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Pawinphat Charoenrat
Pawinphat Charoenrat

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Git Full Speed Ahead Part 1: Installing Git on Windows and Getting Started in No Time

#git #programming #github #bash

In today’s programming world, version control is essential — and Git has become a must-have tool for every developer.
This article will walk you through a quick Git installation on Windows, so you can get up and running in no time.

1.🔧 The Starting Point: Why Do We Need Version Control?
When multiple developers work on the same codebase, problems often arise:

  • Who changed what?
  • Which version is the most up-to-date?
  • Accidentally deleted someone’s work — and can’t undo it!

👉 That’s why Version Control Systems (VCS) were created.

2. 🧱 The Early Days: Centralized Version Control Systems (Centralized VCS)

  • The core idea: there’s a central server that stores all the code and its history.
  • Developers must connect to this server to pull or push code.
  • Think of it like a shared filing cabinet in an office — everyone has to take turns using it.
  • Examples: SCCS, RCS, CVS, Subversion (SVN)

The downsides:

  • If the server goes down, everyone is blocked.
  • Offline work is nearly impossible.
  • Merging code is slow and complicated.
  • Branching is inconvenient and limited.

3. 🌐 The Next Era: Distributed Version Control Systems (DVCS)

  • A new concept: everyone has a full copy of the code and its history on their local machine.
  • This enables offline work, smoother merges, and faster branching.

4. 🚁 The Birth of Git

  • The Linux development team originally used BitKeeper (a VCS), but a licensing issue arose in 2005.
  • As a result, Linus Torvalds created Git from scratch — in just a few weeks.

😕 Many People Confuse Git with GitHub

Git and GitHub are not the same thing. Here's a quick breakdown:

✅ Git is a version control tool that runs locally on your machine.

✅ GitHub is an online platform where you can store, share, and collaborate on Git repositories with others.

💡 So, How Is GitHub Different from Git?

Git GitHub
A program that runs locally An online platform/website
Manages code versioning Used for storing, sharing, and collaboration
Works offline Requires internet to sync
Can be used with services like GitLab, Bitbucket A service provided by GitHub only

🎳Let’s Create a GitHub Account!

1. Go to GitHub
2. Create a repository or click on your profile

Create a repository

3. After clicking "Your repositories", click "New" to create a new repository.

Your repositorie

4. Enter a name for your repository.

Enter a name for your repository

5. Add a description and set the repository's visibility (public or private).

Add a description

5.1 Add a Description

Description: This is a short explanation of what your project is about. It’s optional, but I highly recommend adding one — even a brief line helps you remember the project's purpose later.

6. Repository Visibility:

  • Public – Choose this if you want to share your code with others.
  • Private – Choose this if it’s for personal use or not ready for public view.

7. Optional Files: You can also choose to initialize your repository with helpful files like:

  • A README.md to describe your project in more detail.
  • A .gitignore to specify which files Git should ignore.
  • A license file, if you're open-sourcing your project.

Optional Files

8. Once the repository is created, you’ll see a screen like this:

repository is created

📚Deleting a Repository

To delete a repository:

1. Go to your Profile > Your repositories

2. Select the repository you want to delete

3. Click on Settings in the selected repository

selected repository for delete

4. Scroll down to the Danger Zone section and click Delete this repository

Danger Zone

5. GitHub will ask you to confirm by typing the repository name into the box.
Then, click Delete this repository to permanently remove it.

delete repository

🤾Let’s Start Using Git

Installing Git
1. Download the installer from https://git-scm.com and click Download

git scm

2. Choose the operating system that matches your machine (I’m using Windows).

download git scm

3. Install Git (if there are no special options you want to change, just keep clicking Next — the default settings are good to go).

4. Once the installation is complete, you’ll see a window like this:

install git complete

5. After installation, open Git Bash. Here’s how:

6. Type Git Bash in the search box.

git bash .
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type git bash in search box

7. To check if Git is installed and see which version you're using, run the following command:

git --version
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check git version

8. To check your current Git configuration, use the following command:

git config --list
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check config git

9. Setting Your Email in Git

To set your email in Git, run the following command:

git config --global user.email "[email protected]"
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10. Setting Your Name in Git

To set your name in Git, use the following command:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
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11. When you run the git config --list command, you should see your configured email and username displayed in the list.

git bash show config

Now you’ve successfully installed Git and configured it — you're all set!
🚀 In Part 2, we’ll dive into real Git commands like clone, commit, push, and pull to get you ready for real-world projects!

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