Summary: Your first repo

What changed

L1 taught the snapshot mental model. L2 turned the model into commands. You now have a working procedure for starting a tracked project and saving snapshots.

The three-area model

working directory  ->  staging area  ->  repository
       (edit)            (git add)       (git commit)

The working directory is what is on disk. The staging area is a draft of the next snapshot. The repository is permanent history.

The five core commands

Command	Purpose
git init	Create a new repository in the current folder. Once per project.
git status	Show the state of working directory + staging area + most recent commit. Run it often.
git add <file>	Move changes from working directory into staging area.
git commit -m "msg"	Take a snapshot of the staging area, with a message.
(and) .gitignore	A file that lists patterns git should never track.

The five things that always belong in .gitignore

1. Compiled output (dist/, build/)
2. Dependencies (node_modules/)
3. Editor files (.idea/, .vscode/, .swp)
4. Secrets (.env, credentials, anything with a password)
5. OS artifacts (.DS_Store, Thumbs.db)

The one gotcha worth remembering

.gitignore patterns with trailing slash (node_modules/) match directories only, not symlinks. Use bare name (node_modules) to match both.

What you carry into L3

Muscle memory for the commit cycle. L3 teaches what makes a commit MEANINGFUL. The mechanics are now yours; the discipline is what comes next.

Remember this if nothing else

Git stores snapshots. Every other command is just navigating those snapshots.