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GitHub Setup Guide for Windows (Git Bash) by Miftah Ahmad Choiri

This guide provides a structured walkthrough to set up GitHub on your PC using Git Bash.

📋 Prerequisites

📄 0. Bash Profile Configuration

cat ~/.bash_profile

export MY_PATH="/c/Users/mifta/OneDrive - IBM/IBM/LEARNING"
alias mydir='cd "$MY_PATH"'
export PATH=$PATH:/c/Program\ Files/GitHub\ CLI

source ~/.bash_profile

This configuration sets a custom path environment and alias for easier navigation and ensures the GitHub CLI is accessible from Git Bash.

🚀 1. Configuring Git

Check Git Version

git --version

Ensure Git is installed correctly.

Set Global Git Configuration

git config --global user.name "miftah-ahmad-choiri"
git config --global user.email "miftahcoiri354@gmail.com"

Verify settings:

git config --list

For organization login:

git config --global user.name "Miftah-Choiri"
git config --global user.email "miftah.choiri@ibm.com"
git config -list

🔐 2. Setting Up SSH for GitHub

Generate SSH Key

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "miftahcoiri354@gmail.com"

Press Enter to accept defaults and optionally set a passphrase.

Start SSH Agent

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

Add SSH Key to Agent

ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Add SSH Key to GitHub

  1. Display the public key: 
    cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
  2. Copy the key.
  3. Go to GitHub → Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key.
  4. Paste the key and save.

Test SSH Connection

ssh -T git@github.com

Successful output:

Hi miftah-ahmad-choiri! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

For Organization ssh-connection:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "miftah.choiri@ibm.com"

# save the key into different location
Enter file in which to save the key (/c/Users/mifta/.ssh/id_ed25519): /c/Users/mifta/.ssh/id_ed25519_ibm

ll ~/.ssh/
vi ~/.ssh/config

# Personal GitHub Account
Host github.com-personal
    HostName github.com
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

# IBM GitHub Account
Host github.com-ibm
    HostName github.ibm.com
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_ibm

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_ibm

Identity added: /c/Users/mifta/.ssh/id_ed25519_ibm (miftah.choiri@ibm.com)

Test connection to github.com & github.ibm.com

ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_ibm -T git@github.ibm.com

Hi Miftah-Choiri! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

ssh -T git@github.com

Hi miftah-ahmad-choiri! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

📦 3. Repository Setup

Initialize a New Git Repository

cd ~/OneDrive - IBM/IBM/LEARNING/github/how-to-setup-github/
git init

Add and Commit Files

git add how-to-setup-github.md
git commit -m "Initial commit"

Add Remote Repository

git branch -M main
git remote add origin git@github.com:miftah-ahmad-choiri/how-to-setup-github.git

gh auth login
gh repo create how-to-setup-github --public --source=. --remote=origin --push

Push to GitHub

git push -u origin main

Push an existing repository from the command line

git remote add origin git@github.com:miftah-ahmad-choiri/how-to-setup-github.git
git branch -M main
git push -u origin main

git init
git branch -M main
git status
git add .
git commit -m "ïnitial commit"
git remote add origin https://github.ibm.com/Miftah-Choiri/Miftah-Choiri.github.ibm.com.git
git remote set-url origin git@github.ibm.com:Miftah-Choiri/Miftah-Choiri.github.ibm.com.git
git remote -v
git push -u origin main

🔄 4. Pull Existing Repository

Pull existing repository to local

git remote add origin git@github.com:miftah-ahmad-choiri/how-to-setup-github.git
git pull origin main
# or
git pull git@github.com:miftah-ahmad-choiri/how-to-setup-github.git

git remote -v
git remote set-url origin git@github.com:miftah-ahmad-choiri/miftah-ahmad-choiri.github.io.git
git pull origin master

Pull Rebase

git pull origin develop --rebase
git add .
git commit -m 'add'
git push -u origin develop

🗂️ 5. Branching and Merging

Create and Switch to a New Branch

git checkout -b edit-readme

Push the Branch to GitHub

git push -u origin edit-readme

Merge Changes into Main Branch

git checkout main
git merge edit-readme
git push origin main

Move repo directory to new directory

cp -r how-to-setup-github/ repository/
rm -rf how-to-setup-github/

Remove and Reconnect to remote repository

git remote remove origin
git remote -r

git remote add origin git@github.com:miftah-ahmad-choiri/how-to-setup-github.git
git remote -r

Delete branch & remote branch

git branch -d edit-readme
git branch -D edit-readme
git push origin --delete edit-readme

Verify branch

git branch
git branch -r

Safely Delete .git directory

# remove .git file from repo directory
cd how-to-setup-github
rm -rf .git
cd ..
rm -rf how-to-setup-github

⚙️ 6. Using GitHub CLI (Optional)

Verify GitHub CLI Installation

gh --version

Authenticate with GitHub

gh auth login

Follow the prompts to authenticate via browser.

Create Repository Using GitHub CLI

gh repo create how-to-setup-github --public --source=. --remote=origin --push

Open Repository in Browser

gh repo view --web

📝 7. Troubleshooting Common Issues

  • Repository Not Found:

    ERROR: Repository not found.

    Fix: Verify repository URL and access permissions.

  • Remote Already Exists:

    error: remote origin already exists.

    Fix: Remove existing remote and add again:

    git remote remove origin
git remote add origin git@github.com:USERNAME/REPO.git

💡 8. Helpful Commands

  • List branches: 
    git branch -a
  • Check remote repositories: 
    git remote -v
  • View repository list: 
    gh repo list

✅ Conclusion

This guide covers the end-to-end process of setting up GitHub on your PC, configuring Git, managing SSH keys, creating repositories, and working with branches. For more details, refer to GitHub Docs.

Author: Miftah Ahmad Choiri
Last Updated: 2025-02-01

Updated: