Git Installation and Configuration

Installing Git is the first step to using it. This chapter will guide you through installing Git on various operating systems and performing basic configuration.

1. What You'll Learn

• Install Git on Windows, Linux, and macOS
• Set up your username and email address
• Set the default editor
• Verify that the installation was successful
• Basic Git Configuration Options

2. Installing Git on Windows

(1) 2.1 Method 1: Using the Official Installer (Recommended)

Steps:

1. Visit the Git website: https://git-scm.com/download/win
2. Download the latest installation package (approximately 50 MB)
3. Run the installer and follow the wizard to complete the installation

Options During Installation:

▶ Example: Verifying the Git Installation

# InspectionGitVersion
git --version

# ViewGitInstallation Path
where git

# ViewGitLayout
git config --list

(2) 2.2 Method 2: Using a Package Manager

Using Chocolatey:

choco install git

Using Scoop:

scoop install git

(3) 2.3 Verifying the Installation

Open Git Bash or PowerShell, and type:

git --version

The output looks something like this:

git version 2.43.0

3. Installing Git on Linux

(1) 3.1 Installation Commands for Each Distribution

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git

Fedora:

sudo dnf install git

CentOS/RHEL:

sudo yum install git

Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S git

openSUSE:

sudo zypper install git

(2) 3.2 Compiling from Source (To Get the Latest Version)

# Install Dependencies
sudo apt install libcurl4-openssl-dev libexpat1-dev libssl-dev zlib1g-dev

# Download the source code
wget https://github.com/git/git/archive/refs/tags/v2.43.0.tar.gz
tar -xzf v2.43.0.tar.gz
cd git-2.43.0

# Compile and Install
make prefix=/usr/local all
sudo make prefix=/usr/local install

(3) 3.3 Verifying the Installation

git --version

The output looks something like this:

git version 2.43.0

4. Installing Git on macOS

(1) 4.1 Method 1: Using the Xcode Command Line Tools (Recommended)

macOS comes with Git pre-installed, but it may not be the latest version. Installing the Xcode Command Line Tools will update Git:

xcode-select --install

An installation dialog box will pop up; just click "Install."

(2) 4.2 Method 2: Using Homebrew

brew install git

(3) 4.3 Method 3: Using the Official Installation Package

1. Visit: https://git-scm.com/download/mac
2. Download the DMG file
3. Double-click to install

(4) 4.4 Verify the Installation

git --version

The output looks something like this:

git version 2.43.0

5. Basic Git Configuration

After installing Git, you'll need to perform some basic configuration. Git configuration is divided into three levels:

(1) 5.1 Configure Username and Email Address (Required)

Git needs to know who committed the code, so you must configure your username and email address:

# Configure Global Username
git config --global user.name "Zhang San"

# Configure a Global Email Account
git config --global user.email "zhangsan@example.com"

Note: Your email address will be used to link your GitHub/GitLab account, so we recommend using a valid email address.

(2) 5.2 Configuring the Default Editor

Git requires you to enter a commit message when making a commit; by default, it uses the system editor.

Configuring VS Code:

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

Configuring Vim:

git config --global core.editor "vim"

Configuring Nano:

git config --global core.editor "nano"

(3) 5.3 Configuring the Default Branch Name

Git 2.28 and later support configuring the default branch name:

git config --global init.defaultBranch main

(4) 5.4 Configuring Line Break Conversion (Cross-Platform Collaboration)

Windows Users:

# Convert to upon detectionCRLF，Convert upon submission toLF
git config --global core.autocrlf true

Linux/macOS users:

# Do not convert when detected，Convert upon submission toLF
git config --global core.autocrlf input

(5) 5.5 Configuring Aliases (for Efficiency)

Set short aliases for commonly used 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.lg "log --oneline --graph --all"

Using aliases:

git st      # equivalent to git status
git co main # equivalent to git checkout main
git lg      # equivalent to git log --oneline --graph --all

6. View Configuration

(1) 6.1 View All Configurations

git config --list

Output example:

user.name=Zhang San
user.email=zhangsan@example.com
core.editor=code --wait
init.defaultbranch=main
core.autocrlf=true

(2) 6.2 Viewing Specific Configuration Items

git config user.name

Output:

Zhang San

(3) 6.3 Viewing the Location of Configuration Files

# View System-Level Configuration
git config --system --list

# View Global-Level Configuration
git config --global --list

# View Local-Level Configuration
git config --local --list

7. Git GUI Tools

In addition to the command line, Git also offers graphical tools:

(1) 7.1 Git's Built-in GUI

git gui      # Git GUI
gitk         # GitHistory Viewer

(2) 7.2 Third-Party GUI Tools

8. SSH Key Configuration (Optional but Recommended)

When communicating with GitHub or GitLab, SSH is more convenient than HTTPS (since you don't have to enter your password every time).

(1) 8.1 Generating SSH Keys

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "zhangsan@example.com"

Press Enter three times (use the default path; do not set a password).

(2) 8.2 Viewing the Public Key

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

(3) 8.3 Adding to GitHub

1. Copy the public key
2. Login to GitHub → Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key
3. Paste the public key and save it

(4) 8.4 Testing the Connection

ssh -T git@github.com

Successful output:

Hi zhangsan! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

❓ FAQ

📖 Summary

• Git supports the three major platforms: Windows, Linux, and macOS
• On Windows, we recommend using the official installer or a package manager to install it.
• Install using the package manager for each Linux distribution
• Install on macOS using the Xcode Command Line Tools or Homebrew
• You must configure a username and email address: git config --global user.name/email
• Configurable editor, default branch names, line break conversion, aliases, and more
• Once SSH keys are configured, you can communicate with GitHub/GitLab without entering a password.
• There are several GUI tools available for Git

📝 Exercises

1. Basic Exercise: Install Git on your computer, configure your username and email address, and use git --version and git config --list to verify the installation and configuration.

2. Advanced Exercise: Configure Git aliases; set up aliases for at least three commonly used commands, and execute these commands using the aliases.

3. Challenge: Generate an SSH key, add it to your GitHub account, and test whether the SSH connection works.

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