When starting a new project, it’s best practice to initialize the Git repository with main as the default branch (instead of the usual master). This post will walk you through how to set up your local repository, link it to a GitHub repository, and push your changes, including the setup for authentication using GitHub’s Personal Access Token (PAT).
1. Initialize a Git Repository with main as the Default Branch
Begin by navigating to the directory where your project is located. Run the following commands to initialize Git with the main branch directly.
cd /path/to/your/project
git init --initial-branch=main
2. Stage and Commit Your Files
Next, add all files to the staging area and commit them:
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
3. Link Your Local Repository to GitHub
Now, set up a connection to your GitHub repository. Instead of using the default origin label for the remote, you can specify a custom label like github, which will allow flexibility with multiple remotes if needed.
git remote add github https://github.com/deuts/deuts.github.io.git
4. Push to GitHub without Using origin
For the first push, use the -u flag to set github as the default remote:
git pull github main --rebase
git push -u github main
After this initial push, you can use git push and git pull directly without specifying the remote every time, as Git will use github by default for this branch.
5. Authentication: When You’ll Need Your Email and Personal Access Token (PAT)
When pushing to GitHub for the first time, Git will prompt you to set up authentication. Here’s what to expect:
-
Email: If this is the first time using Git on your machine, Git will ask you to set your email and name:
git config --global user.email "you@example.com" git config --global user.name "Your Name"This is required for all commits, as GitHub associates your email with your GitHub account.
-
Personal Access Token (PAT): Instead of your GitHub password, Git now requires a PAT for authentication. When prompted to log in, enter your username and the PAT as the password.
To create a PAT:
- Go to GitHub’s PAT settings.
- Generate a token with
repoaccess. - Use this token in place of your password when Git requests authentication.
Common Commands Summary
- Initialize a Git repository with
main:git init --initial-branch=main - Add and commit changes:
git add . git commit -m "Commit message" - Add a custom remote (
github) and push:git remote add github https://github.com/deuts/deuts.github.io.git git push -u github main - Push and pull with defaults:
git push # no need for origin git pull # no need for origin
With this setup, you’ll be using the main branch, avoiding the default origin label, and ensuring secure access with GitHub’s Personal Access Token (PAT) system.