How To Download Git Bash On A Mac

  

There is an updated version of this post for OS X 10.9. While the steps below should still work, I recommend checking out the new guide if you are running 10.9!

  1. How To Download Git Bash On A Mac Os
  2. How To Download Git Bash On A Mac Catalina
  3. How To Download Git Bash On A Mac Mojave
  4. How To Download Git Bash On A Mac File
  5. How To Download Git Bash On A Mac File
  6. Install Git Bash On Mac

There are already plenty of guides that explain the particular steps of getting Git and Github going on your mac in detail. However, I had difficulty finding one that explained every step required in order with simple enough instructions for Terminal novices to follow along with autonomously.

So I decided to write one myself.

Background

  1. Jun 08, 2020 Git Bash is an application for Microsoft Windows environments which provides a bash emulation used to run Git from the command line. This is not a simple bash compiled for Windows, but a package that contains Bash, SSH, SCP, and some other Unix utilities compiled for Windows.
  2. Bash is a popular default shell on Linux and macOS. Git Bash is a package that installs Bash, some common bash utilities, and Git on a Windows operating system. How to install Git Bash Git Bash comes included as part of the Git For Windows package. Download and install Git For Windows like other Windows applications. Once downloaded find the.
  3. Bash is a popular default shell on Linux and macOS. Git Bash is a package that installs Bash, some common bash utilities, and Git on a Windows operating system. How to install Git Bash Git Bash comes included as part of the Git For Windows package. Download and install Git For Windows like other Windows applications. Once downloaded find the.
  4. Dec 23, 2017 Remember git is a program that is most commonly used on your laptop or desktop, it is not a program for a mobile phone or tablet. This post is going to be platform dependent, so depending on whether you are a Mac, Linux or a PC user, these instructions may be a bit different.
  5. Mac OS X: Windows: Linux/Unix: Older releases are available and the Git source repository is on GitHub. Latest source Release 2.28.0 Release Notes (2020-07-27) Download Source Code. Git comes with built-in GUI tools (git-gui, gitk).

You need to put djromero's usage sample into /.bashprofile. By default you probably won't have one on Mac, so you need to create the file and then use the above verbatim (assuming git-prompt.sh is saved at /.git-prompt.sh). – Leigh McCulloch Mar 13 '14 at 21:37.

I enjoy helping people become more efficient and productive, particularly when it comes to their computers and mobile devices. At a recent job, the staff design team was beginning a period of close collaboration with the front-end development team in the interest of achieving the best possible product in the shortest period of time.

However, there was a slight “problem.” The project’s codebase was exclusively managed via Git repositories on Github. Most of the designers had never worked with Git, let alone ever configured it on their workstations.

Most of the designers had some knowledge of the technologies that went into the codebase, particularly presentation layer tech like HTML and CSS. Some even knew programming languages like Javascript, PHP, and Ruby.

In an effort to unleash this previously untapped resource for a round of intense polishing and bug-fixing, I took it upon myself to write a step-by-step guide that any member of our studio could follow and be up and running with developer tools, Git, connected to Github, and ready to work on the project codebase.

This then is a slightly abbreviated1 version of the guide I distributed out to the team. Ultimately just a few days after releasing it, nearly everyone in the office — including design, production, management, and even a few devs setting up new machines — was able to at least view the latest code on their workstations.

Aside from the fact that my guide helped others quickly get through the arduous process of installation and configuration, I was happy to have it as a quick reference for myself when setting up new machines of my own. Enjoy!

Getting started

This tutorial assumes you’re using a Mac running at least OS X 10.7. If you are unsure of what OS you have, go up to the top left of your screen, click the Apple menu, and select “About This Mac.”

You’ll also need to ensure that your user account on your computer has admin privileges and that you know your account’s password.

Install the Command Line Tools for OS X

Xcode is a nearly 4GB developer suite Apple offers for free from the Mac App Store. However, for the purposes of getting Git and Github setup, you’ll only need a specific set of command line tools2 which fortunately take up much less space.

If you don’t mind the 4GB, by all means go for Xcode. Otherwise, you’ll have to go to connect.apple.com and register an Apple Developer account in order to download these tools.

