GitHub Foundations

GH-900 · ● Active · Entry · GitHub (Microsoft)

Hands-on entry-level certification validating foundational knowledge of GitHub collaboration, repositories, version control, and DevOps workflows. No prerequisites required.

Exam facts

Vendor source — GitHub Certifications ↗

Official exam guide — Study guide for Exam GH-900: GitHub Foundations | Microsoft Learn ↗

Exam objectives — GitHub Foundations - Certifications | Microsoft Learn ↗

About

GitHub Foundations (GH-900) is an entry-level certification designed for developers, students, and IT professionals who want to validate foundational understanding of GitHub's collaboration model, Git version control, repository management, and essential DevOps practices. The exam covers core GitHub features including repositories, commits, branches, pull requests, and GitHub's ecosystem of tools and services. Released as part of GitHub's official certification program administered through Microsoft Learn, GH-900 carries no prerequisites and is ideal for those beginning their journey in modern software development workflows. The certification is valid for 2 years with an affordable renewal path.

Target Audience

Who should pursue GH-900:

• Recent computer science graduates and career changers entering software development
• QA engineers, technical writers, or product managers seeking GitHub fluency
• DevOps practitioners looking to validate foundational cloud-native skills
• Students in computer science, information technology, or related programs
• Self-taught developers preparing for entry-level positions requiring version control mastery
• IT support staff transitioning into developer roles or development-adjacent positions

Exam Strategy

The GH-900 exam emphasizes practical, hands-on GitHub workflows rather than deep theoretical knowledge. Test takers commonly report that the exam focuses on:

1. Real-world repository scenarios and best practices
2. Identifying the correct Git command for a given situation
3. Understanding when to use GitHub features (Issues vs. Projects, Discussions, etc.)
4. Basic GitHub Actions syntax and trigger concepts
5. Collaboration workflows in distributed teams

Preparation time: Most candidates allocate 20–40 hours to GH-900 preparation, combining free Microsoft Learn modules with practice exams and hands-on lab work on actual GitHub repositories.

Domain context — DevOps

Entry-level foundational knowledge of version control systems, repository collaboration, and CI/CD enablement within the GitHub platform ecosystem. Candidates demonstrate understanding of Git fundamentals, GitHub workflows, and collaborative development practices that underpin modern DevOps culture.

Read full deep dive — GitHub DevOps Ecosystem →

Topics covered

The GH-900 exam is organized around core GitHub competencies. Official exam blueprint coverage areas include Git fundamentals, repository management, collaboration features, GitHub Actions automation, the broader GitHub ecosystem, and project management tools.

Topic Breakdown

Git Fundamentals (20–25% of exam)

• Understanding distributed version control vs. centralized systems
• Basic Git workflows: init, add, commit, push, pull
• Branching: creating, switching, deleting, and understanding main vs. feature branches
• Merging: fast-forward vs. three-way merges, understanding merge conflicts
• Rebasing basics and when to avoid it
• Git history and log inspection
• HEAD references and detached HEAD state
• Undoing changes: reset, revert, restore commands

Repository Management (15–20%)

• Creating and cloning repositories locally
• Forking vs. cloning: differences and use cases
• Understanding repository visibility: public, private, internal
• Setting up gitignore files and exclude patterns
• Repository settings: branch protection, default branch, rulesets
• Collaborator management and access levels (read, triage, write, maintain, admin)
• Understanding GitHub's three-tier permission model
• README files and repository documentation

Collaboration Features (20–25%)

• Pull request workflow: creation, review, approval, merging
• Code review best practices and commenting on PR changes
• Understanding GitHub Issues: labels, milestones, assignments
• Linking PRs to issues and automatic closure through keywords
• GitHub Discussions for asynchronous team conversations
• Mentioning and notification management
• Using templates for issues and pull requests

GitHub Actions (15–20%)

• Introduction to workflows and YAML syntax (basic level)
• Common triggers: push, pull_request, schedule, manual (workflow_dispatch)
• Understanding jobs, steps, and actions
• Built-in actions vs. community-contributed actions
• Environment variables and secrets management (foundational)
• Running workflows in containers and matrix builds (introductory)
• Workflow permissions and security considerations
• GitHub-hosted runners and basic runner concepts

GitHub Ecosystem (10–15%)

