Learn Git

Git is a free and open-source version control system that is widely used in the programming world. It is used for tracking changes in the source code during software development. It was developed in 2005 by Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux operating system kernel. Git is an efficient distributed VCS tool that can handle projects from small to very large ones providing cheap local branching, convenient staging areas, and multiple workflows. It is considered to be the most preferred VSC tool providing more effective results for developers. Git enables multiple developers or software teams to work separately without having an impact on the work of others. Learn everything related to Git on our website with examples and illustrations in our next chapters.

Install Git

1. How to install Git on Mac
   1. Mac installer
   2. Homebrew
   3. MacPorts
2. How to install Git on Windows
3. How to install Git on Linux
   1. Debian / Ubuntu (apt-get)
   2. Fedora (dnf/yum)
4. How to install Git from source on Linux

Working with Git starts with installing or updating if you already have it on your computer. On this page, you will find how to install Git on Windows, Linux, and Mac.

How to Install Git on Mac

There are three ways to install Git on Mac OS X: Git for Mac installer, Homebrew, and MacPorts.

Mac Installer

This is the simplest way of installing Git on Mac. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Download the latest Git for Mac installer.
2. Follow the given instructions to finish installing.
3. Open the terminal and type git --version to verify that the installation was successful.

   git --version
   git version 2.9.2

4. Input your Git username and email as given in the example below:

   git config --global user.name "BobSmith001"
   git config --global user.email "bobsmith@blog.com"

Homebrew

Install Homebrew on Mac and then follow the steps below to install Git with it:

1. Open your terminal and install Git with Homebrew.

   brew install git

2. Type git --version to verify that the installation was successful.

   git --version
   git version 2.9.2

3. You need to input your Git username and email as given in the example below:

   git config --global user.name "BobSmith001"
   git config --global user.email "bobsmith@blog.com"

MacPorts

Follow these instructions to install Git with MacPorts:

1. Update MacPorts:

   sudo port selfupdate

2. Now you need to search the most recent Git ports and variants:

   port search git
   port variants git

3. The installation of Git should be with bash-completion, the OS X keychain helper, and the docs:

   sudo port install git +bash_completion+credential_osxkeychain+doc

4. You need to configure your Git username and email as given in the example below:

   git config --global user.name "BobSmith001"
   git config --global user.email "bobsmith@blog.com"

How to Install Git on Windows

Find the instructions below to install Git on Windows:

1. Download the most recent Git for Windows installer.
2. Then, the Git Setup wizard screen will show up and you need to follow the prompts to complete the installation.
3. Open a Command Prompt or Git Bash if you’ve selected not to use Git from Windows Command Prompt.
4. Configure your Git username and email as given in the example below:

   git config --global user.name "BobSmith001"
   git config --global user.email "bobsmith@blog.com"

How to Install Git on Linux

Debian / Ubuntu ( apt-get )

You can find Git packages via APT. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Install Git from your shell with apt-get:

   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get install git

2. Type git --version to verify that the installation has succeeded:

   git --version
   git version 2.9.2

3. Input your Git username and email as given in the example below:

   git config --global user.name "BobSmith001"
   git config --global user.email "bobsmith@blog.com"

Fedora (dnf/yum)

Git packages are available via yum and dnf.

1. Install Git using dnf or use yum if you’re using older versions of Fedora.

   sudo dnf install git

   sudo yum install git

2. Type git --version to verify that the installation was successful.

   git --version
   git version 2.9.2

3. Configure your Git username and email as given in the example below:

   git config --global user.name "BobSmith001"
   git config --global user.email "bobsmith@blog.com"

   How to Install Git From Source on Linux

   Installing Git from source is more preferable, as you can always get the latest and updated version. You need the following libraries to install Git from source: curl, zlib, openssl, expat and libiconv. For those, who use a system that has dnf or apt-get, the two commands below can be useful for installing all of the dependencies:
   Note that you will need the following additional dependencies to be able to add documentation in different formats (doc, HTML, info):

   yum install curl-devel expat-devel gettext-devel \
   openssl-devel zlib-devel perl-devel asciidoc xmlto

   apt-get install libcurl4-gnutls-dev libexpat1-dev gettext \
   libz-dev libssl-dev

   sudo dnf install asciidoc xmlto docbook2X
   sudo apt-get install asciidoc xmlto docbook2x

   Compile and install:

   tar -zxf git-1.7.2.2.tar.gz
   cd git-1.7.2.2
   make prefix=/usr/local all
   sudo make prefix=/usr/local install

   Git can also be installed via Git itself for updates:

   git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/git/git.git