Set up Git

[hydrolet]

Why this task matters

Git is the version control tool that connects your local project folder to the shared repository on GitHub. It lets you clone the project, save your work, and sync changes with your team.

Steps (Windows)

1. Download Git
   Go to https://git-scm.com and download the Windows installer.
2. Install Git
   • Run the installer.
   • Accept the default recommended settings except:
     • When prompted about "Adjusting the name of the initial branch...", choose to override the default and write in main (instead of master).
3. Open Git Bash
   • Method 1
   • Right-click inside any folder where you’ll be working (e.g., Documents or Desktop).
   • Select Git Bash Here from the menu. This opens a terminal window in that folder.
   • Method 2
   • Open Git Bash first, then navigate to your working directory/folder within Git using the "cd" command (change directory) followed by the name of the directory you want to go to cd directory-name
4. Check that Git was installed correctly
   • Type: git --version
   • You should see something like: git version 2.42.0
5. Tell Git who you are (do this once)

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

• This info gets attached to your commits so your team knows who made which changes.

�git config --global credential.helper manager-core

• This remembers your GitHub login so you’re not asked every time you push.

✅ Done! Git is installed, configured, and ready to connect to GitHub.

Video

Steps (macOS)

1. Install Git using Homebrew
   • If you haven’t installed Homebrew yet, open Terminal and run:

�/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

• Then install Git:

�brew install git

2. Open Terminal
   • You can search for Terminal in Spotlight or find it in Applications > Utilities.
3. Check that Git was installed correctly
   • Type: git --version
   • You should see something like: git version 2.42.0
4. Tell Git who you are (do this once)

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

• This info gets attached to your commits so your team knows who made which changes.

6. (Optional) Set up Git Credential Storage
   • macOS uses the Keychain Access system to store credentials.
   • You can enable this using:

�git config --global credential.helper osxkeychain

• If needed, install the helper using Homebrew:

�brew install git-credential-osxkeychain

✅ Done! Git is installed, configured, and ready to connect to GitHub.