• GitHub Pages for static site hosting
• GitHub Copilot capabilities and limitations
• Security features: secret scanning, SAST scanning, Dependabot
• Understanding GitHub Advanced Security (GHAS) at a high level
• Open-source licensing and contributing to open-source
• GitHub Sponsors and community engagement

Project Management (10–15%)

• GitHub Projects: Kanban boards, table views, automation
• Milestones and release planning
• Issue templates and pull request templates
• Automation rules in Projects (basic)
• GitHub CLI introduction (gh command basics)
• Integration between Issues, PRs, and Projects

Source: Study guide for Exam GH-900: GitHub Foundations | Microsoft Learn ↗

Common skills at DevOps · Entry

Shared foundational competencies for entry-level DevOps roles — not specific to GitHub Foundations.

• Version control system fundamentals (centralized vs. distributed models)
• Command-line Git operations (clone, commit, push, pull, branch, merge)
• Code review and collaborative development practices
• Basic CI/CD pipeline concepts and automation
• Issue tracking and project tracking systems
• Branching strategies (feature branches, main branch protection)
• Pull request workflows and code quality standards
• Introduction to infrastructure automation and DevOps culture
• Basic security and access control in repositories
• Collaboration tools and team communication
• Understanding modern development workflows
• Documentation and knowledge sharing

Recommended courses at DevOps · Entry

Course-selection rule: GH-900 is a newer certification; dedicated courses are still emerging. GitHub's official GitHub Skills platform and Microsoft Learn provide free, officially-curated content. Most practice content on Udemy and Whizlabs is recent and specifically targeted at GH-900.

Practice exams

Books

Book note: As of May 2026, no major publisher (Sybex, O'Reilly, Pearson) has released a dedicated GH-900 study guide. Recommended study sources are the free Microsoft Learn learning paths and GitHub's official GitHub Skills platform. Community-created guides and practice question banks are available online but lack ISBN publication.

Typical job titles at DevOps · Entry

Junior DevOps Engineer · DevOps Intern · Junior Cloud Engineer · Support Engineer (DevOps) · Junior Systems Administrator · Site Reliability Engineer Intern · Build and Release Engineer · Junior Software Developer

(Job titles drawn from entry-level DevOps postings mentioning GitHub experience or certifications as preferred qualifications.)

Salary

Salary context: GH-900 is an entry-level certification; salary ranges reflect typical entry-level DevOps engineer positions in organizations using GitHub. Certified holders often earn at the lower to mid-range of entry-level pay bands (entry to 1–2 years experience). ZAR rates converted from USD averages using current exchange rates (~6.1 ZAR per USD as of May 2026).

Exam tips and strategy

Time management: With 120 minutes for 75 scored questions, candidates have approximately 1.5 minutes per question. The pre-test questions (unscored) do not consume official exam time and are typically given before the main exam begins.

Question types:

• Single-select (multiple choice): Choose one correct answer from four options.
• Multi-select: Choose all correct answers (candidates are typically told how many answers to select).
• Drag-and-drop: Ordering or matching scenarios (e.g., Git workflow steps in correct sequence).
• Hot-spot: Identifying correct regions in a diagram or interface screenshot.

Common pitfall areas:

• Confusing git merge with git rebase workflows
• Misunderstanding the difference between forking and branching
• Incorrect assumption about who can merge PRs based on permissions
• Git command syntax (especially push/pull with tracking branches)
• When to use Issues vs. Discussions vs. GitHub Projects
• Confusing upstream vs. origin repositories

Passing strategies:

1. Study the official Microsoft Learn path first (foundational knowledge)
2. Use GitHub Skills interactive labs to practice real workflows
3. Take practice exams to identify weak areas
4. Review questions you miss; understand why the answer is correct
5. Create a test repository on GitHub and practice Git commands hands-on
6. Spend extra time on GitHub Actions YAML syntax
7. Review security features (Dependabot, secret scanning) to basic familiarity level
8. Understand GitHub terminology precisely (fork vs. branch, PR vs. issue, etc.)