Once you’ve registered, they can be found at developer.apple.com/xcode by clicking on “View downloads” and finding the appropriate command line tools for your version of OS X in the list.

  1. If you are on OS X 10.7.x, download The 10.7 Command Line Tools. If you are on OS X 10.8.x, download The 10.8 Command Line Tools.
  2. When your download finishes, go ahead and open the DMG.
  3. Run the Command Line Tools installer.

A note about the Terminal

The Terminal application comes pre-installed with OS X, and can be found in the Applications -> Utilities folder. You can also quickly access it using Spotlight.

The terminal has a variety of uses, but for the purposes of this tutorial we’ll be using a syntax/command set called Bash. Terminal is already configured to use this syntax.

When you enter a command and press return/enter, often times the terminal will execute it and complete the task immediately.

How To Download Git Bash On A Mac Os

Sometimes it will log information in the window while it’s working, but other times you might feel like it isn’t doing anything at all.

Some of the commands later in this tutorial can take a few seconds (or minutes) to complete, so don’t type anything into the terminal window or close the terminal window until you see it present you with a fresh prompt ending in yourusername$.

For the purposes of this tutorial, commands that I intend for you to type will be preceded with $, but don’t include that symbol when you enter the commands. It’s purely meant as an indicator and reference to the $ that appears in your terminal prompt.

Lines that contain comments/notes from me to will be preceded with # and will be dimmed. Don’t type these either.

Make sure to press return after typing a command before you enter the next one.

Installing Git

“Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency.”

We need to install Git onto your computer. It won’t have an icon in your dock, but it can be used by the Terminal (and other applications, more on that later).

OS X comes with a fairly old version of Git pre-installed, so we’ll want to make sure that your terminal is using a more updated version.

One specific reason you’ll want to have a newer version of Git than the one that ships with OS X is to take advantage of a nice authentication feature that allows you to seamlessly interact with Github.

  1. Download the latest stable release of Git. It should start downloading a DMG which for some reason will include the words “Snow Leopard” in the file name…don’t worry, it works with Lion and Mountain Lion just fine.

  2. When it’s done downloading, open the DMG and run the package installer.

    Note: If you are using OS X 10.8 and haven’t already modified your security settings to allow the installation of third-party applications, you’ll need to make that adjustment3 before OS X lets you install these tools.

  3. Once the installer has finished, open the Terminal app and type git --version followed by the return key. Note that there are two dashes, not one.

  4. The terminal should report back with your currently installed Git version.

    If it reports a Git version that matches the version number marked on the DMG you downloaded (as of writing, this would be 1.8.1.3) proceed to Configuring Git identification, otherwise you’ll need to execute the following:

Configuring Git identification

Now let’s configure your Git installation so other folks who might be working on projects with you know who’s doing all of the great work coming from your computer.

Setup Github

“GitHub is a web-based hosting service for software development projects that use the Git revision control system.”

Go to Github.com and create a free account if you haven’t already.

Github Keychain Helper

To save time in the future, we’ll install a utility that will allow your computer to authenticate with Github automatically instead of having to enter your username/password during each session.

First, check if the helper is installed by typing git credential-osxkeychain into the terminal.

If the helper is installed, the terminal will give you instructions on how to use it:

If see the above message, you are now able to access Git repositories using the HTTPS method. There’s a very good chance that this is the only method you will need to access repositories and you can move on to my final notes.

If you don’t have the keychain helper already installed, you’ll see this instead:

To install the keychain helper, execute the following commands:

Once again, if the helper has been installed successfully, the terminal will give you instructions on how to use it:

If see the above message, you are now able to access Git repositories using the HTTPS method. There’s a very good chance that this is the only method you will need to access repositories and you can move on to my final notes.

Mac

If you don’t see the above message, you hit a snag along the way. Try going through the keychain helper install steps again.

Otherwise, if you have a specific reason that you need to access Git repositories using SSH, proceed to SSH Keys.

SSH Keys (optional step)

“SSH uses public-key cryptography to authenticate the remote computer and allow it to authenticate the user, if necessary. There are several ways to use SSH; one is to use automatically generated public-private key pairs to simply encrypt a network connection, and then use password authentication to log on.”

