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Bello Osagie
Bello Osagie

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Git & GitHub Setup Guide for Beginners

#git #github #terminal #cli

Introduction

This guide provides a structured approach to setting up Git, GitHub, Homebrew (for macOS), and Chocolatey (for Windows). It also covers the installation of essential tools like Amazon Q, Arc Browser, and Warp Terminal. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, follow this guide step by step to configure your development environment efficiently.

1. GitHub CLI (gh) and Authentication

The gh command-line tool allows you to interact with GitHub directly from your terminal. It simplifies repo management, pull requests, issues, and CI/CD workflows.

Authenticate GitHub CLI 

gh auth login
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Once configured, you can see your Git global settings:

git config --list --global
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To remove GitHub authentication data:

gh auth logout -h github.com
rm ~/.git-credentials
rm -rf ~/.ssh/
rm ~/.gitconfig
echo "url=https://github.com" | git credential reject
rm -rf ~/.config/gh
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Running echo "url=https://github.com" | git credential reject may not work on all systems. In that case, run the following command:

git credential reject https://github.com
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2. Initializing a Git Repository

Git Initialization (git init) 

git init
ls -la # Lists all files including hidden ones
ls -la .git # View the .git directory
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Understanding the .git Folder

  • HEAD: Points to the current branch.
  • config: Stores repository settings.
  • refs/: Contains references to commits (branches and tags).
  • objects/: Stores commit objects.
  • hooks/: Scripts that trigger on Git events.

To view details inside .git, run:

cat .git/HEAD
cat .git/config
ls -la .git/refs/heads/ # See available branches
ls -la .git/objects/
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3. Tracking Changes with Git

Adding Files to Staging 

git add <file_name>
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Committing Changes 

git commit -m "Added new file"
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Pushing Changes to GitHub 

git push origin main
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Undoing Commits

Undo the last commit (keep changes unstaged): 

git reset --soft HEAD~1
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Undo the last commit (discard changes): 

git reset --hard HEAD~1
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Resolving Merge Conflicts 

git status # Check conflicts
nano <conflicted_file> # Edit the file to resolve conflicts
git add <conflicted_file>
git commit -m "Resolved merge conflict"
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4. Git Configuration and Credential Management

Checking Local & Global Git Configuration 

git config --list --local # Show local repository settings
git config --global --list # Show global settings
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Storing Credentials

macOS: 

git config --global credential.helper osxkeychain
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Linux: 

git config --global credential.helper cache
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Changing Default Editor

Use Nano: 

git config --global core.editor nano
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Use VS Code: 

git config --global core.editor "code --wait"
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5. Installing Homebrew (macOS)

Homebrew is a package manager for macOS that simplifies software installation.

Installing Homebrew 

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
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Useful Homebrew Commands 

brew search <package>
brew info <package>
brew install <package>
brew update
brew upgrade
brew list
brew uninstall <package>
brew cleanup # Remove old versions and free space
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6. Installing Chocolatey (Windows)

Chocolatey is a package manager for Windows that simplifies software installation.

Installing Chocolatey

Run PowerShell as Administrator and execute:

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))
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Verifying Installation 

choco -?
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7. Installing Essential Development Tools

Installing Git

macOS: 

brew install git
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Windows: 

choco install git -y
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Installing VS Code

macOS: 

brew install --cask visual-studio-code
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Windows: 

choco install vscode -y
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Installing Amazon Q

macOS: 

brew install --cask amazon-q
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Windows:

First, check if amazon-q exists in Chocolatey by running:

choco search amazon-q
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  • If it exists, install it with: 
choco install amazon-q -y
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Installing Warp Terminal

macOS: 

brew install --cask warp
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Windows: 

choco install warp -y
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Installing Arc Browser

macOS: 

brew search arc
brew install --cask arc
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Windows: 

choco search arc
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If unavailable, download manually from Arc Browser.

8. Working in GitHub Codespaces

  1. Open your repository in GitHub.
  2. Click Code > Codespaces.
  3. Click Continue Working in GitHub Codespace.
  4. Select an instance type based on your project needs:
  5. Basic: Suitable for lightweight projects.
  6. Standard: Recommended for most web and mobile development.
  7. Performance: For complex builds or heavy computation.

9. GitHub SSH Key Setup

Generate a New SSH Key 

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"
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Add SSH Key to GitHub 

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub # Copy the key content
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Then add it to GitHub > Settings > SSH Keys.

Test SSH Connection 

ssh -T git@github.com
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You're right! Let me break it down clearly and explain how it works step by step.

