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John Leavell
John Leavell

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How to Setup Your GitHub Repository (Mac Version)

#github #beginners #tutorial

Hey there!

So, I was setting up my laptop during my apprenticeship and ran into a bit of a snag. But don't worry, it's all good now. I mean, what's a tech setup without a few bumps in the road, right? Anyway, let me tell you a little bit about what happened...

How to Setup Your GitHub Repository (Mac Version)

Prerequisites:

  • Git
  • GitHub account
  • Xcode command line tools
  • Homebrew

Installation Steps:

  1. Install Xcode Command Line Tools In the terminal, type: 
xcode-select --install
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Follow the instructions to install Xcode Command Line Tools.

Note: This process can take some time.

2. Check Xcode Installation

To check if Xcode Command Line Tools was installed correctly, type:

xcode-select -p
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You should see:

/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools
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3. Install Homebrew

Check if Homebrew is installed by typing:

brew
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If Homebrew is not installed, follow the script on the Homebrew website to start the installation process:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
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Follow the prompts and enter your password when prompted.

Note: This process can take some time. So grab a coffee and come back.

Check if Homebrew was installed correctly by typing:

brew doctor
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You should see:

Your system is ready to brew.
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4. Configure Git

Install Git and GitHub using Homebrew by typing:

brew install github
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Check if Git was installed correctly by typing:

git --version
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You should see:

output /usr/local/bin/git
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Next, define your Git user by typing:

git config --global user.name "Your name here"

git config --global user.email "your_email@email.com"
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This will be added to your .gitconfig file.

GitHub recommends using HTTPS to push code to your repositories. To prevent Git from asking for your username and password every time you push a commit, you can cache your credentials by running the following command:

git config --global credential.helper osxkeychain
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Alternatively, you can use the SSH method.

5. SSH Config for GitHub

Generate a new SSH key by typing:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -C "your_email@example.com"
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Add your SSH key to the ssh-agent by running:

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
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If you're running macOS Sierra 10.12.2 or later, you'll need to modify your ~/.ssh/config file to automatically load keys into the ssh-agent and store passphrases in your keychain.

Check if your ~/.ssh/config file exists by typing:

open ~/.ssh/config

If it doesn't exist, create the file by typing:

touch ~/.ssh/config
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Then, modify the file to contain the following lines:

Host *
AddKeysToAgent yes
UseKeychain yes
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa
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Add your SSH private key to the ssh-agent and store your passphrase in the keychain by running:

ssh-add -K ~/.ssh/id_rsa
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Finally, add your SSH key to your GitHub account.

Conclusion
Congratulations! You've now set up your GitHub repository on your Mac. Good luck with your projects!

Top comments (2)

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camillearce profile image
camille-arce •

Thanks for the guide, John.

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castnay profile image
nayla_techprep •

Super helpful, John. Thank you for posting this!

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