22.6. Exercises: Git¶

22.6.1. Working in a Local Repository¶

We will use our new terminal powers to move through the Git exercises.

In whichever directory you are keeping your coursework, make a new directory called Git-Exercises using the mkdir command.

Check your solution
Inside the Git-Exercises directory, initialize a new Git repository using git init.
Use git branch to check the default branch name. If necessary, change the branch name to main.
Add a file called exercises.txt using the touch command in the terminal.

Check your solution
Commit your local changes using the git commit procedures.
Add "Hello World!" to the file called exercises.txt.
Commit your local changes following the same steps that you used for step 5.
Run the git log command. Take a screenshot of the result. Make note of what you see!

Check your solution

22.6.2. Setting up a Github Account¶

For our remote repositories, we will be using GitHub.

To create your account, follow these steps:

Navigate to GitHub's site using the link above.
Click the Sign Up button and follow the on-screen directions.
Once you have an account, you are ready to store your remote work.

Before August 13, 2021, when users pushed changes to a remote repository (or pulled new content from it), they were prompted to enter their GitHub username and password. However, a username/password combination is not the most secure method available. This is especially true for people who reuse the same credentials across multiple websites. (You know who you are. Stop doing that!)

In an effort to boost account security, GitHub changed its policy. Users must now create a Personal Access Token or an SSH key to verify their identity.

Setting up a token for your account is fairly straightforward.

22.6.2.1. Create a Personal Access Token (PAT)¶

To use HTTPS to push and pull from GitHub, users must create a personal access token. A PAT takes the place of a password, and the token process is considered more secure than a username/password verification.

Once you create your PAT, you will use it instead of your password to perform HTTPS Git operations. For example, if you are working on a repo with the URL, https://github.com/username/repo.git, your terminal might look like the following:

$ git clone https://github.com/username/repo.git
Username: your_username
Password: your_token

Some users question the need for a PAT, since it looks like another password they have to remember. Rather than diving into a lengthy debate and justification, we'll focus on the main point: GitHub requires a PAT or similar token. The platform is incredibly helpful, and we want to use it, so we'll follow their advice.

GitHub provides detailed instructions for setting up your PAT, so we will use their documentation. Follow steps 1 - 9 for Creating a Token carefully.

Tips:

The checkboxes in step 7 select the actions you're allowed to perform from the command line (terminal). For now, just choose the repo option.

There's no harm in selecting more options, but you won't need any of them for this course.
After you generate your PAT in step 8, copy and save it somewhere safe! Your new PAT will NOT be an easy-to-remember sequence of characters (that's the whole point), so you need to record it somewhere.

If you use a password manager, that's a perfect place to keep your PAT. If you use an unsecured spreadsheet or a folded piece of paper, you want to break that habit now.
If you will be pushing and pulling from a repository multiple times in quick succession, you can save your PAT in memory for a short time. Run the command:
```
$ git config credential.helper 'cache --timeout=3600'
```
The next time you access your remote repo, Git will ask for your username and PAT. It will then remember your credentials for a certain amount of time. In the example above, timeout=3600 saves your information for 1 hour (3600 seconds). You can adjust the amount of time up or down as needed.
Mac Users: At the bottom of the PAT documentation page, you can find some OPTIONAL instructions for saving your PAT in the MacOS Keychain app.

22.6.3. Optional: The SSH Key¶

As an alternative to interacting with GitHub via HTTPS, developers can use the SSH protocol instead. A description of the differences between HTTPS and SSH is beyond the scope of this text. However, we don't need to understand the nuts and bolts of SSH. We just need to be able to use it.

With an SSH key, you can connect to your GitHub repositories without needing to enter your username and PAT each time you push, pull, or perform some other action. This sounds great! The drawback is that it takes more work to set up.

As we mentioned before, this book assumes the HTTPS protocol. However, the GitHub developers make it easy to use either one. If you would like to explore how to create an SSH key, here are the relevant instructions:

Warning

For each page, make sure you click on the tab that matches your operating system (Mac, Windows, Linux).