Git Quick Start Guide

TLDR

Make sure to install Git on your computer.
- Windows: Download and install Git and Git for Windows
- MacOS: Run git --version. This will prompt you to install Git if not already installed.
- Linux: Run sudo apt install git-all or sudo dnf install git-all depending on your distribution.
Check Git has been installed with git --version in a Bash Terminal.

Configure your identity for commits with the git config command:

git config --global user.name "Peter Parker"
git config --global user.email "peterparker@example.com

Pre-requisites

Pre-requisite	Importance	Note
Introduction to Git	Necessary	It is important to get an understanding of Git before starting to use it

Install Git

Installing Git is a simple and straightforward process. You might have it already installed on your system, however, it is good to verify and make sure you are using the latest version of Git.

WindowsMacOSLinux

Download Git from the Git-SCM website. In addition, install Git for Windows, which is a project that provides additional tools to use Git in the Windows OS, including Git Bash and Git Credential Manager (GCM).

Info

During the installation of Git for Windows, you will be asked to select a credential helper, with GCM listed as the default. It is recommended that you keep this set to GCM as it will enable caching of remote repository credentials in the GitHub and GitLab quick start guides.

Once installed, open Git Bash to verify it is installed:

git --version

In the Terminal run:

git --version

This will detect if Git is installed and provide the version number if it is. If it is not installed, it will prompt you to install it.

Once installed, run the above command again to check it is installed.

Git is normally already installed on Linux, but it is good to update to the latest version anyway.

You can install Git through the package management tool that comes with your distribution of Linux:

Debian/Ubuntu based distributionsFedora/CentOS based distributions

In the Terminal:

sudo apt install git-all

In the Terminal:

sudo dnf install git-all

Once installed, run the following command verify it is installed:

git --version

First-Time Configuration

Now that you have Git on your system, there are a few things you can do to customise your Git environment. To do this we are going to use the git config tool.

We are going to use the --global flag to set these values for all your repositories.

Why does Git need these details?

Git uses these details in every commit you make; it is immutably baked into them.

When you later examine the Git history, you will be able to see who did what.

The first properties we are going to set are your name and email address:

git config --global user.name "Peter Parker"
git config --global user.email "peterparker@example.com

You can confirm they have been set with the following commands:

git config user.name
git config user.email

Optional Settings

Default Editor

Next, we can configure the default text editor that will be used when Git needs you to type in a message. This is optional, as if this property is not set, Git will just use your systems default editor.

We can use the following commands to configure this setting:

Windows NotepadVisual Studio CodeEmacsOther Editors

git config --global core.editor notepad

git config --global core.editor "code --wait" # (1)!

The --wait flag instructs Git to wait for the message file to close before continuing.

git config --global core.editor emacs

There are a wide variety of editors for you to use. Use the one that suits you.

The Pro Git Book has an appendix section with how to set different editors.

Setting your default branch name

When you create a new repository with git init, Git will by default call the branch master. More recently, it has become convention to set your default branch to main, as it is a more neutral term.

To change this setting, run:

git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Other settings

We can set a lot of other settings with git config, although usually is best to leave these settings be, especially as a beginner. However, as you get to grips with Git, you might want to further tweak your experience:

Git Aliases are a great way to create shorthand commands.
Credential Storage allows you to change the default method for storing HTTP passwords.
Git Configuration explains all parts of the git config command and what you can do.

Checking your configuration settings

You can view all of your settings in two ways:

Command LineInspecting the .gitconfig file

In a Bash Terminal run:

git config --list --show-origin

The .gitconfig file for global configuration variables is normally stored in the $HOME directory. For Windows users this is usually C:\Users\$USER. For MacOS and Linux this is usually /home/$USER.

If you have set your configuration setting with other locality flags (--system or --local), take a look at the Pro Git book section on First-Time Git Setup.

Try Git Out

We have a full detailed walkthrough of using Git for the first time to commit work. However, let's quickly go through some commands to ensure your set up is working correctly.

Try Git Out

In a suitable place on your computer, this can be your $HOME folder (usually C:\Users\$USER for Windows or /home/$USER for MacOS and Linux), or any other folder where you want to store repositories:

Create a new folder, call it my_first_repository. You can do this manually or via the command line using the make directory, mkdir, command:
```
mkdir my_first_repository
```
Move into the folder via the command line:
```
cd my_first_repository
```
Initialise a repository:
```
git init
```
Create a empty file called new_file.txt with the touch command:
```
touch new_file.txt
```
Add the new file to the staging area and start tracking it:
```
git add new_file.txt
```
Commit the file. Add a simple message using the -m flag:
```
git commit -m "Added new_file.txt`
```
If you have set your editor in the optional settings above, you can test it out by leaving off the -m "<message>" from the git commit. This will prompt the default editor to open. Write your commit message there and then close to submit it.
View your recent commit with git log. Press q to exit the pager view of the log:
```
git log
```

Next Steps

Now that you have set up your Git environment, you will want to set up your access to a remote repository service such as GitHub or GitLab. This will enable you clone repositories from internet, as well as push and back-up your local repositories and start collaborating on them.

Last update: March 1, 2024

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