess.
• Enter a username: This will be your ID on GitHub. You need to think of a unique name that isn't already taken by another user worldwide. You can change it later, but since it will also change your repository URLs, it's best to choose a name you can use for a long time.
• Email preferences: This is a checkbox to receive product updates and announcement emails from GitHub. You can uncheck it if you don't want them.

Finally, solve a simple puzzle to "Verify your account" (e.g., "Select the spiral galaxy") to prove you are human, and then click the "Create account" button.

Step 3: Email Verification and to the Dashboard

Once your account information is submitted, you'll receive an email from GitHub with an 8-digit verification code at the address you registered.

[Image: A screenshot of the email from GitHub containing the verification code.]

Enter that code into the screen in your browser. This completes the ownership verification of your email address.

[Image: The screen for entering the verification code.]

Next, a simple survey screen may appear (asking about your team size, purpose of use, etc.), but you can skip this. Click "Skip personalization" at the bottom of the screen.

Once all the steps are complete, your GitHub dashboard will be displayed. Congratulations! You've successfully created your account.

[Image: The GitHub dashboard screen, displayed for the first time.]

First Things First! Initial GitHub Setup

Just creating an account is like having an empty house. To gain trust from other developers and showcase your work, let's get the minimum profile and security settings out of the way.

Profile Settings (Name, Icon, BIO)

Your profile is like your business card for developers all over the world to see. Let's set it up properly. First, click on your icon in the top right corner of the screen and select "Your profile" to go to your profile page.

[Image: Selecting "Your profile" from the icon dropdown in the top right of the GitHub header.]

Once your profile page is displayed, click the "Edit profile" button to go to the editing screen.

[Image: The profile page and the "Edit profile" button.]

• Name: Enter your real name or nickname. This is used as your display name, separate from your username.
• Profile picture: This is your icon image. Using a photo of yourself or an original logo will give it a lot of personality.
• Bio: This is your self-introduction. Briefly write about what technologies you're interested in (e.g., "Front-end developer passionate about React and Vue.js.") or your current occupation.
• URL, Social accounts, Company, Location: You can optionally set your website, social media accounts, affiliation, etc.

When you're done, click the "Save" button. Just by doing this, your profile page will become much more attractive.

Strengthen Security with 2-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Your GitHub account stores your valuable code. To prevent unauthorized logins, setting up 2-Factor Authentication (2FA) is strongly recommended.

2FA is a system that significantly improves security by requiring a temporary verification code generated by a smartphone app, in addition to your password.

1. Select "Settings" from your icon in the top right corner.
2. Click on "Password and authentication" in the left sidebar.
3. Click the "Enable two-factor authentication" button in the "Two-factor authentication" section.

[Image: The two-factor authentication setup screen.]

After that, follow the on-screen instructions to proceed with the setup by scanning the QR code with an authenticator app on your smartphone (like Google Authenticator or Authy). When the setup is complete, recovery codes will be displayed. Be sure to store these in a safe place. You will need them to access your account if you lose your phone.

Check Notification Settings

By default, GitHub sends email notifications at various times. If you feel you're getting too many notifications, you should review your settings. You can finely tune when you receive email notifications by going to "Settings" → "Notifications".

Frequently Asked Questions During Registration (Q&A)

Q. Can I change my username later?

A. Yes, you can. However, changing it will also change the URLs for your profile and all of your repositories. GitHub will automatically redirect from the old URLs to the new ones, but there's a non-zero chance that it could cause problems with linked external services. Unless you have a special reason, it's recommended to stick with the name you chose initially.

Q. What's the difference between the free and paid plans?

A. For personal learning and development, the free plan is more than feature-rich enough. In the past, private repositories were a paid feature, but now you can create an unlimited number of them with the free plan. The paid "Team" and "Enterprise" plans are mainly for businesses and offer more advanced security management and team collaboration features.

Q. I'm not receiving the verification email.

A. First, check your spam folder. If you still can't find it, check if there was a typo in the email address you entered during registration. Try re-entering your email address on the sign-up screen or refer to the GitHub help pages.

Conclusion: A GitHub Account is a Web Creator's Passport

Congratulations! You have now set foot in the world of GitHub. A GitHub account is not just a place to store code; it's like a "passport" for recording and showcasing your skills and experience to the world.

As you flesh out the profile you've set up, be sure to make active use of it. The next step is to install Git on your PC and connect it with GitHub.