Git: Getting Started

Git is a distributed version control system. Every working copy is a full repository with complete history — there's no central server required, though one is often used for collaboration. This covers the commands you'll use first: setting up a repo, configuring Git, and understanding the working tree.

Commands Covered

git init · git clone · git config · git status · git help · git version

git init

Creates a new empty Git repository in the current directory (or a specified path). Git stores everything in a .git/ subdirectory.

# Initialize a repo in the current directory
$ git init

# Initialize a named directory (creates it if it doesn't exist)
$ git init my-project

# Initialize a bare repository (no working tree — used for servers/remotes)
$ git init --bare my-project.git

After git init, the directory contains a .git/ folder but no commits yet. The repository is empty until you add and commit files.

git clone

Copies an existing repository — full history included. The clone knows about the original (called origin) and can push/pull changes to it.

# Clone from GitHub (HTTPS)
$ git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Clone into a specific directory name
$ git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git my-local-name

# Clone via SSH (requires SSH key set up with GitHub/GitLab)
$ git clone git@github.com:user/repo.git

# Shallow clone — only the latest commit (faster, less disk)
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Clone a specific branch
$ git clone --branch develop https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Clone a local repository
$ git clone /path/to/existing/repo new-copy

git config

Gets and sets configuration values. Config is layered: system-wide, per-user (~/.gitconfig), and per-repo (.git/config). Per-repo overrides per-user, which overrides system.

# Set your identity (required before your first commit)
$ git config --global user.name "Your Name"
$ git config --global user.email "you@example.com"

# Set your default editor (used for commit messages)
$ git config --global core.editor vim
$ git config --global core.editor "nano"
$ git config --global core.editor "code --wait"   # VS Code

# Set default branch name for new repos
$ git config --global init.defaultBranch main

# Enable coloured output
$ git config --global color.ui auto

# Set up a credential helper (avoids re-entering password)
$ git config --global credential.helper store       # saves to disk (plain text)
$ git config --global credential.helper cache       # saves in memory for 15min
$ git config --global credential.helper 'cache --timeout=3600'

# View all current config values
$ git config --list
$ git config --list --show-origin   # shows which file each setting comes from

# Read a specific value
$ git config user.email

# Set a per-repo setting (omit --global)
$ git config user.email "work@company.com"

# Create an alias (shortcut for a command)
$ git config --global alias.st status
$ git config --global alias.co checkout
$ git config --global alias.lg "log --oneline --graph --decorate"
$ git st    # now runs: git status

git status

Shows the state of the working tree and staging area — which files are modified, staged, or untracked. Run this constantly.

$ git status

# Short format (compact output)
$ git status -s
# Output columns: XY filename
#   X = staging area status
#   Y = working tree status
#   M = modified, A = added, D = deleted, ? = untracked, ! = ignored

$ git status --short --branch   # include current branch in short format
$ git status --ignored          # also show ignored files

Symbol	Meaning
`M` (left)	Staged (modified in index vs last commit)
`M` (right)	Unstaged (modified in working tree vs index)
`A`	Newly staged file
`D`	Deleted
`R`	Renamed
`??`	Untracked file
`!!`	Ignored file

git help

# Open the man page for a command
$ git help commit
$ git help log

# Short summary (one-liners for all commands)
$ git help --all
$ git help -a          # same

# List conceptual guides (not commands)
$ git help --guides
$ git help -g

# Open a specific guide
$ git help revisions    # how to specify commits/ranges
$ git help hooks        # how hooks work
$ git help attributes   # .gitattributes format

git version

$ git version
# git version 2.47.0

# Useful when troubleshooting — some features require specific versions.
# Git 2.23+ introduced git switch and git restore as clearer alternatives
# to the overloaded git checkout command.

The Three Areas

Understanding Git's three areas is fundamental to everything else:

Area	What it is	Commands that affect it
Working tree	Files on disk as you edit them	Your editor, `git restore`
Staging area (index)	Snapshot queued for the next commit	`git add`, `git rm`, `git restore --staged`
Repository (.git/)	Committed history — permanent record	`git commit`, `git reset`