Installing and Setting Up Git

Git runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. After installation, you’ll configure your identity so Git knows who’s making changes.

Installation

Windows

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

macOS

brew install git

Or install Xcode Command Line Tools.

Linux

sudo apt install git    # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install git    # Fedora

Configuring Your Identity

Set your name and email so commits are attributed to you:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

Setting Default Editor

Choose your preferred editor for commit messages:

git config --global core.editor "code --wait"    # VS Code
git config --global core.editor "vim"            # Vim
git config --global core.editor "nano"           # Nano

Viewing Configuration

Check all your settings:

git config --list

Best Practices

Use your real name and email for professional projects
Set your editor to something you’re comfortable with
Use --global for system-wide settings
Use --local for project-specific settings

Common Mistakes

Forgetting to set your name and email
Using a fake email that doesn’t match your accounts
Not setting an editor (Git will use a default you might not know)
Installing Git without adding it to PATH