LAMP Stack Modernization with Dev Containers¶

flowchart TD
    A["Existing LAMP Site (Remote Server)"]
    B["Initialize Git Repo"]
    C["Connect to GitHub (SSH Keys)"]
    D["Push to GitHub"]
    E["Clone Repo Locally / in Dev Container"]
    F["Local Dev in Dev Container"]
    G["Commit & Push Changes"]
    H["Pull Changes to Remote Server"]
    I["Branch for ClientA"]
    J["Branch for ClientB"]
    K["Deploy to Production"]

    A --> B
    B --> C
    C --> D
    D --> E
    E --> F
    F --> G
    G --> D
    D --> H
    H --> K
    G --> I
    G --> J
    I --> G
    J --> G

Rapid Git & Modern Workflow Learning Plan - LAMP Stack with Dev Containers¶

Audience: Developers with an existing LAMP site, not yet using Git, working over VS Code SSH remote, and needing to modernize their workflow with local development, version control, and branching.

Module 1: Why Version Control? (And Why Now)¶

What you gain: Safer changes, easy rollbacks, collaboration, and a clear history.
Agent prompt: "Explain why I should use Git for my website and what problems it will solve for me."

Module 2: Setting Up Git for Your Existing Site¶

Initialize Git in your project directory (remote or local):
git init
Add your files and make your first commit:
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit of existing site"
Agent prompt: "Guide me through initializing Git for my existing site and making my first commit."

Module 3: Connecting to GitHub (and SSH Key Management)¶

Generate an SSH key (if needed):
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"
Add your SSH key to GitHub.
Troubleshoot SSH agent and VS Code SSH remote issues.
Agent prompt: "Help me set up SSH keys so I can push to GitHub from my VS Code SSH remote session without conflicts."

Module 4: Local Development with Dev Containers¶

Why use a dev container? Consistent, isolated environment for LAMP stack development.
Agent prompt: "Help me create a devcontainer for my LAMP stack site, even though I don't know Docker or Podman."
Tasks: Use VS Code's "Add Dev Container Configuration" feature. Agent can generate a starter .devcontainer/devcontainer.json and Dockerfile for LAMP. Test running the site locally in the container.

Module 5: Workflow—From Local to Remote¶

Recommended flow:
Develop and test locally in the devcontainer.
Commit and push changes to GitHub.
Pull changes to the remote server for deployment.
Agent prompt: "Show me a safe workflow for developing locally and deploying to my remote LAMP server using Git."

Module 6: Branching for Multiple Clients¶

Create and manage branches for different clients:
git checkout -b clientA
git checkout -b clientB
Agent prompt: "How do I keep two versions of my site for different clients using Git branches?"

Module 7: Best Practices & Troubleshooting¶

.gitignore for LAMP: Exclude vendor/, node_modules/, .env, etc.
Agent prompt: "What should I put in my .gitignore for a LAMP stack site?"
Common issues: SSH key conflicts, merge conflicts, pushing/pulling from remote.

Resources & Deep Dives¶

Tip: At every step, use your agent to ask for explanations, troubleshooting, or to generate config files for you!