Anyone who has to do with GitHub, in the cloning of the various repositories, will absolutely have to use Git. As for Linux, the installation is simpler, almost integrated with the operating system, given that Git is an application developed by Linus Torvalds in 2005, the same creator of Linux. But for those who own Windows? Well, there is a particular version of this application, called Git for Windows. In this article we will see how to install it.
Download and install Git for Windows
First you need to download the software directly from the official Git for Windows page (see here). The site will send you the latest release that best fits your operating system.
If you prefer to choose which release to install, perhaps on a PC other than the one with which you are downloading, you can download the application from the site Git SCM.
In both cases press the Download button. After a few seconds you will see the executable downloaded from the browser. Launch it and install it.
Once installed you will have three new icons on your system, corresponding to three applications: Git Bash, Git CMD and Git GUI.
Git GUI
Git GUI is the graphical interface of Git, complete with a window and button and link commands, which can be executed by clicking the mouse. The purpose of this interface is to perform some simple basic operations without using commands entered via the command line (BASH).
Once the application is open, its simplicity can already be seen at first glance. In fact, three operations appear via three different blue links.
- Create New Repository
- Clone Existing Repository
- Open Existing Repository
Git Bash
For those who want more control over what they are doing, it is recommended to use the Git Bash.
This shell is a real emulator of the Linux bash, which allows you to work with some BASH commands and insert GIT commands via the command line, just as if you were working on Linux.
Git CMD
For those who are not familiar with Linux or with the Bash, but instead are familiar with Windows DOS commands, there is the CMD shell (ex DOS) with which you can enter the GIT commands remaining in the classic Windows shell with all its navigation commands.
Conclusions
Once Git for Windows was installed, the door was opened to a whole series of possibilities to control the versioning of the code, the exchange of code and remote participation in distributed projects, in particular those distributed by GitHub and other service sites similar.
As regards Git commands, how it works and how to interact with the repositories remotely on GitHub, you can refer to many other articles on this site. See the GitHub thematic page where you can find articles, tutorials and anything else you might find useful on the subject.