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Step 2: Git & Version Control

Time: 5 minutes
Purpose: Install and configure Git for source code management

Company-Specific Setup

If you're a company employee, complete the Ybor Employee Onboarding first for organization access and SSH key setup specific to company requirements.

Install Git​

Installation: Follow the official guide at git-scm.com/downloads

PlatformInstallation MethodOfficial Documentation
macOSXcode Command Line Tools or Homebrewgit-scm.com/download/mac
WindowsGit for Windows or Chocolateygit-scm.com/download/win
LinuxPackage managergit-scm.com/download/linux

Quick Install Commands​

# macOS
xcode-select --install    # Includes Git (built-in)
brew install git          # Latest version via Homebrew

# Windows (PowerShell 7 as Administrator)
choco install git -y

# Linux
sudo apt install git      # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo dnf install git      # Fedora/RHEL
sudo yum install git      # Older CentOS/RHEL

Configure Git​

# Set your name and email (replace with your actual info)
git config --global user.name "Your Full Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

# Optional: Set default branch name
git config --global init.defaultBranch main

# Optional: Set preferred editor
git config --global core.editor "code --wait"  # For VS Code
# Generate SSH key for secure Git access
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your.email@example.com"

# Add to SSH agent
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

# Copy public key to clipboard
# macOS
pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

# Windows (PowerShell 7)
Get-Content ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | Set-Clipboard

# Linux
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | xclip -selection clipboard

Note: You'll need to add this SSH key to your Git provider (GitHub, GitLab, etc.) in their SSH settings.

SSH Config for Multiple Keys (Advanced)​

If you work with multiple Git accounts or need different SSH keys for different repositories:

Create SSH Config​

Create or edit ~/.ssh/config:

# Work GitHub
Host github.com
    HostName github.com
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
    IdentitiesOnly yes

# Personal GitHub
Host github-personal
    HostName github.com
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_personal
    IdentitiesOnly yes

# GitLab
Host gitlab.com
    HostName gitlab.com
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_gitlab
    IdentitiesOnly yes

Generate Additional Keys (if needed)​

# Generate personal key
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your.personal@email.com" -f ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_personal

# Generate GitLab key
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your.email@example.com" -f ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_gitlab

# Add all keys to SSH agent
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_personal
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_gitlab

Usage with Multiple Hosts​

# Clone from work GitHub (uses default config)
git clone git@github.com:company-org/repo.git

# Clone from personal GitHub (uses personal config)
git clone git@github-personal:your-username/personal-repo.git

# Clone from GitLab
git clone git@gitlab.com:username/repo.git

Verification​

# Check Git version
git --version

# Verify configuration
git config --get user.name
git config --get user.email

# Test SSH key (if created)
ssh-add -l  # Should show your key(s)

# Test GitHub SSH connection (if using GitHub)
ssh -T git@github.com  # Should authenticate successfully

Expected GitHub SSH response:

Hi <your-username>! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

Next Step​

Step 3: System Libraries