Setup

Git Setup and Configuration¶

Before you can start using Git, you need to install it and configure it properly. This guide will walk you through the installation process and essential configuration steps.

Installing Git¶

Windows¶

Option 1: Official Git for Windows

Download the installer from git-scm.com
Run the downloaded .exe file
Follow the installation wizard (recommended settings are usually fine)
During installation, you can choose:
Your default editor (Vim, Nano, VS Code, etc.)
PATH environment settings (recommended: "Git from the command line and also from 3rd-party software")
Line ending conversions (recommended: "Checkout Windows-style, commit Unix-style")

Option 2: Using Package Manager (Chocolatey)

choco install git

Option 3: Using Package Manager (Winget)

winget install --id Git.Git -e --source winget

macOS¶

Option 1: Using Homebrew (Recommended)

brew install git

Option 2: Using Xcode Command Line Tools

xcode-select --install

This installs Apple's version of Git, which may be slightly outdated.

Option 3: Official Installer

Download from git-scm.com and run the installer.

Linux¶

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git

Fedora:

sudo dnf install git

Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S git

CentOS/RHEL:

sudo yum install git

Verifying Installation¶

After installation, verify that Git is properly installed by checking the version:

git --version

You should see output similar to:

git version 2.42.0

The exact version number will vary depending on when you installed Git.

Essential Configuration¶

Git needs to know who you are before you can make commits. At minimum, you must configure your name and email address.

Setting Your Identity¶

Configure your name:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"

Configure your email:

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

Why this matters: Every Git commit includes this information, and it's permanently baked into the commits you create. For GitHub, GitLab, or other platforms, use the email associated with your account.

Example:

git config --global user.name "Jane Doe"
git config --global user.email "jane.doe@example.com"

Setting Your Default Editor¶

Git uses a text editor for commit messages and other text input. Choose one you're comfortable with:

VS Code:

git config --global core.editor "code --wait"

Sublime Text:

git config --global core.editor "subl -n -w"

Nano:

git config --global core.editor "nano"

Vim:

git config --global core.editor "vim"

Emacs:

git config --global core.editor "emacs"

Why this matters: When you commit changes without a message (using git commit without -m), Git opens this editor for you to write your commit message.

Line Ending Preferences¶

Different operating systems use different characters to represent line endings in text files. Git can handle this automatically.

Windows:

git config --global core.autocrlf true

This converts LF to CRLF on checkout and CRLF to LF on commit.

macOS/Linux:

git config --global core.autocrlf input

This converts CRLF to LF on commit but doesn't convert on checkout.

Why this matters: This prevents issues when collaborating with people on different operating systems and keeps your repository consistent.

Default Branch Name¶

Modern Git repositories use main as the default branch name instead of master:

git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Why this matters: This sets the default branch name for new repositories you create with git init.

Configuration Levels¶

Git has three levels of configuration, each overriding the previous level:

System Level¶

Applies to every user on the system and all their repositories.

git config --system user.name "System User"

Location: - Linux/macOS: /etc/gitconfig - Windows: C:\Program Files\Git\etc\gitconfig

Note: Requires administrator/root privileges.

Global Level¶

Applies to all repositories for the current user.

git config --global user.name "Your Name"

Location: - Linux/macOS: ~/.gitconfig or ~/.config/git/config - Windows: C:\Users\YourUsername\.gitconfig

Most commonly used for personal settings.

Local Level (Repository)¶

Applies only to the specific repository where you set it.

git config --local user.name "Project Specific Name"

Or simply:

git config user.name "Project Specific Name"

Location: .git/config inside the repository

Use case: Different email for work vs. personal projects, or specific settings for a particular project.

Priority Order¶

Local > Global > System

Settings at a more specific level override those at a broader level.

Checking Your Configuration¶

View All Settings¶

git config --list

This shows all settings from all levels.

View Settings with Origins¶

git config --list --show-origin

This shows where each setting is coming from (which config file).

View a Specific Setting¶

git config user.name

View Global Settings Only¶

git config --global --list

View Local Settings Only¶

git config --local --list

Setting Up SSH Keys (Optional but Recommended)¶

SSH keys provide a secure way to authenticate with remote repositories like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket without entering your password each time.

Check for Existing SSH Keys¶

ls -al ~/.ssh

Look for files named id_rsa.pub, id_ecdsa.pub, id_ed25519.pub, etc.

Generate a New SSH Key¶

Using Ed25519 (Recommended):

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your.email@example.com"

Using RSA (if Ed25519 isn't supported):

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your.email@example.com"

Press Enter to accept the default file location, then optionally enter a passphrase.

Add SSH Key to SSH Agent¶

Start the SSH agent:

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

Add your key:

ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

(Replace id_ed25519 with id_rsa if you used RSA)

Add SSH Key to Your Git Hosting Service¶

Copy your public key to clipboard:

macOS:

pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Linux:

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | xclip -selection clipboard

Or simply:

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Then manually copy the output.

Windows (Git Bash):

clip < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Add to GitHub: 1. Go to Settings > SSH and GPG keys 2. Click "New SSH key" 3. Paste your key and give it a descriptive title 4. Click "Add SSH key"

Add to GitLab: 1. Go to Preferences > SSH Keys 2. Paste your key in the "Key" field 3. Add a title and optional expiration date 4. Click "Add key"

Test Your SSH Connection¶

GitHub:

ssh -T git@github.com

GitLab:

ssh -T git@gitlab.com

You should see a success message like: "Hi username! You've successfully authenticated..."

Common Initial Setup Best Practices¶

1. Configure Helpful Aliases¶

Aliases can save you time by creating shortcuts for common commands:

git config --global alias.st status
git config --global alias.co checkout
git config --global alias.br branch
git config --global alias.ci commit
git config --global alias.unstage 'reset HEAD --'
git config --global alias.last 'log -1 HEAD'
git config --global alias.visual 'log --oneline --graph --decorate --all'

Now you can use git st instead of git status.

2. Enable Colored Output¶

Make Git output easier to read:

git config --global color.ui auto

3. Set Default Push Behavior¶

Configure how Git handles pushes:

git config --global push.default simple

Or for Git 2.0+:

git config --global push.default current

4. Enable Credential Caching¶

Avoid typing your password repeatedly:

macOS:

git config --global credential.helper osxkeychain

Linux:

git config --global credential.helper cache

Or for longer timeout (1 hour):

git config --global credential.helper 'cache --timeout=3600'

Windows:

git config --global credential.helper wincred

Or use Git Credential Manager:

git config --global credential.helper manager

5. Configure Pull Behavior¶

Specify how Git should reconcile divergent branches:

git config --global pull.rebase false

Options: - false - merge (default) - true - rebase - only - fast-forward only

6. Set Up .gitignore Global¶

Create a global gitignore file for files you never want to commit:

git config --global core.excludesfile ~/.gitignore_global

Then create the file:

touch ~/.gitignore_global

Add common files to ignore (edit with your preferred editor):

# macOS
.DS_Store
.AppleDouble
.LSOverride

# Windows
Thumbs.db
Desktop.ini

# Linux
*~

# IDEs
.vscode/
.idea/
*.swp
*.swo

# Logs
*.log

Verification Checklist¶

After completing your setup, verify everything is configured correctly:

# Check Git version
git --version

# Verify identity
git config user.name
git config user.email

# View all configuration
git config --list

# Test SSH (if configured)
ssh -T git@github.com

Next Steps¶

Now that Git is installed and configured, you're ready to: - Create your first repository - Start tracking changes - Collaborate with others

Your Git configuration is stored in plain text files, so you can always edit them manually or use git config commands to make changes later.

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