Setting up Git

You found a wiki page!

Every GitHub repository has their own mini version of Wikipedia built in. The wiki is a lesser-used feature in many repositories but when populated, you'll usually find extra documentation here. Just like with Wikipedia, these pages can be edited by anyone.

At the heart of GitHub is an open source version control system called Git. A version control system keeps track of changes you make to your code, and has powerful features like the the ability to visit previous versions. Git is a specific "brand" of version control that is responsible for everything GitHub-related that happens on your computer.

There are three steps to set up Git on your computer:

1. Install Git
2. Set your username
3. Set your email address

These instructions focus on using Git from the command line. If you're uncomfortable with the command line, that's great! This is an excellent chance to practice.

Install Git

Follow the instructions on the official download page to install Git.

Set your username

Git requires you to set up a username so it can associate code changes with an identity. This username is not the same as your GitHub username.

First, set your username

$ git config --global user.name "Johnny Appleseed"

Then, confirm that you have set it correctly

$ git config --global user.name
> Johnny Appleseed

Set your email address

GitHub uses the email address set in your local Git configuration to associate code changes with your GitHub account.

First, set your email address as the same one you use to log in to GitHub

$ git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

Then, confirm that you have set it correctly

$ git config --global user.email
> [email protected]