Ready, Set, GIT!

Part II — Git R’ Done

In this article, I will be covering the creation of a Git account (using GitHub) and the installation of Git on your local system.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

There is more than one way to create a Git account and more than one way to install it based on the operating system of your computer. I will only address the Windows 10 installation using the most common defaults and a free GitHub account.

Prepare in advance of setting up your account by doing the following:

• Be sure Javascript is enabled in your browser.
• Decide on a user name you want to use for your account (you may need an alternative if it is already taken)
• Pick the email account you want to use for your account
• Determine a password of at least 15 characters (containing a combination of Upper and lower case alphabetic characters, numeric characters, and special characters)

Step 1: Go to https://github.com/join to setup your new account entering the information you determined previously:

The main GitHub join screen

Once you have entered the required information click the “Create account” button.

Step 2: Fill in the requested marketing information selecting your preferences and intent in using GitHub.

Enter Marketing Requested Information screen

… then press the “Complete Setup” button. This will create a new free account in GitHub.

Step 3: Now let’s download Git on our local computer…

Browse to the official Git website: https://git-scm.com/downloads

Website for Downloading the Latest Git Client

Step 4: Click on the Windows (or whichever one of the applicable operating systems applies to you) Git Client download.

This will be followed by the download page…

Windows 64-bit Git Client Download Page

Step 5: Once the download is complete, double-click on the installation file.

This will start the installation, accept the terms of the licensing agreement by clicking on the “Install” button.

Git Client Install License Agreement

Step 6: After the installation completes, launch Git Bash to verify your Git installation. You may opt to either view the release notes or not. Finally, click the “Finish” button.

Then you will launch Git Bash and see the local installation of Git:

Git Bash Initial Screen

Next, we will look at “Part III — Save Git for Later” where I will cover the creation and setup of a Git repository on both GitHub and your local computer along with linking the two together.