If you’re a developer, you’ve probably heard of Git, the most popular version control system. Git allows you to track changes made to your codebase, collaborate with others, and revert changes if necessary. In this guide, we will cover the basics of how to get started with Git on Linux.

Step 1: Install Git The first step is to install Git on your Linux system. Git is available for most Linux distributions, and you can install it using your system’s package manager. For example, if you’re using Ubuntu, you can install Git by running the following command:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install git

Step 2: Configure Git After installing Git, you need to configure it with your name and email address. This information is used to identify you as the author of the commits you make to the repository.

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

Step 3: Create a Git Repository To use Git, you need to create a repository. A repository is a directory that Git tracks, and it contains all the files and directories that make up your project.

To create a new Git repository, navigate to the directory where you want to create the repository and run the following command:

git init

This command creates a new repository in the current directory.

Step 4: Add Files to the Repository After creating a repository, you need to add files to it. You can add files to the repository using the following command:

git add <file>

This command adds the specified file to the staging area, which is where Git tracks changes before committing them.

Step 5: Commit Changes After adding files to the staging area, you can commit the changes using the following command:

git commit -m "Commit message"

This command creates a new commit with the changes you’ve made. The commit message is a brief description of the changes you’ve made.

Step 6: Push Changes to a Remote Repository If you want to collaborate with others or back up your code, you need to push your changes to a remote repository. To do this, you need to have a remote repository set up, such as on GitHub or GitLab.

To push your changes to a remote repository, use the following command:

git push <remote> <branch>

For example, to push changes to a remote repository called “origin” and the branch “master,” you can run the following command:

git push origin master

Step 7: Pull Changes from a Remote Repository If you’re collaborating with others, you may need to pull changes from a remote repository. To do this, use the following command:

git pull <remote> <branch>

For example, to pull changes from a remote repository called “origin” and the branch “master,” you can run the following command:

git pull origin master

Conclusion Git is an essential tool for developers, and getting started with Git on Linux is easy. By following these simple steps, you can create a repository, add files to it, commit changes, push changes to a remote repository, and pull changes from a remote repository. With Git, you can collaborate with others, keep track of changes, and revert changes if necessary.