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Configuring Git

After installing Git, we need to introduce ourselves. Git attaches your name and email to every commit you make, so others know who did what. This is a one‑time setup.

Setting Your Username and Email

Open your terminal (Git Bash on Windows, or just Terminal on macOS/Linux). Run these commands, replacing the name and email with your own:
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"
These settings will be used for all your Git projects unless you override them.

Checking Your Configuration

To see all your Git settings:
git config --list
To check a specific value, e.g., user name:
git config user.name

Setting Your Default Editor

Git sometimes needs you to write a commit message or resolve conflicts. You can set your favorite text editor as the default. For example, to use VS Code:
git config --global core.editor "code --wait"
For nano (simple terminal editor):
git config --global core.editor "nano"

Where Are These Settings Stored?

Git stores configuration in three levels:
  • System – for all users on the machine (rarely touched).
  • Global – for your user account (the one we just set).
  • Local – for a single repository (overrides global).
You can view the global config file directly:
cat ~/.gitconfig


Two Minute Drill
  • Set your name and email with git config --global user.name "Name" and git config --global user.email "email".
  • Use git config --list to view all settings.
  • Set your preferred text editor with git config --global core.editor "editor".
  • Global settings are stored in ~/.gitconfig.

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