Configuring Your Ship's Systems

Your Digital Identity

Every astronaut needs identification. When you make changes to your code, Git records who made them. This isn't about surveillance—it's about collaboration and accountability. Let's configure Git with your identity.

Essential Configuration

Setting Your Name

Tell Git who you are:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"

Example:

git config --global user.name "Commander Shepard"

Setting Your Email

Configure your email address:

git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

Example:

git config --global user.email "shepard@normandy.space"

Important: If you plan to use GitHub, use the email associated with your GitHub account.

Understanding Configuration Levels

Git has three configuration levels:

• System: Applies to all users on the computer (--system)
• Global: Applies to all your repositories (--global)
• Local: Applies to a specific repository (no flag, or --local)

Most of the time, you'll use --global. Local settings override global, which override system.

Configuring Your Default Editor

Git sometimes opens a text editor (like for commit messages). Set your preferred editor:

VS Code:

git config --global core.editor "code --wait"

Vim:

git config --global core.editor "vim"

Nano:

git config --global core.editor "nano"

Notepad (Windows):

git config --global core.editor "notepad"

Line Ending Configuration

Different operating systems use different line endings. Configure Git to handle this:

Windows:

git config --global core.autocrlf true

Mac/Linux:

git config --global core.autocrlf input

Viewing Your Configuration

See all configuration settings:

git config --list

See a specific setting:

git config user.name
git config user.email

Useful Optional Configurations

Color Output

Make Git output colorful and easier to read:

git config --global color.ui auto

Default Branch Name

Set the name for your default branch (GitHub uses "main"):

git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Pull Behavior

Configure how Git handles pulls:

git config --global pull.rebase false

Configuration File Locations

Git stores configuration in files:

• Global: ~/.gitconfig (or ~/.config/git/config)
• Local: .git/config in each repository

You can edit these files directly, but using git config commands is safer.

Verifying Your Setup

Let's verify everything is configured correctly:

git config --global --list

You should see at least:

user.name=Your Name
user.email=your.email@example.com

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"
git config --global core.editor "code --wait"
git config --global init.defaultBranch main
git config --global color.ui auto

Changing Configuration Later

You can change any setting anytime by running the config command again:

git config --global user.email "newemail@example.com"

Removing Configuration

Remove a setting:

git config --global --unset user.name

Why This Matters

Every commit you make includes your name and email. This allows:

• Team members to know who wrote code
• Future you to remember what you were thinking
• Project maintainers to contact contributors
• GitHub to link commits to your profile

It's like signing your work—professional and essential for collaboration.

Configuration Complete

Your spacecraft systems are now configured. Git knows who you are and has sensible defaults for everything else. You're ready to learn about GitHub—mission control for your code.