If you already have a GitHub account, skip this section. If you do not have a GitHub account, we will walk you through the steps to create one. Creating a GitHub account is essential for using JupyterLab with some of the programs and tools that will be covered in later chapters.

Follow these steps to create a GitHub account:

1. Go to the GitHub website (https://github.com/) and click on the Sign Up button on the upper right-hand section of the screen.
2. Choose a username and password and enter an email address. Complete the security verification and proceed to the next step.
3. Select the Free account option under Individual Plans.
4. Answer or skip the optional questions about programming and plans for GitHub use.
5. Finally, create your first repository. Choose a name for it and set it to Public or Private, as shown in the following screenshot: 

Once you click the Create repository button, you will see a screen that looks like the one shown in the following screenshot. To learn more about GitHub, click on the Read the guide button at the top of the screen, or navigate to the following web page: https://guides.github.com/activities/hello-world/. You can also click on the hyperlinks below this link so that you can start creating or adding new files to your repository:

Congratulations on creating a GitHub account! You will use your new account throughout this book.