Git and GitHub Setup¶

Git tracks changes in code and lab files. GitHub hosts repositories so students can clone course material, submit work, and practice professional version control.

This page follows the practical APT-based installation path from DigitalOcean's How To Install Git on Ubuntu.

1. Install Git¶

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y git

Verify:

git --version

2. Configure Git Identity¶

Use your real name or course-approved name:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your_email@example.com"

Use main as the default branch name:

git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Set a simple terminal editor:

git config --global core.editor "nano"

Review settings:

git config --global --list

3. Create a Lab Workspace¶

mkdir -p ~/course-work
cd ~/course-work
git init practice-repo
cd practice-repo

Create a first file:

echo "# Practice Repository" > README.md
git status
git add README.md
git commit -m "Initial commit"

4. GitHub SSH Key Setup Optional¶

If you will push to GitHub by SSH, create or reuse an SSH key:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Copy the public key into GitHub:

GitHub → Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key

Test:

ssh -T git@github.com

Expected: GitHub greets your username. It may also say shell access is not provided; that is normal.

5. Basic Git Commands¶

Task	Command
Check repository status	`git status`
See changes	`git diff`
Stage a file	`git add FILE`
Commit staged changes	`git commit -m "Message"`
Show commit history	`git log --oneline --graph --decorate`
Clone a repository	`git clone URL`
Pull new changes	`git pull`
Push local commits	`git push`

6. Classroom Checkpoint¶

Record:

git --version
git config --global --list
git log --oneline

Troubleshooting¶

Problem	Fix
Git asks for identity on commit	Run `git config --global user.name` and `git config --global user.email`.
GitHub rejects password authentication	Use SSH keys or a GitHub personal access token.
`fatal: not a git repository`	Run the command inside a repository folder or initialize one with `git init`.

Next Step¶

Continue to VS Code Remote SSH, or go directly to Docker Setup on Ubuntu Server.