Part 1
Getting Started

Ready to get started with Git?^[3] Git is an extremely powerful tool that’s relatively easy to start using. Like all software, it requires installation and minimal setup before you can start using it.

Covered in this part:

• We start off with Task 1, ​Installing Git​ to handle installation. Git’s heritage in the Linux world means it can be compiled directly from source, but there are other (easier) options for every major operating system.

• You need to tell Git a few configuration settings before you start using it, covered in Task 2, ​Configuring Git​.

• Now that Git is installed and configured, you start using it in Task 3, ​Creating a New Repository​. You learn how to create a completely new repository.

• Another way to start a Git repository is to create a clone of someone else’s repository, covered in Task 4, ​Creating a Local Copy of an Existing Repository​.

Once you’ve made it through these basic steps, you’ll be ready to start working with Git. Feel free to skim the following tasks if you already have Git installed and configured and have created a new repository or cloned an existing one.