During the exam:

• Read questions carefully; answers are often technically correct but contextually wrong
• Skip difficult questions initially; return to them after completing easier ones
• Use the review feature to flag questions for final check
• Do not overthink edge cases; GH-900 tests foundational knowledge, not advanced scenarios
• Pay attention to scenario context (role, permissions, desired outcome)

Skills validated

Concrete technologies and practices validated by the GH-900 exam:

• Git version control system (clone, commit, push, pull, branch, merge, rebase)
• GitHub web interface and desktop clients
• GitHub repositories (creation, cloning, forking, syncing)
• Pull requests and code review workflows
• GitHub Issues and issue tracking
• GitHub Projects board (kanban-style project management)
• GitHub Actions (basic workflows, CI/CD introduction)
• GitHub Pages (static site hosting)
• GitHub Copilot (AI-assisted coding, foundational awareness)
• Repository protection rules and branch policies
• Merge conflict resolution
• Commit history and Git log analysis
• Collaboration within GitHub teams and organizations
• GitHub security features (SAST, dependency scanning introduction)
• Open-source contribution workflows
• GitHub CLI basics (gh command-line tool)
• Webhook and GitHub integration concepts

Related certifications

• Stacks with: GitHub Advanced Security (GH-002) ↗ (file not yet created)
• Prerequisite for: GitHub Actions (GH-003) ↗ (file not yet created)
• Replaces: N/A
• Equivalents at this level: AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) ↗ (file not yet created) · Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) ↗ (file not yet created)
• Vendor overview: GitHub Vendor Overview ↗ (file not yet created)

Comparison with similar entry-level certifications

GH-900 vs. AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02):

• GH-900 is hyperspecific to GitHub; CLF-C02 covers broad AWS services
• GH-900 emphasizes version control and collaboration; CLF-C02 emphasizes cloud infrastructure
• Both are vendor-specific entry points; GH-900 is narrower in scope
• GH-900 is $99; CLF-C02 is $100
• GH-900 typically requires 20–40 hours prep; CLF-C02 requires 40–60 hours

GH-900 vs. Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900):

• GH-900 focuses on Git and repository workflows; AZ-900 covers Azure cloud services
• AZ-900 is broader but less hands-on; GH-900 emphasizes practical workflows
• GH-900 is cheaper ($99 vs. typically $99–$100 for AZ-900)
• No overlap in knowledge domains; both complement each other

GH-900 vs. CompTIA A+ (entry IT support):

• GH-900 is developer-focused; CompTIA A+ is for IT support roles
• GH-900 is modern and cloud-native; CompTIA A+ covers legacy systems
• No overlap; different career paths

Recommended stacking for DevOps entry level: GH-900 pairs well with complementary certifications:

1. GH-900 (GitHub Foundations) — version control and collaboration
2. GitHub Actions (GH-003) ↗ — CI/CD automation (follow-on)
3. AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) ↗ — cloud infrastructure basics
4. Docker Associate — containerization (optional, complements GitHub/AWS knowledge)

Together, these provide a well-rounded entry-level DevOps foundation covering version control, automation, cloud infrastructure, and containerization.

Sources

• GitHub Certifications homepage: https://examregistration.github.com/exam/GHF
• Microsoft Learn GH-900 Study Guide: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/resources/study-guides/gh-900
• GitHub Foundations Certification Page: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/github-foundations/
• GitHub Skills (free learning platform): https://skills.github.com/
• GitHub Docs — About GitHub Certifications: https://docs.github.com/en-us/get-started/showcase-your-expertise-with-github-certifications/about-github-certifications
• GitHub Learn — Certification Details: https://learn.github.com/certification/GHF
• Glassdoor Entry-Level DevOps Engineer Salary: https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/entry-level-devops-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,27.htm
• Robert Half 2026 Tech Salary Guide: https://www.roberthalf.com/us/en/insights/salary-guide/technology
• PayScale South Africa DevOps Engineer: https://www.payscale.com/research/ZA/Job=Development_Operations_(DevOps)_Engineer/Salary
• Indeed South Africa DevOps Salaries: https://za.indeed.com/career/devops-engineer/salaries
• Whizlabs GH-900 Course: https://www.whizlabs.com/github-foundations-certification-course/
• Tutorials Dojo GH-900 Practice Exams: https://portal.tutorialsdojo.com/courses/gh-900-github-foundations-practice-exams/

Last verified: 2026-05-01

Parent ecosystem: GitHub DevOps Ecosystem

Parent domain: DevOps

Vendor overview: GitHub Vendor Overview