Installing Git and Writing Your First Command: A Beginner’s Guide

Hey hey, fellas! Now that you’ve got a solid understanding of Git, let’s not waste any time and jump straight into installing Git on your system!

But wait—what’s learning without a little hands-on action? We’ll not only get Git up and running but also run some essential Git commands to get you comfortable with it.

I hope you're excited! Let’s dive in and get started!

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Installing Git

Why Install Git Locally?

• Offline Work: Track changes without needing a remote repository (GitHub/GitLab).

• Practice Fundamentals: Learn Git commands before integrating with platforms like GitHub.

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Installation Steps

1️⃣ Installing Git on Linux

🔹 Open the terminal and install Git based on your Linux distribution:

For Debian-based (Ubuntu, Kali, etc.):

sudo apt update && sudo apt install git -y

For RHEL-based (CentOS, Fedora, Amazon Linux, etc.):

sudo yum install git -y  # or dnf install git -y

For Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S git

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2️⃣ Installing Git on Windows

🔹 Download the latest Git version from the official site: Git for Windows

🔹 Run the installer, follow the prompts, and choose default settings.

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3️⃣ Installing Git on macOS

🔹 Install Git using Homebrew (Recommended):

brew install git

🔹 Or install Xcode Command Line Tools (if Homebrew is not available):

xcode-select --install

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4️⃣ Verifying Installation

Run the following command to check if Git is installed:

git --version

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DevOps Use Cases for Installation

1. Local Script Management:

   • Track changes to infrastructure-as-code (e.g., Ansible playbooks).

2. Documentation Versioning:

   • Maintain version history for runbooks or deployment guides.

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Configuring Git

Why Configure Git?

Before using Git, every commit needs an identity (username & email) to track who made changes.

Git Configuration Levels:

Setting Username and Email

Run these global commands (affects all repositories):

git config --global user.name "Rajratan Gaikwad"
git config --global user.email "rajratangaikwad26@gmail.com"

✅ Verify configuration:

git config --global --list

🔹 You don’t need GitHub or any repository for this step. These settings are stored locally on your system.

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DevOps Use Cases for Configuration

1. Work vs. Personal Projects:

   • Use different emails for company projects (work@company.com) and personal scripts (dev@example.com).

2. Team Collaboration:

   • Ensure everyone on the team uses consistent naming (e.g., FirstName LastName).

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Writing Your First Git Commands

Scenario: Tracking a Shell Script with Git

Imagine you're a DevOps Engineer who wants to track a simple shell script (deploy.sh) that automates server deployment.

Step 1: Create a New Project Folder

mkdir Git_GitHub && cd Git_GitHub

Step 2: Initialize a Git Repository (git init)

What does it do?

🔹 Creates a hidden .git folder that tracks changes.

🔹 This does not push to GitHub, it’s purely local.

git init

✅ Output:

Initialized empty Git repository in /home/raga/DevOps/Git_GitHub/.git/

Change branch from master to main:

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Step 3: Create a New File (deploy.sh)

echo '#!/bin/bash' > deploy.sh
echo 'echo "Deploying Application..."' >> deploy.sh

✅ Check Files in Directory

ls

✅ Output:

deploy.sh

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Step 4: Check the Status of the Repository (git status)

What does it do?

🔹 Shows the current state of files in the repo.

git status

✅ Output:

On branch main
Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
        deploy.sh

🔹 Git tells us that deploy.sh is untracked.

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Step 5: Add the File to Staging (git add)

What does it do?

Moves files to the staging area before committing.

git add deploy.sh

✅ Check Status Again

git status

✅ Output:

Changes to be committed:
  (use "git rm --cached <file>..." to unstage)
        new file:   deploy.sh

🔹 Now, deploy.sh is in the staging area.

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Step 6: Commit the Changes (git commit)

What does it do?

Creates a snapshot of the staged changes.

git commit -m "Add deployment script"

✅ Output:

[main (root-commit) 1213650] Add deployment script
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 deploy.sh

🔹 Now, deploy.sh is saved in Git history.

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Final Step: Check Repository Status (git status)

git status

✅ Output:

On branch main
nothing to commit, working tree clean

🔹 This means everything is committed, and no changes are pending.

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Summary of the Workflow

Now, this project is tracked in Git, and you can make further changes while keeping history.

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Cheers to us! We’ve successfully installed Git, configured it, and even run our first Git commands—how awesome is that?

How does it feel now? Pretty great, right? Well, you should be proud! But hey, it’s not over yet—we’ve only scratched the surface. Next up we will Modify deploy.sh add changes and commit again and mainly we will learn about branching and merging before pushing to GitHub.

Stay pumped, because things are about to get even more exciting!

Until next time, keep coding, automating, and advancing in DevOps! 😁

Peace out ✌️