Installation and Initial Setup

Before you can start contributing to CodeHarborHub projects, you need to turn your computer into a "Git-aware" machine. Follow the guide below for your specific Operating System.

important

Before we dive in, make sure you have a GitHub account set up. If you haven't done that, follow the instructions in Create a GitHub Account first, and then come back here to set up Git on your machine.

Step 1: Installing Git

Windows

1. Download: Visit git-scm.com/download/win and the download will start automatically.
2. Run the Installer: Open the .exe file.
3. The "CodeHarborHub" Recommended Settings:
   • Editor: Choose "Visual Studio Code" as Git's default editor.
   • Path: Select "Git from the command line and also from 3rd-party software."
   • Line Endings: Select "Checkout Windows-style, commit Unix-style."
4. Finish: Click Install.

macOS

1. Check if installed: Open Terminal and type git --version. macOS often comes with a version of Git pre-installed.
2. Install via Homebrew (Recommended):

   brew install git

3. Alternative: Download the installer from git-scm.com/download/mac.

Linux

Use your distribution's package manager. For Ubuntu/Debian (the most common for CodeHarborHub learners):

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git-all -y

For Fedora:

sudo dnf install git

Step 2: Configuring Your Identity

This is the most important step! Git needs to know who you are so it can attach your name to your "Commits" (Save Points).

important

Use the same email address you used for your GitHub account. This ensures your contributions are linked to your profile!

Open your terminal (or Git Bash on Windows) and run these two commands:

# Set your professional name
git config --global user.name "ajay-dhangar"

# Set your GitHub email
git config --global user.email "ajay...@gmail.com"

note

Replace "ajay-dhangar" and "ajay...@gmail.com" with your actual name and email. This information will be visible in your commit history and on GitHub.

Step 3: Verifying the Setup

Let's make sure everything is working perfectly. Run the following command to see your configuration:

git config --list

What you should see:

Look for the user.name and user.email lines in the output. If they match what you typed, your "Developer Identity" is now live!

How the Setup Connects

Extra Credit: Essential "Helper" Tools

While you can do everything in the terminal, these tools make the CodeHarborHub experience much smoother:

1. Visual Studio Code (VS Code): The #1 editor for developers. It has Git built right in!
2. Git Lens (Extension): An extension for VS Code that shows you exactly who wrote every line of code as you click on it.
3. GitHub Desktop: A simple visual interface if you aren't comfortable with the terminal yet.

Did you know?

If you are on Windows, always use Git Bash (which was installed with Git) instead of the standard Command Prompt. It gives you a Linux-like experience that matches all professional tutorials!