3. If you don’t already have Git installed, a dialog will appear saying that “The ‘git’ command requires the command line developer tools. Would you like to install the tools now?” Click “Install”.

macInstall

Then click “Agree to the Terms of Service” when requested.

macAgree

4. When the download finishes, the installer will go away on its own signifying that Git is now installed! Click “Done” to finish the installation process.

macDone

Now skip down to the “Final Setup” section below to finish setting up.

Windows users:

This portion of the guide assumes you have already installed a program called Git Bash which allows us access to Git on Windows. If you have not installed Git Bash, please refer to the previous tutorial on Command Line Interface (CLI) Setup and follow the instructions for installing Git Bash on Windows. Once you complete that you can continue with this guide.

1. Open the Start menu and search for the app, git bash. You should see ‘Git Bash Desktop app’ appear. Press Enter or click on the Git Bash icon to open the app.

gitBashOpen

A new window will open that looks like this:

gitBashShell

This window is our CLI, where we will use our Git commands.

2. If you want to make sure that Git is installed, rungit --versionin the CLI. You should see a response that gives you the version of Git installed. It will look like this:

gitVersion

Git can now be used in the Git Bash app!

Continue on to finish setting up.

Final Setup

• Navigate to GitHub’s articles on setting up yourGit usernameandemailand follow the instructions for each using Git Bash.
• GitHub offers two authentication options, HTTPS and SSH, to keep your work secure. This is a security measure that prevents anyone who isn’t authorized from making changes to your GitHub repository. In this article, we will use HTTPS.To authenticate yourself in the terminal, you will need to generate aPersonal Access Tokenon GitHub. Navigate to GitHub’s article oncreating a personal access tokenand follow the instructions for creating a classic token. Be sure to check the box that grants the tokenreposcope — this will allow you to write to the repository from the terminal on your machine.Once you get the token, make sure to copy it or keep the page open — you will not be able to view the token again once you navigate away from the page and you’ll need it later in the instructions!

Try It Out!

Now you have everything you need to practice your Git skills on your local computer. Take a moment to run the commands below to initialize a Git repository. We will use this Git repository again later in this tutorial so make sure you complete these steps exactly as described.

• mkdir git_practiceto make a new directory to practice.
• cd git_practiceto make the new directory your working directory.
• git initto turn the current, empty directory into a fresh Git repository.
• echo "Hello Git and GitHub" >> README.txtto create a new README file (more on this later) with some sample text.
• git add README.txtto add the new file to the Git staging area.
• git commit -m "First commit"to make your first commit with the new README file.

Your First Remote Repository on GitHub

Finally, we’ll create a repository on GitHub and then link it to a local repository on your computer. This allows you to backup your work constantly and safely, so you never need to worry about losing your work again!

Now, let’s connect our local Git repository to GitHub.

Instructions

1. In your Command Line Interface, make sure your current working directory is your new Git repository. Navigate there if not.

2. Check the status of which files and folders are new or have been edited. There should be no files modified.

$ git status

3. On GitHub, create a new repository by clicking theNew repositorybutton on the home page.

newRepository

4. On the new repository page, give your repository a name. It’s not necessary, but it would be convenient to name it the same as the directory,git_practice. After naming the repository, clickCreate repository.

createRepository

5. After creating a repository, GitHub displays the repository page. At the top of the page, make sure “HTTPS” is selected.

githubHttps

6.The repository is empty, so it’s time to connect it to your existing work. Copy the Git commands on the GitHub page, under the title “…or push an existing repository from the command line”, and paste them into your Command Line Interface. Running these commands will add a remote repository, and then push your local repository to the remote repository.

When asked for a username and password, type in your GitHub username as the username and paste your personal access token as the password, pressingEnter(orreturn) after each. Don’t be alarmed if you can’t see the characters you are typing, they are intentionally hidden as a security measure.

githubCommands

7. Once your Command Line Interface reports that the push is complete, refresh the page on GitHub. You should now see the text you wrote earlier in the README file, “Hello Git and GitHub.”

GitHub automatically displays the contents of a file namedREADME.txtif it exists in the repository. The README file is the perfect place to write a description of your project.

There you have it! Your first GitHub repository, linked to your local Git repository. You’ve taken some huge leaps, so be proud! Now you can use your knowledge of Git to track progress on your local computer and push that progress to GitHub whenever you want. You can rest easy knowing that each step of your progress is safely stored in GitHub.

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