10. Bonus: Configure Terminal for Quick Search and URL Opening

Wouldn’t it be great if you could open websites or search Google directly from the terminal using a simple command like:

oh "github.com"
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(Opens https://github.com in your browser)

or

oh "how to install python"
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(Searches Google for "how to install python")

Let’s set it up!

📌 Step 1: Check Your Default Shell

Before adding the function, confirm whether you are using Zsh or Bash by running:

echo $SHELL # or echo $0
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  • If the output contains zsh (e.g., /bin/zsh), you will edit ~/.zshrc.
  • If the output contains bash (e.g., /bin/bash), you will edit ~/.bashrc.

🔹 macOS default shell is Zsh (since macOS Catalina).
🔹 Linux may use Bash or Zsh, depending on the distribution.
🔹 Window uses Bash from Git Bash.

📌 Step 2: Open the Configuration File

  • If using Zsh (macOS default), open the Zsh configuration file: 
nano ~/.zshrc
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  • If using Bash (common on Linux), open the Bash configuration file: 
nano ~/.bashrc
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📌 Step 3: Add the oh Function

Paste the following Mac-compatible function in ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc (for Bash users).

For macOS (Uses open) 

oh() {
local input="$*"
# Ensure input is a single word with a dot (like a real domain)
if [[ "$input" =~ ^[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}$ && ! "$input" =~ \ ]]; then
open "https://$input"
else
open "https://www.google.com/search?q=$(echo "$input" | tr ' ' '+')"
fi
}
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For Linux (Uses xdg-open)

On Linux, replace open with xdg-open:

oh() {
local input="$*"
# Ensure input is a single word with a dot (like a domain), and doesn't contain spaces
if [[ "$input" =~ ^[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}$ && ! "$input" =~ [[:space:]] ]]; then
xdg-open "https://$input"
else
xdg-open "https://www.google.com/search?q=$(echo "$input" | tr ' ' '+')"
fi
}
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For Windows (Uses start)

On Windows, replace open or xdg-open with start:

oh() {
local input="$*"
# Ensure input is a valid domain (contains a dot and no spaces)
if [[ "$input" =~ ^[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}$ && ! "$input" =~ [[:space:]] ]]; then
powershell -c "Start-Process 'https://$input'"
else
powershell -c "Start-Process 'https://www.google.com/search?q=$(echo "$input" | tr ' ' '+')'"
fi
}
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Cross-Platform Version (Auto-Detects OS)

If you want a single function that works on both macOS, Linux, and windows, use:

oh() {
local input="$*"
local open_cmd

# Detect OS and set the correct open command
case "$(uname)" in
Darwin*) open_cmd="open" ;;
Linux*) open_cmd="xdg-open" ;; # Linux (xdg-open should use an existing tab when possible)
CYGWIN*|MINGW*|MSYS*) open_cmd="powershell -c start" ;;
*) echo "Unsupported OS" && return 1 ;;
esac

# Open URL or search Google
if [[ "$input" =~ ^[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}$ ]]; then
$open_cmd "https://$input"
else
$open_cmd "https://www.google.com/search?q=$(echo "$input" | tr ' ' '+')"
fi
}
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📌 Step 4: Save and Apply the Changes

  1. Press CTRL + X to exit.
  2. Press Y to confirm saving.
  3. Press ENTER to overwrite the file.

Then, apply the changes by running:

source ~/.zshrc # If using Zsh
source ~/.bashrc # If using Bash
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🚀 Step 5: Try It Out!

✅ Open a Website:

oh github.com
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(Opens https://github.com in your browser.)

✅ Perform a Google Search:

oh "best terminal commands for Mac"
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(Opens Google search: https://www.google.com/search?q=best+terminal+commands+for+Mac)

✅ Open Any Website Without Typing https://

oh openai.com
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(Opens https://openai.com.)

🔍 How It Works

  1. Detects if the input is a domain using regex (^[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}$).
  2. If yes, it adds https:// and opens the website.

  3. If no, it converts spaces to + and performs a Google search.

  4. Uses open on macOS and xdg-open on Linux, ensuring cross-platform compatibility.

🔄 Troubleshooting

🔹 Browser doesn’t open?

  • Ensure open (Mac) or xdg-open (Linux) is available.
  • On Linux, install xdg-utils if missing: 
sudo apt install xdg-utils # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install xdg-utils # Fedora
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✅ Get all setup guides & commands here 👉 Primary Dev Setup 🚀

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