Installing and Configuring Git

Before you can use Git, you need to install it and set up your identity. This lesson covers installation on all major platforms and essential configuration.

Installing Git

Windows

There are several ways to install Git on Windows:

Option 1: Git for Windows (Recommended)

1. Download from git-scm.com
2. Run the installer
3. Accept the default options (or customize as needed)
4. Git Bash will be installed for command-line access

Option 2: Using winget

winget install Git.Git

Option 3: Using Chocolatey

choco install git

macOS

Option 1: Xcode Command Line Tools

xcode-select --install

Option 2: Homebrew (Recommended)

brew install git

Option 3: Download Installer Download from git-scm.com

Linux

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git

Fedora:

sudo dnf install git

Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S git

Verifying Installation

After installation, open a terminal and verify Git is installed:

git --version

You should see output like:

git version 2.43.0

Configuring Git

Git needs to know who you are for commit attribution. This information is attached to every commit you make.

Setting Your Identity

Configure your name and email (use your real information):

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

Configuration Levels

Git has three configuration levels:

Level	Flag	Location	Scope
System	--system	/etc/gitconfig	All users on the system
Global	--global	~/.gitconfig	All repos for current user
Local	--local	.git/config	Current repository only

Local settings override global, which override system.

Viewing Configuration

To see your current configuration:

# Show all settings
git config --list

# Show specific setting
git config user.name
git config user.email

Essential Configuration Options

Default Branch Name

Set the default branch name for new repositories:

git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Default Editor

Set your preferred text editor for commit messages:

# VS Code
git config --global core.editor "code --wait"

# Vim
git config --global core.editor "vim"

# Nano
git config --global core.editor "nano"

# Notepad++ (Windows)
git config --global core.editor "'C:/Program Files/Notepad++/notepad++.exe' -multiInst -notabbar -nosession -noPlugin"

Line Endings

Configure how Git handles line endings across platforms:

# Windows: Convert LF to CRLF when checking out
git config --global core.autocrlf true

# Mac/Linux: Convert CRLF to LF when committing
git config --global core.autocrlf input

Colorful Output

Enable colored output (usually enabled by default):

git config --global color.ui auto

Useful Aliases

Aliases create shortcuts for common commands:

# Short status
git config --global alias.st status

# Short commit
git config --global alias.co checkout

# Pretty log
git config --global alias.lg "log --oneline --graph --decorate"

# Amend last commit
git config --global alias.amend "commit --amend --no-edit"

Now you can use:

git st        # instead of git status
git co main   # instead of git checkout main
git lg        # pretty one-line log with graph

Exercise: Configure Git

Configure your Git identity and verify the settings:

SSH vs HTTPS Authentication

When connecting to remote repositories like GitHub, you can use SSH or HTTPS:

HTTPS

• Easier to set up
• Works through firewalls
• Requires entering credentials (or using a credential manager)

SSH (Recommended)

• More secure
• No password prompts after setup
• Requires generating SSH keys

To set up SSH keys:

# Generate a new SSH key
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your.email@example.com"

# Start the SSH agent
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

# Add your key to the agent
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

# Copy your public key
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
# Add this to your GitHub account settings

Troubleshooting

"git is not recognized"

• Windows: Restart your terminal or computer
• Add Git to your PATH manually

Permission Issues

• Linux/Mac: Use sudo for system-wide installation
• Check file permissions in your home directory

SSL Certificate Issues

# Only if you understand the security implications
git config --global http.sslVerify false

Summary

• Install Git using your platform's package manager or installer
• Verify installation with git --version
• Configure your identity with user.name and user.email
• Set useful options like init.defaultBranch and core.editor
• Create aliases for frequently used commands
• Consider setting up SSH keys for authentication

In the next lesson, we'll create your first Git repository!