Part 2: Getting Started with Git

Level: 🟢 Beginner ➡ 🔵 Expert Goal: Install Git, configure your identity, and create your first repository.

2.1 Installing Git

Windows 🪟

  1. Download the installer from the official Git website.
  2. Run the installer. Keep the default options (they are well chosen).
  3. After install, open Git Bash (a Unix-like terminal bundled with Git).

macOS 🍏

The easiest way is via Homebrew (a package manager):

# Install Homebrew first if you do not have it
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Then install Git
brew install git

💡 Pro Tip: Installing Xcode Command Line Tools (xcode-select --install) also installs Git on macOS.

Linux 🐧 (Debian/Ubuntu)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y git

Verify Installation (any OS)

git --version

You should see output like git version 2.39.2 (or newer).

⚠️ Warning: If git --version fails, Git is not on your PATH. Re-check your installation steps.

2.2 Git Configuration (git config)

Git needs to know who you are — every commit is stamped with your identity.

Level 1: Global Configuration (your whole machine)

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

View your configuration

git config --list
git config --list --global      # only global settings
git config user.name            # just one value

The three config levels

Scope Command Applies to
System git config --system Every user on the machine
Global git config --global All repos of the current user
Local git config --local (default) Only the current repo

⚠️ Warning: Your commit email is what appears publicly on GitHub. Consider using a privacy-protected email (GitHub provides a noreply alias) or a professional email.

2.3 Initializing a Repository (git init)

A repository is a folder Git is tracking. Creating one is instant:

mkdir my-first-repo
cd my-first-repo
git init
  • This creates a hidden .git folder — the "brain" of the repo (we explore it in Part 8).
  • Run ls -a and you will see .git/ appear.

⚠️ Warning: Never run git init in your home folder or an entire drive. Keep one repo per project.

Cloning vs Initializing

  • git init → start a brand-new project locally.
  • git clone → copy an existing project (more in Part 5).
graph TD
    N["New project? Run git init"] --> T["Project exists online? Run git clone"]

🟢 Beginner Example — First Repo Setup

You are creating your first ever repository — a folder for your recipes.

# 1. Create and enter the project folder
mkdir my-recipes
cd my-recipes

# 2. Set your identity (do this once per machine)
git config --global user.name "Maria Khan"
git config --global user.email "maria.khan@example.com"

# 3. Turn the folder into a repo
git init

# 4. Check it worked
git status

Expected output shows: On branch main and No commits yet. Your repo is alive! 🎉

🔵 Expert Example — Global Config with Multiple Identities

As a professional, you may work on personal projects, client projects, and open-source projects — each needing a different identity (and maybe different email).

Option A: Per-repo overrides

# Global default = personal
git config --global user.name "Alex Chen"
git config --global user.email "alex@personal.dev"

# Inside the client repo, override just for THIS repo
cd /work/acme/client-project
git config user.name "Alex Chen (Acme)"
git config user.email "alex.chen@acme.com"

Local settings override global settings, and system settings are the fallback.

Option B: Conditional includes (clean & professional)

Use one global config file that includes different files based on folder:

# ~/.gitconfig
[user]
    name = Alex Chen
    email = alex@personal.dev

[includeIf "gitdir:~/work/acme/"]
    path = ~/.gitconfig-acme

[includeIf "gitdir:~/opensource/"]
    path = ~/.gitconfig-oss

# ~/.gitconfig-acme
[user]
    name = Alex Chen
    email = alex.chen@acme.com

# ~/.gitconfig-oss
[user]
    name = Alex Chen
    email = alex@opensource.dev

Now Git automatically picks the right identity based on which folder you are in. No more forgetting to switch! 🎯

💡 Pro Tip: Configure a default editor and diff tool once: bash git config --global core.editor "code --wait" git config --global core.autocrlf input # avoid Windows line-ending chaos git config --global init.defaultBranch main # use "main" for new repos

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • ❌ Typing the wrong email — you will keep committing as the wrong identity.
  • ❌ git init in the wrong folder — e.g., your Documents folder.
  • ❌ Copying another user's config — SSH keys and user data should never be shared.
  • ❌ Forgetting --global — then config applies only to the current repo, and the next repo "forgets" you.

✅ Key Takeaways

  • Install Git via the official site (Windows), Homebrew (macOS), or apt (Linux).
  • git config sets your identity at three scopes: system, global, local.
  • git init creates a new repository (creates a hidden .git/ folder).
  • Professionals use per-repo overrides or conditional includes to manage multiple identities.

📍 Next Steps