Using Git on Linux for version control is straightforward and powerful. Here's a beginner-friendly guide to get you started:
1. Installation:
- If Git is not already installed on your Linux system, you can install it using your package manager. For Debian/Ubuntu-based systems, use:
``` sudo apt update sudo apt install git ```
For Fedora/RHEL-based systems, use:
``` sudo yum install git ```
2. Configuration:
- Set up your user name and email address. This information will be associated with your commits.
``` git config --global user.name "Your Name" git config --global user.email "youremail@example.com" ```
3. Initializing a Repository:
- Navigate to the directory where you want to start version controlling your project.
- Initialize a new Git repository using the following command:
``` git init ```
4. Adding Files:
- Add files to the staging area to prepare them for committing:
``` git add ```
- Use `git add .` to add all files in the current directory.
5. Committing Changes:
- Commit your changes to the repository with a descriptive commit message:
``` git commit -m "Your descriptive commit message here" ```
6. Checking Status:
- Check the status of your repository to see which files are modified, staged, or untracked:
``` git status ```
7. Viewing Commit History:
- View the commit history to see a list of commits along with their messages and other details:
``` git log ```
8. Branching:
- Create a new branch for working on a new feature or experiment:
``` git branch ```
- Switch to the new branch:
``` git checkout ```
- Alternatively, you can create and switch to a new branch in one step:
``` git checkout -b ```
9. Merging:
- Once you're done with changes in a branch, merge it back into the main branch (e.g., `master`):
``` git checkout master git merge ```
10. Pushing to Remote Repository:
- If you're collaborating with others or want to back up your code remotely, you'll need to push your changes to a remote repository:
``` git remote add origin git push -u origin master ```
Replace `
11. Pulling Changes:
- If others have made changes to the remote repository, you can fetch and merge those changes into your local repository:
``` git pull origin master ```
12. Cloning a Repository:
- To clone an existing repository from a remote server to your local machine:
``` git clone ```
This command creates a local copy of the remote repository on your machine.
With these basic commands and concepts, you can start using Git effectively for version control on your Linux system. As you become more comfortable with Git, you can explore more advanced features and workflows to suit your needs.