Git & GitHub Fundamentals · Module 02 of 12

Install, configure and get help

Configure identity deliberately, inspect configuration scope and use built-in documentation before relying on memorized commands.

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

Verify the Git client.
Set repository-local identity without changing unrelated repositories.
Use git help and config origin information.

Identity is commit metadata

user.name and user.email are written into new commit metadata. They are not a GitHub login mechanism and do not authenticate network access.

Configuration has scopes

Git reads system, global and repository-local configuration. A local setting can override a global setting for one repository. git config --show-origin helps explain where a value came from.

Use the documentation

git help <command> and git <command> -h are safer than guessing destructive flags. Modern Git separates branch switching and file restoration into git switch and git restore, while git checkout remains available.

Worked examples

See the idea in practice.

Configure a lab-only identity

git --version
git config --local user.name "GNU Learner"
git config --local user.email "learner@example.invalid"
git config --show-origin --get user.name

--local writes .git/config in the current repository.
Identity affects future commits in this repository.

Hands-on lab

Lab — Configure a repository safely

Goal: Set local author metadata and verify exactly where it is stored.

Before you start

Git 2.23 or newer is recommended so the labs can use git switch and git restore.
Run labs in a disposable working directory; the included validator creates and removes its own temporary repository.

STEP 1

Reuse or create a lab repository

mkdir -p ~/gnu-git-labs/module02 && cd ~/gnu-git-labs/module02
git init -b main

STEP 2

Set local identity

git config --local user.name "GNU Learner"
git config --local user.email "learner@example.invalid"

STEP 3

Inspect origins

git config --show-origin --get user.name
git config --show-origin --get user.email

STEP 4

Open concise help

git status -h | head

Verify

user.name and user.email resolve from .git/config.
git status help renders successfully.

Expected outcome

Only the lab repository receives these local identity values.

If it fails

If Git says not in a repository, cd into module02 first.
Avoid changing --global values on managed workstations unless that is intentional.

Real-world connection

Production build systems often set an explicit bot identity locally so automated commits are attributable and reproducible.

Avoid these traps

Common mistakes

Assuming user.email authenticates to GitHub.
Using --global when a repository-specific identity is intended.
Copying an unfamiliar destructive command without reading its help.

Knowledge check

Can you explain it without looking back?

Open each answer only after you have tried to answer the question yourself.

1Does user.email prove GitHub authentication?

No. It is commit metadata.

2Which scope affects only the current repository?

Repository-local configuration.

3How can you see where a config value came from?

git config --show-origin.