Installing and Configuring Git

Before using Git seriously, configure your identity and a few defaults.

Git records the author name and email on every commit. That is how teams know who created a change.

Check whether Git is installed

Run:

git --version

If Git is installed, you will see something like:

git version 2.x.x

Set your name and email

Use the same name and email you want attached to commits:

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

Check the values:

git config --global user.name
git config --global user.email

Set the default branch name

Many teams use main as the default branch:

git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Now when you run git init, Git starts with main.

Set a default editor

Git sometimes opens an editor for commit messages, merge messages, or rebase steps.

Example for VS Code:

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

If you are not sure, this can wait. You can still create commits with git commit -m.

Create a repository

Inside a project folder:

git init

This creates a hidden .git directory.

That .git directory stores Git history and metadata. Do not delete it unless you intentionally want to remove Git tracking from the project.

Authentication with GitHub

When you push to GitHub, GitHub needs to know who you are.

Common authentication options:

• HTTPS with a personal access token.
• SSH key connected to your GitHub account.
• GitHub CLI login.

For beginners, the important idea is:

Git tracks history locally. GitHub authentication is only needed when talking to GitHub.

Common mistake

Do not put passwords or tokens inside Git commits.

If a secret is committed and pushed, deleting the line later is not enough. The secret may still exist in Git history.

Use environment variables, secret managers, or GitHub Actions secrets instead.

Quick checklist

Run these once on a new machine:

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

Then use git init for a new local project or git clone for an existing remote project.