An SSH key basically lets your computer uniquely identify itself when it connects to servers. If Github is aware of the key your computer is using, you won’t have to enter your Github username/password every time you connect.

Check for pre-existing SSH keys on your computer

Let’s see if your computer has one or more keys already installed:

If you get the response “No such file or directory”, skip to Generate a new SSH Key.

Otherwise, you’ll need to backup and remove your existing SSH keys.

Backup and remove your existing SSH keys.
Generate a new SSH key

Now we’ll create a new SSH key to use with Github.

When it asks you to enter a file name in which to save the key, just press return/enter (leave the prompt blank).

How To Download Git Bash On A Mac Catalina

You will then be asked to enter a passphrase and confirm it. Don’t make this blank, and don’t make it an easily guessable. This prevents someone from easily acquiring and using your SSH key to impersonate you. Don’t worry, you won’t have to enter this key much (if at all) after initial setup.

Press return after each time you’ve entered your selected passphrase. You won’t see the characters or bullets, the cursor will stay in the same spot as if you aren’t typing.

If you make an error entering your password one of the times, just press return and it will prompt you to try again.

Once you’ve successfully set your passphrase, the terminal will report that your key has been saved and will present you with some sweet ASCII art.

Add your SSH key to Github

How To Download Git Bash On A Mac Mojave

In order for your computer to access Github without you having to enter your username/password all the time, Github needs to know the contents of the SSH key you just generated.

Now we’ll add your key to Github:

  1. Visit your account settings.
  2. Click Add SSH key.
  3. Enter a descriptive title for the computer you’re currently on, e.g. “Work iMac” into the Title field.
  4. Paste your key into the Key field (it has already been copied to your clipboard).
  5. Click Add Key.
  6. Enter your Github password.

Now let’s test that it all worked.

How To Download Git Bash On A Mac File

Congratulations!

Your Mac is now up and running with both Git and Github. I intend to write another post about some of the commonly used commands I always find myself looking up syntax for, as well as those that members on the team had to learn in order to effectively take part in the production process.

Recommended tools

Text Editors

If you’re just getting your feet wet with writing code, you’ll want to look into a text editor that is purpose built for that task.

My hardcore colleagues wouldn’t leave me alone if I didn’t also mention command-line editors like Vim and Emacs, but I’d recommend one of the previously listed apps for getting started.

I don’t recommend using TextEdit as it doesn’t offer syntax highlighting, and I’m personally not fond of Dreamweaver for writing code as I feel it allows its WYSIWYG mode to be used as a crutch. That said, Dreamweaver’s predecessor4 in Adobe’s product lineup was what I learned to write HTML on, so there’s that.

However with the explosion of online code teaching platforms out there (and Firebug/DOM inspector tools), I don’t see the need to use a WYSIWYG editor anymore.

Git GUI Tools

When I first started dabbling with Git, I used the popular Tower app to manage my repositories. It has a fantastic interface and offers most of the features of the command line app.

How To Download Git Bash On A Mac File

However when we began this endeavor at my past job, the development team and I wanted to ensure that all persons with access to the codebase thought about what the actions they were going to take, and deliberately execute commands.

GUI tools are great, but they can sometimes allow disastrous things to happen with the push of a button. Additionally they can abstract away the syntax of the language/protocol they are built upon, and as a result leave users dependent on the GUI rather than knowledgeable about the underlying technology.

If you must use a GUI tool, by all means do. However in the circumstances I mentioned, it wasn’t an option we wanted to offer.

Terminal Configuration

I’ve been enjoying iTerm2 for a few small perks it offers, mainly the ability to have perfect representation of the Solarized Dark theme.

Feedback

If there are any steps/instructions I’ve written that have been outdated by newer information/technology, are simply wrong, or could be explained better please feel free to contact me on Twitter where I’m @burnedpixel.

