How do I install git and configure basics?

# Install Git Choose your OS: **Windows**: Download installer from [https://git-scm.com/download/win](https://git-scm.com/download/win) and run it. 57 **macOS**: Run `xcode-select --install` in Terminal or download from [https://git-scm.com/download/mac](https://git-scm.com/download/mac). 57 **Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)**: `sudo apt update && sudo apt install git` 57 Verify: `git --version` # First-Time Setup ```bash git config --global user.name "Your Name" git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com" ``` Verify: `git config --list` 72

How do I create your first local repository?

# Initialize a New Repo ```bash mkdir myproject cd myproject git init ``` This creates `.git` directory. 58 # Add Files and First Commit Create `README.md`, then: ```bash git add README.md git commit -m "Initial commit" ``` # Clone Existing (Practice) ```bash git clone https://github.com/git/git.git git clone https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2 mylibgit ``` 58 Check: `git status`, `git log --oneline`

How do I stage, commit, and view history?

# Daily Workflow 1. Check status: `git status` 60 2. Stage: `git add file.txt` or `git add .` 3. View staged: `git diff --staged` 4. Commit: `git commit -m "Descriptive message"` or `git commit -a -m "Msg"` (stages tracked files) 60 # View Changes - Unstaged: `git diff` - History: `git log --oneline --graph` 73 Practice: Edit files, stage partially, commit multiple times.

How do I branch, switch, and merge?

# Basic Branching ```bash git checkout -b iss53 # Create & switch git checkout iss53 # Switch existing git branch # List branches ``` Commit on branch: edits → `git commit -a -m "Msg"` 59 74 # Merge ```bash git checkout main git merge iss53 ``` Practice divergent branches and fast-forward/no-ff merges. 59

How do I work with remote repos and github?

# Add Remote Create repo on GitHub.com → ```bash git remote add origin https://github.com/user/repo.git git remote -v ``` # Push/Pull ```bash git push -u origin main git pull origin main git fetch origin git push origin feature ``` 75 Practice: Fork a repo, clone, branch, PR on GitHub.

Learn Git Fundamentals: Setup to Collaboration in 5 Steps

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Step-by-Step Guide

Install Git

Choose your OS:

Windows: Download installer from https://git-scm.com/download/win and run it.

macOS: Run xcode-select --install in Terminal or download from https://git-scm.com/download/mac.

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian): sudo apt update && sudo apt install git

Verify: git --version

First-Time Setup

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

Verify: git config --list

Why this step matters:

-Establishes your core development environment for version control
-Proper configuration attributes commits correctly in team projects

30-60 minutes

Terminal/Command Prompt, Web browser, Text editor

Definition of Done

•Git is installed and `git --version` shows version info
•`git config --list` displays your name and email

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Using wrong email not matching GitHub

→Set email to your GitHub account email with `git config --global user.email`

❌ Not verifying installation

→Always run `git --version` and `git config --list` after setup

❌ Installing without PATH update on Windows

→Restart terminal or add Git to PATH during install

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Learn Git Fundamentals: Setup to Collaboration in 5 Steps