This course combines engaging instructor-led presentations and useful demonstrations with valuable hands-on labs and engaging group activities. By the end of the GitLab Quick Start course, you will have built practical, job-ready skills to help you work more confidently with Git and GitLab in real development environments.

Here are a few key things you will be able to do:

• Create and manage Git repositories. Set up projects and track changes to your code using Git and GitLab.
• Work with branches and resolve merge conflicts. Use branching strategies to organize work and handle changes from multiple team members.
• Clean up and review commit history. Understand how to review, edit, and simplify commit logs for better collaboration.
• Configure Git for your daily workflow. Set up your Git environment, create shortcuts, and manage ignored files.
• Collaborate using GitLab Flow. Apply a real-world GitLab workflow, including merge requests, approvals, and issue tracking.
• Build and troubleshoot GitLab CI/CD pipelines. Create simple automation to test and deliver your code more reliably.

If your team requires different topics, additional skills or a custom approach, our team will collaborate with you to adjust the course to focus on your specific learning objectives and goals. 

The introductory-level course is designed for anyone who works with software projects and wants to better understand version control and team collaboration using Git and GitLab. It is a great choice for developers, QA engineers, DevOps professionals, and technical team leads looking to strengthen their workflow and project organization. Whether you are brand new to Git or have some experience and want to build better habits, this course will help you work more smoothly with your team.

Please note that this list of topics is based on our standard course offering, evolved from typical industry uses and trends. We'll work with you to tune this course and level of coverage to target the skills you need most. Topics, agenda and labs are subject to change, and may adjust during live delivery based on audience skill level, interests and participation. 

1. Git and GitLab Introduction and Basics

• Understanding version control and Git essentials
• Exploring GitLab as a collaboration platform
• Installing and configuring Git on your system
• Working with repositories and tracking changes
• Making your first commit and navigating GitLab UI

2. GitLab Flow

• Overview of GitFlow vs. GitLab Flow
• Selecting the right workflow for your team
• Managing environments: staging, production, and feature branches
• Using issues and merge requests in GitLab
• Implementing protected branches and approvals

3. Branching

• Creating and switching branches
• Naming conventions and organizational tips
• Visualizing branch structures
• Tagging versions and releases
• Cleaning up and deleting merged branches

4. Configuring Git

• Setting up global and local configuration
• Understanding .gitconfig settings
• Creating aliases to simplify commands
• Managing ignored files with .gitignore
• Using Git credentials and SSH keys securely

5. Rebasing

• Introduction to rebasing vs. merging
• Rebasing local branches
• Handling conflicts during rebases
• Interactive rebasing and squashing commits
• Best practices and troubleshooting tips

6. Merging

• Merging strategies and fast-forward vs. no-fast-forward
• Performing merges in GitLab
• Understanding merge commits
• Handling merge requests and code reviews
• Tools for visualizing merge conflicts

7. Resolving Merge Conflicts

• Identifying the cause of merge conflicts
• Using Git commands to resolve conflicts
• Tools and editors to assist with conflict resolution
• Best practices for preventing common conflicts
• Committing and testing after resolving conflicts

8. Remote Repositories

• Connecting to remote repositories
• Cloning and pushing projects
• Pulling and fetching updates
• Setting up upstream and tracking branches
• Collaborating with remotes and forks

9. Reviewing the Commit History

• Exploring git log, git show, and git diff
• Using shortcuts to navigate revisions
• Blame and annotate features for tracking changes
• Reverting and amending commits
• Cleaning up history with rebase and squash

10. Improving Your Daily Workflow

• Saving work-in-progress with git stash
• Interactive staging and reviewing diffs
• Automating common tasks with aliases
• Managing build artifacts in the workflow
• Creating readable and meaningful commit messages

11. Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI/CD)

• Introduction to GitLab CI/CD and pipelines
• Installing and configuring GitLab Runner
• Understanding .gitlab-ci.yml syntax and structure
• Creating and customizing your first CI/CD pipeline
• Visualizing, debugging, and optimizing pipelines