Git and Github on Linux - Install and configure (easy)

In this tutorial, I will walk you through the process of installing Git on your Linux system and configuring it to work with GitHub.

Step 1: Open the Terminal

• To start, open the Terminal on your Linux computer. You can usually find it in the Applications or System Tools menu.

Step 2: Check if Git is already installed

• Type the following command in the Terminal and press

Enter:

git --version

• If Git is already installed, you will see the version number. If not, you will need to install it.

Step 3: Install Git

• In the Terminal, enter the appropriate command based on your Linux distribution:

For Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install git

For Fedora:

sudo dnf install git

For CentOS/Red Hat:

sudo yum install git

Step 4: Configure Git

• After Git is installed, you need to configure it with your name and email address. In the Terminal, enter the following commands, replacing "Your Name" with your actual name and "[e-mail]" with your email address:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[e-mail]"

Step 5: Generate SSH Key (optional)

• If you plan to use SSH for secure communication with GitHub, you can generate an SSH key. This step is optional, but it provides convenience and security.
• In the Terminal, enter the following command, replacing "[e-mail]" with your GitHub email address:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[e-mail]"

-Press Enter to accept the default location and enter a passphrase when prompted (you can leave it empty for no passphrase).

Step 6: Add SSH Key to GitHub (optional)

• If you generated an SSH key in the previous step, you can add it to your GitHub account for authentication.
• In the Terminal, enter the following command to copy your public key to the clipboard:

xclip -sel clip < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

• Go to the GitHub website (https://github.com) in your browser, log in to your account, and follow these steps:
  • Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner and select "Settings".
  • In the left sidebar, click on "SSH and GPG keys".
  • Click on the green "New SSH key" button.
  • Give your key a meaningful title (e.g., "Linux Laptop") and paste the key into the "Key" field.
  • Click on the green "Add SSH key" button.

Step 7: Test the connection (optional)

• If you added an SSH key to your GitHub account, you can test the connection to make sure it works.
• In the Terminal, enter the following command:

ssh -T [e-mail]

• You should see a message that says "Hi [your username]! You've successfully authenticated..."

Step 8: Link GitHub account to Git

• Now that Git is installed and configured, you can link it to your GitHub account.
• In the Terminal, enter the following command, replacing "username" with your GitHub username:

git config --global github.user username

That's it!

Remember to replace any placeholder information with your own details when following the tutorial.

If you need help on how to use Git and Github, I have a tutorial on how to use basic functions Here