Getting Ready — Install Git and VS Code

Before we dive into Git, let's make sure you have the tools installed.

Install Git

Windows

1. Go to https://git-scm.com/download/win
2. Download the installer for your system (64-bit or 32-bit)
3. Run the installer — the default options are fine for most users
4. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and verify:

   git --version
   

   You should see something like git version 2.40.0

macOS

1. Open Terminal
2. Install via Homebrew (recommended):

   brew install git
   

   Or download from https://git-scm.com/download/mac
3. Verify:

   git --version
   

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

1. Open Terminal
2. Install via apt:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install git
   

3. Verify:

   git --version
   

Install Visual Studio Code

1. Go to https://code.visualstudio.com/
2. Download the version for your operating system
3. Run the installer
4. Launch VS Code

Configure Git in VS Code

1. Open VS Code
2. Open the terminal (Ctrl + `` + `` ` or View -> Terminal)
3. Set your Git identity (do this once):

   git config --global user.name "Your Name"
   git config --global user.email "your@email.com"
   

Install Essential VS Code Extensions

Press Ctrl + Shift + X to open Extensions, then search and install:

• GitLens — supercharges Git with inline blame annotations and history
• Git Graph — visual commit graph panel
• GitHub Pull Requests — manage PRs directly from VS Code

That's it! You're ready to start using Git from within VS Code.