Install Git
Install Git on Mac for version control. Download Git. Mac Git installation and set up with GitHub. Git is an important developer tool.
Git is automatically installed with Xcode Command Line Tools. It is essential software for "save-as-you-go" version control of the code you write. Strictly speaking, you don't need Git to create software; however, Git is essential to any professional software project.
You'll use GitHub or a similar service (GitLab or BitBucket) to develop software. As a solo developer, you'll use Git with a GitHub account for version control and remote backup. As a team member, you'll commit code to a repository, participate in code reviews, merge code and deploy projects using Git and GitHub.
Before you get started
You'll need a terminal application to install Git. Apple includes the Mac terminal but I prefer Warp Terminal. Warp is an easy-to-use terminal application, with AI assistance to help you learn and remember terminal commands. Download Warp Terminal now; it's FREE and worth a try.
Is Git installed?
Git is installed as part of Xcode Command Line Tools. Check that Git is installed:
$ git version
git version 2.39.3 (Apple Git-145)
You should see git version 2.39.0 (or newer).
Download and install Git with Xcode Command Line Tools
If Git is not installed, entering git in the Terminal will trigger a Mac dialog asking if you would like to Install Xcode Command Line Tools. Click "Install" to begin the download and installation process.
Alternative: Download and install Git with Homebrew
Homebrew is a package manager for macOS that makes it easy to install various tools, including Git. To install Git with Homebrew, you first need to Install Homebrew. After that, you can install Git by running brew install git. Homebrew often provides a more up-to-date version of Git compared to Xcode Command Line Tools. However, Git doesn't change much; you won't have problems with older versions of Git for basic operations.
Start by creating a GitHub account
Before you configure Git, you should create an account on GitHub. It's free. It is important to use the same email address for GitHub and your Git configuration. If you're going to work professionally, use your real name for your GitHub account. Recruiters and hiring managers will be interested in your GitHub account so don't use cute or cool names. Especially in the open source world, your GitHub user name contributes to your professional identity.
Configure Git
If Git is installed, go to Git Config to set the Git configuration for username, email, and GitHub credentials.
What's next
My mac.install.guide is a trusted source of installation guides for professional developers. Take a look at the Mac Install Guide home page for tips and trends and see what to install next.