Git & GitHub · Quick Reference

Lesson 2 — Installing & Configuring Git Cheat Sheet

Git & GitHub

In one line: Git must be installed on your computer before you can use it. The installation process varies slightly by operating system but takes about 5 minutes on any platform.

Key Ideas

1Installing Git. Git must be installed on your computer before you can use it. The installation process varies slightly by operating system but takes about 5 minutes on any platform.

2Configuring Your Identity. Before making your first commit, you must tell Git who you are. This information is attached to every commit you make — it's how collaborators know who made which chan...

3Creating a GitHub Account. GitHub is where you'll store your repositories online, collaborate with others, and build your public developer portfolio.

4Setting Up SSH Keys. SSH keys let you push to GitHub without typing your password every time. It's a public/private key pair — GitHub stores the public key, you keep the private key.

5Verify Your Full Setup. Run through this checklist to confirm everything is working before moving to the next lesson:

Code Examples

# Update package list
sudo apt update

# Install Git
sudo apt install git

# Verify
git --version

# Set your name (use your real name)
git config --global user.name "Your Full Name"

# Set your email (use the SAME email as GitHub)
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"

# Set VS Code as the default editor
git config --global core.editor "code ...

# Enable colored output in terminal
git config --global color.ui auto

# Windows: fix line-ending issues
git config --global core.autocrlf true

# Mac/Linux: fix line-ending issues
git config --global core.autocrlf input

# Set pull behavior (rebase instead...