Lesson 11: Installing and Configuring Git — Forging Your Historian's Quill

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." — Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)

Quest Briefing

Before the historian can record any scrolls, they need a quill. That's exactly what this lesson is: getting Git installed and configured on your machine so you're ready to write your first piece of history.

By the end of this lesson you will have:

Git installed and working on your operating system
Your name and email configured globally (so every commit is signed by you)
A basic understanding of how to check your Git version and configuration
Your default branch name set to main

This is a short, practical lesson. Let's get your tools ready.

Prerequisites

Lesson	Topic
Lesson 5	The Terminal — Talking to Your Computer
Lesson 10	What is Version Control?

You'll need your terminal open and ready. If you're not comfortable with basic terminal navigation, review Lesson 5 first.

Step 1 — Check If Git Is Already Installed

Before installing anything, check whether Git is already on your machine. Open your terminal and run:

Linux / macOS:

git --version

Windows (Command Prompt or PowerShell):

git --version

If you see something like git version 2.44.0, Git is already installed. You can skip ahead to Step 3 (Configuration). If you get a "command not found" error, proceed to Step 2.

If you're on macOS, Apple installs a version of Git as part of the Xcode Command Line Tools. Running `git --version` for the first time might trigger a prompt asking you to install Xcode Command Line Tools. You can either accept that prompt or use Homebrew for a more up-to-date version (instructions below).

Step 2 — Installing Git

Choose your operating system below:

Installing on Linux

Most Linux distributions include Git in their package manager. Use the command for your distro:

Ubuntu / Debian / Linux Mint (apt):

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git

Fedora / RHEL / CentOS (dnf):

sudo dnf install git

Arch Linux (pacman):

sudo pacman -S git

openSUSE (zypper):

sudo zypper install git

After installation, verify it worked:

git --version

You should see a version number. Linux users, you're done with Step 2 — move to Step 3.

Installing on macOS

You have two options. We recommend Option A (Homebrew) for the most up-to-date version.

Option A — Homebrew (Recommended):

If you have Homebrew installed (from Lesson 6's Node.js setup), just run:

brew install git

Then verify:

git --version

Option B — Xcode Command Line Tools:

If you don't have Homebrew, run this to trigger Apple's built-in installer:

xcode-select --install

A dialog box will appear asking you to install the Command Line Developer Tools. Click Install. This takes a few minutes. Once done:

git --version

Apple ships a version of Git with macOS, but it's often outdated. For example, macOS Ventura shipped with Git 2.39, while Homebrew often has 2.44+ within days of release.

The newer the Git version, the more features and bug fixes you get. For learning purposes either works fine, but if you're doing professional work, Homebrew keeps Git current automatically with brew upgrade git.

Installing on Windows

You have two options on Windows. Option A (Git for Windows) is the classic installer; Option B (winget) uses Windows' built-in package manager.

Option A — Git for Windows (Recommended for Beginners):

Go to git-scm.com and click Download for Windows
Run the downloaded installer (.exe file)
Most defaults are fine. Pay attention to these specific screens:
- Default editor: Change from Vim to Visual Studio Code (or Cursor) if you prefer
- Default branch name: Select "Override the default branch name for new repositories" and type main
- PATH environment: Keep the recommended option: "Git from the command line and also from 3rd-party software"
- Line ending conversions: Keep "Checkout Windows-style, commit Unix-style line endings"
Complete the installation
Open Git Bash (installed with Git for Windows) or a new Command Prompt / PowerShell:

git --version

Option B — winget (Windows Package Manager):

If you prefer using the command line, open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

winget install --id Git.Git -e --source winget

After installation, close and reopen your terminal, then verify:

git --version

On Windows, you'll have several terminal options after installing Git: Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Git Bash (which comes with Git for Windows). Throughout this course, any of them work for Git commands. Git Bash gives you a Unix-like experience that matches the Linux/macOS examples more closely.

Step 3 — Configure Your Identity

This is the most important configuration step and it's easy to overlook. Before you make any commits, you must tell Git your name and email address. These get permanently embedded in every commit you create — they're how your teammates (and GitHub) know who made each change.

Run these two commands, replacing the example values with your own:

Linux / macOS:

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

Windows (Command Prompt):

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

Windows (PowerShell):

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

In Lesson 15, you'll create a GitHub account. Use the same email address here that you'll use for GitHub. This allows GitHub to properly link your commits to your account and show your contribution history correctly on your profile.

The --global flag means this setting applies to every Git repository on your machine. You can override it per-repository later (useful if you have work and personal projects with different emails), but global is the right default for now.

Step 4 — Set the Default Branch Name

Modern Git uses main as the default branch name (it used to be master). GitHub changed to main in 2020, and most of the industry followed. Let's make sure your Git matches:

Linux / macOS:

git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Windows (Command Prompt):

git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Windows (PowerShell):

git config --global init.defaultBranch main

This means every new repository you create with git init will start with a branch called main instead of master.

