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Shell - Git Configuration

Git setup, configuration, and shell aliases for efficient version control workflows.

Git Essentials

at the very least execute these commands initially 

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git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"
git config --global init.defaultBranch main

everything below is optional

Git Aliases

Add these convenient aliases to your shell configuration:

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# Git
alias g='git'
alias gs='git status'
alias ga='git add'
alias gc='git commit'
alias gp='git push'
alias gl='git log'

Global Git Configuration

Set up your global Git configuration with modern 2025 best practices:

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# User identity (required)
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

# Editor and diff
git config --global core.editor vim
git config --global diff.tool vimdiff

# Default branch name (modern standard)
git config --global init.defaultBranch main

# Line endings (prevents git conflicts across OS)
git config --global core.autocrlf input  # On macOS/Linux
# git config --global core.autocrlf true  # On Windows/WSL

# Rebase by default for cleaner history
git config --global pull.rebase true
git config --global rebase.autoStash true

# Safe pushing - only push current branch
git config --global push.default current

# Fast-forward only on pull
git config --global merge.ff only

# Sign commits with GPG (security best practice)
git config --global commit.gpgsign false  # Set to true if using GPG keys

# Better merge conflict handling
git config --global merge.conflictStyle zdiff3

# Show helpful status output
git config --global status.showStash true
git config --global status.showUntrackedFiles all

Complete Global Git Configuration File

View your complete Git configuration at ~/.gitconfig:

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[user]
    name = Your Name
    email = your.email@example.com

[core]
    editor = vim
    autocrlf = input
    pager = less -x2

[init]
    defaultBranch = main

[pull]
    rebase = true

[rebase]
    autoStash = true

[push]
    default = current

[merge]
    ff = only
    conflictStyle = zdiff3

[commit]
    gpgsign = false
    # Set to true if using GPG:
    # gpgsign = true

[status]
    showStash = true
    showUntrackedFiles = all

[diff]
    tool = vimdiff

[difftool]
    prompt = false

[alias]
    # Status commands
    st = status
    ss = status --short
    unstage = restore --staged
    discard = restore

    # Branch commands
    br = branch
    bra = branch -a
    brv = branch -vv

    # Checkout/switch
    co = checkout
    sw = switch

    # Commit commands
    ci = commit
    amend = commit --amend --no-edit

    # Log commands
    lg = log --oneline --graph --decorate --all
    last = log -1 HEAD
    recent = log --oneline -10

    # Stash commands
    stash-all = stash save -u

    # Useful utilities
    aliases = config --get-regexp alias
    count = rev-list --count HEAD

2025 Best Practices

Default Branch Name

Modern projects use main instead of master:

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git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Safer Pushing

Prevent accidental pushes to wrong branches:

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git config --global push.default current

Clean History

Enable rebase on pull for linear, clean commit history:

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git config --global pull.rebase true
git config --global rebase.autoStash true

Merge Conflict Resolution

Use modern conflict resolution strategy:

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git config --global merge.conflictStyle zdiff3

This shows three-way diffs for better conflict understanding.

Commit Signing (Optional)

For security, sign commits with GPG (requires setup):

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# After GPG key setup
git config --global commit.gpgsign true
git config --global user.signingkey YOUR_KEY_ID

Line Ending Management

Prevent line ending issues across platforms:

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git config --global core.autocrlf input     # macOS/Linux
git config --global core.safecrlf true      # Warn on mixed line endings

Common Git Workflows

Initialize a Repository

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mkdir my-project
cd my-project
git init

Clone a Repository

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git clone git@github.com:USERNAME/repository.git
cd repository

Create and Switch Branches

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git checkout -b feature/my-feature

Stage and Commit Changes

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# Stage specific files
git add path/to/file

# Stage all changes
git add .

# Commit with message
git commit -m "Describe your changes"

Push to Remote

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# Push current branch
git push origin feature/my-feature

# Push all branches
git push --all

# Force push (use with caution!)
git push --force-with-lease

Pull Changes

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# Pull with rebase (recommended)
git pull --rebase

# Pull normally
git pull

View History

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# View commit log
git log

# View log with graph
git log --oneline --graph --all

# View commits by author
git log --author="Name"

Git Best Practices

Commit Messages

Write clear, descriptive commit messages:

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# Good
git commit -m "Fix authentication bug in login flow"

# Bad
git commit -m "Fix bug"

Follow the format: - First line: Short summary (50 chars max) - Blank line - Body: Explain what and why (wrap at 72 chars)

Branch Naming

Use descriptive branch names:

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# Features
git checkout -b feature/user-authentication

# Bug fixes
git checkout -b bugfix/login-redirect

# Improvements
git checkout -b improvement/performance-optimization

# Release
git checkout -b release/v1.2.0

Keeping History Clean

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# Rebase before pushing to clean up commits
git rebase -i origin/main

# Squash commits
git rebase -i HEAD~3  # Interactive rebase last 3 commits

# Amend last commit
git commit --amend --no-edit

Git Environment Variables

Set these in your shell configuration:

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# Git editor
export GIT_EDITOR=vim

# Avoid being asked for credentials repeatedly
export GIT_ASKPASS=/usr/bin/git-credential-osxkeychain  # macOS

Helpful Git Commands

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# Check status
git status

# Show unstaged changes
git diff

# Show staged changes
git diff --cached

# Show changes in specific file
git diff path/to/file

# Stash changes temporarily
git stash

# Apply stashed changes
git stash pop

# Undo last commit (keep changes)
git reset --soft HEAD~1

# Discard last commit completely
git reset --hard HEAD~1

# View who changed each line
git blame path/to/file

# Search commit history
git log -S "search term"

SSH Integration with Git

Ensure your SSH key is configured for Git authentication:

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# Test SSH connection to GitHub
ssh -T git@github.com

# Should output: Hi USERNAME! You've successfully authenticated...

Your SSH configuration from the SSH section enables secure Git operations without storing credentials.