Git setup

Install Git

{{begin .macos}}

For macOS users, there are two ways to install Git which we recommend.

  1. Use the Git bundled with XCode. Chances are that if you're going to program on a Mac, then you are going to have to install XCode's command-line tools at some point. Git comes bundled with XCode's command-line tools. Check if you have it installed by opening a terminal and typing:

    git --version

    If you see something like the following you've already got git installed and can move on to the next step.

    git version 2.33.0

    To install XCode's command-line tools (and its bundled Git) open a terminal and run the command:

    xcode-select --install

    Let this install, restart your terminal and type the following again. It should now display a version. Move on to the next step.

    git --version

  2. You can install Git using Homebrew. Homebrew is a package manager for macOS, basically a command-line tool for helping you install various software. It is very useful for developers in various situations and can be installed by following the instructions here. After you've installed homebrew you should be able to type the following into a terminal:

    brew install git

    To confirm that Git has been installed correctly run the following. Then move on to the next step.

    git --version

{{end}}

{{ begin .linux }}

The easiest way to install Git on your Linux machine is using your distro's package manager. On Ubuntu and Debian-based distros you will want to run the following in a terminal:

sudo apt-get install git

On Arch-based distros you want to run:

sudo pacman -S git

Then verify your install by running:

git --version

{{end}}

{{ .windows }} On Windows, you want to install Git by downloading the installer from here and following the instructions.

Create an account on GitHub

When using Git you will want a place to store your repositories (projects), the most popular site for this is called GitHub, but other alternatives include GitLab and BitBucket.

Chalmers also supplies its own GitLab instance where you log in with your CID. Which we recommend for school projects as it is without, any extra setup, and has unlimited private repositories.

We recommend setting up a GitHub account, as this account comes with some excellent student benefits.

Sign up for an account here, and while you're at it sign up for the GitHub Student Developer Pack using your Chalmers email (cid@student.chalmers.se) here. The GitHub Student Developer Pack gives some good benefits, among them unlimited Private Repositories, and a free subscription GitKraken Pro, which we recommend using.

Install GitKraken

With a GitHub account in hand, and Git installed I am sure you're eager to get started. And if you're comfortable in the terminal you absolutely can, but we recommend also downloading a GUI for managing Git called GitKraken.

GitKraken can be installed from their website here: GitKraken

When asked to sign in, use your newly created GitHub Student account to automatically receive the pro features for free.

You will probably also want to enable the GitLab integration in GitKrakens preferences as well.