The renaming from master to main was part of a broader industry effort in 2020 to remove terminology with historical associations to slavery. GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and all major platforms now use main as the default.

If you encounter old repositories still using master, don't be confused — they work exactly the same way. The name master has no technical significance; it's just the default name that was used for 15 years. You'll see both in the wild, and knowing this history helps you navigate either without confusion.

Step 5 — Set Your Default Editor (Optional but Recommended)

Git occasionally needs you to type a message in a text editor (for example, when writing a longer commit message or resolving a merge conflict). By default it opens Vim, which is powerful but has a notoriously steep learning curve (many beginners have gotten trapped inside Vim and don't know how to exit).

Set it to VS Code or Cursor instead:

VS Code:

Linux / macOS:

git config --global core.editor "code --wait"

Windows (Command Prompt):

git config --global core.editor "code --wait"

Cursor (if you completed Lesson 7):

Linux / macOS:

git config --global core.editor "cursor --wait"

Windows (Command Prompt):

git config --global core.editor "cursor --wait"

The --wait flag tells Git to pause and wait until you close the editor tab before continuing.

These configuration settings are stored in a file called `.gitconfig` in your home directory. You can edit that file directly or run `git config --global` commands any time to change them. Nothing is permanent — except your actual commits, which is the whole point.

Step 6 — Verify Your Configuration

Let's confirm everything is set up correctly. Run:

Linux / macOS:

git config --list

Windows (Command Prompt / PowerShell):

git config --list

You should see output that includes your name, email, and the settings you configured:

user.name=Your Full Name
user.email=your@email.com
init.defaultbranch=main
core.editor=code --wait

(Other settings may appear too — that's normal.)

You can also check a single setting:

git config user.name
git config user.email

Where Git Stores Your Configuration

Git has three levels of configuration, from most specific to most general:

Level	File Location	Scope
`--system`	`/etc/gitconfig`	Applies to all users on the machine
`--global`	`~/.gitconfig` (Linux/macOS) or `C:\Users\YourName\.gitconfig` (Windows)	Applies to all your repos
`--local`	`.git/config` inside a repo	Applies only to that one repo

When the same setting exists at multiple levels, the most specific level wins. So a local repo setting overrides your global setting, which overrides the system setting.

For now, --global is all you need. Just know these levels exist for when you have advanced use cases (like using a different email for work projects).

Your global config file is a plain text file you can open and read any time:

Linux / macOS:

cat ~/.gitconfig

Windows (PowerShell):

cat $HOME\.gitconfig

It looks something like this:

[user]
    name = Your Full Name
    email = your@email.com
[init]
    defaultBranch = main
[core]
    editor = code --wait

You can edit this file directly in any text editor. The git config --global commands are just a convenient way to write to this file without opening it manually.

Troubleshooting Common Installation Issues

Symptoms: You type git --version and get "'git' is not recognized as an internal or external command."

Cause: Git wasn't added to your system's PATH during installation, or your terminal needs to be restarted.

Solution:

Close your terminal completely and reopen it
If that doesn't work, reinstall Git for Windows and make sure to select "Git from the command line and also from 3rd-party software" on the PATH screen
After reinstalling, open a brand new terminal window

Symptoms: After trying to run Git, you see an error about xcrun or the developer path being invalid.

Cause: The Xcode Command Line Tools are installed but not linked correctly (often happens after a macOS update).

Solution:

xcode-select --reset
sudo xcode-select --switch /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools

Or reinstall them:

xcode-select --install

Symptoms: The apt command doesn't exist.

Cause: You're not on a Debian/Ubuntu-based distribution. Different distros use different package managers.

Solution: Use the correct command for your distro:

Fedora/RHEL: dnf install git
Arch: pacman -S git
openSUSE: zypper install git

Not sure which distro you have? Run cat /etc/os-release to find out.

Knowledge Check

It makes the setting apply only to the current repository

It makes the setting apply to all repositories on your computer

It uploads the setting to GitHub

It sets the setting for all users on the machine

Because Git requires a GitHub account to work

Because GitHub will reject commits with a different email

So GitHub can link your commits to your profile and contribution graph

Because the email is used to encrypt your commits

git config --list

git --verify

git settings show

git config check

master

default

primary

main

What's Next

Your quill is forged and your ink is ready. In Lesson 12, you'll create your very first Git repository, make your first commit, and experience the core Git loop for the very first time — add, commit, log. By the end of that lesson, you'll have saved your first piece of history.

The scroll awaits the first entry.

A Prayer for New Beginnings

Lord, these students are setting up their tools — preparing to do real work for the first time. There is something sacred about beginnings: the blank canvas, the new notebook, the freshly installed tool waiting to be put to use.

Give them patience as they navigate the quirks of installation. When commands don't work right away, remind them that troubleshooting is part of the craft — not a sign of failure. Every developer has sat exactly where they are, wondering if they did something wrong.

May the tools they set up today serve them for years to come. And may the discipline of committing their work — saving their progress — reflect the faithfulness You call us to in all things.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." — Colossians 3:23 (NIV)