  1. The stack for this project was very complicated and resulted in us using Vagrant and VirtualBox to literally get virtual instances of the dev environment going on each workstation.↩

  2. I had hosted the appropriate DMGs for the 10.7 and 10.8 tools on a local fileserver to speed up this step. Unfortunately the general public will have to go to Apple’s developer site, sign up for a free account, and download the tools from there.↩

  3. Security settings adjustment to install Git:

    • Go to Apple Menu > System Preferences
    • Click Security & Privacy
    • Click the lock icon in the bottom left and enter your account password
    • Select “Anywhere” for the “Allow applications downloaded from” setting
    • Close System Preferences

  4. While I may have been exposed to making web pages by software like Claris Home Page and Microsoft FrontPage, I really learned to write HTML by hand from a software suite called GoLive Cyberstudio. In what has now become a familiar process, Adobe bought GoLive out so they could integrate Cyberstudio into their product lineup. In what has now also become familiar, Cyberstudio (simply rebranded as GoLive) rarely got any updates and lived a deprecated existence until it’s death nearly 10 years later.↩

How to install Git on any OS

Git can be installed on the most common operating systems like Windows, Mac, and Linux. In fact, Git comes installed by default on most Mac and Linux machines!

Checking for Git

To see if you already have Git installed, open up your terminal application.

  • If you're on a Mac, look for a command prompt application called 'Terminal'.
  • If you're on a Windows machine, open the windows command prompt or 'Git Bash'.

Once you've opened your terminal application, type git version. The output will either tell you which version of Git is installed, or it will alert you that git is an unknown command. If it's an unknown command, read further and find out how to install Git.

Install Git Using GitHub Desktop

Installing GitHub Desktop will also install the latest version of Git if you don't already have it. With GitHub Desktop, you get a command line version of Git with a robust GUI. Regardless of if you have Git installed or not, GitHub Desktop offers a simple collaboration tool for Git. You can learn more here.

Install Git on Windows

  1. Navigate to the latest Git for Windows installer and download the latest version.
  2. Once the installer has started, follow the instructions as provided in the Git Setup wizard screen until the installation is complete.
  3. Open the windows command prompt (or Git Bash if you selected not to use the standard Git Windows Command Prompt during the Git installation).
  4. Type git version to verify Git was installed.

Install Git Bash On Mac

Note: git-scm is a popular and recommended resource for downloading Git for Windows. The advantage of downloading Git from git-scm is that your download automatically starts with the latest version of Git included with the recommended command prompt, Git Bash . The download source is the same Git for Windows installer as referenced in the steps above.

Install Git on Mac

Most versions of MacOS will already have Git installed, and you can activate it through the terminal with git version. However, if you don't have Git installed for whatever reason, you can install the latest version of Git using one of several popular methods as listed below:

Install Git From an Installer

  1. Navigate to the latest macOS Git Installer and download the latest version.
  2. Once the installer has started, follow the instructions as provided until the installation is complete.
  3. Open the command prompt 'terminal' and type git version to verify Git was installed.

Note: git-scm is a popular and recommended resource for downloading Git on a Mac. The advantage of downloading Git from git-scm is that your download automatically starts with the latest version of Git. The download source is the same macOS Git Installer as referenced in the steps above.

Install Git from Homebrew

Homebrew is a popular package manager for macOS. If you already have Homwbrew installed, you can follow the below steps to install Git:

  1. Open up a terminal window and install Git using the following command: brew install git.
  2. Once the command output has completed, you can verify the installation by typing: git version.

Install Git on Linux

Fun fact: Git was originally developed to version the Linux operating system! So, it only makes sense that it is easy to configure to run on Linux.

You can install Git on Linux through the package management tool that comes with your distribution.

Debian/Ubuntu

How
  1. Git packages are available using apt.
  2. It's a good idea to make sure you're running the latest version. To do so, Navigate to your command prompt shell and run the following command to make sure everything is up-to-date: sudo apt-get update.
  3. To install Git, run the following command: sudo apt-get install git-all.
  4. Once the command output has completed, you can verify the installation by typing: git version.

Fedora

  1. Git packages are available using dnf.
  2. To install Git, navigate to your command prompt shell and run the following command: sudo dnf install git-all.
  3. Once the command output has completed, you can verify the installation by typing: git version.

Note: You can download the proper Git versions and read more about how to install on specific Linux systems, like installing Git on Ubuntu or Fedora, in git-scm's documentation.

Other Methods of Installing Git

Looking to install Git via the source code? Learn more here.

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