What is Git Markdown?

Git Markdown is a markup language that creates HTML-like documents for web-based Git repos like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket.

The documents are documentation for your repo. They describe topics such as installation, configuration, and deployment. They document development and contribution procedures. The topics are up to you.

Markdown files render like HTML in web-based Git repos. They are popular in repos and expected by developers.

A Markdown file is nothing more than a text document with the file extension .md. The file contains Markdown syntax. Here is an example of a Level 1 header:

# My Repo

The single # indicates a Level 1 header. Two ## indicate a Level 2 header:

## Installation

Here is a sample list:

* lions
* tigers
* bears

...and a sample numbered list:

1. Wash
1. Rinse
1. Repeat

Note that the numbers are all 1s, but they will appear as 1, 2, and 3 when they render in the browser.

There are many other ways to format text in a Markdown file. Some organizations extend Markdown syntax for their platforms. But the core Markdown syntax is complete enough to get started.

Learn Markdown syntax and start creating Markdown files. At the very least, create a README.md file at the top level of your repos. Then see how the browser automatically renders that file as HTML in your web- based repo. All serious repos have a README.md file.