How To Install Git on Ubuntu 20.04

Git, a popular version control system, is widely used for managing code in software development projects. It tracks changes in code, allowing collaboration and easy reversion to previous versions if needed. This article will outline two methods for installing Git on your Ubuntu system.

Method 1 : Using APT package manager

Step 1 : Update the package list

To make sure we are getting the latest version of git, update the package list using apt update command.

 sudo apt update -y

updating system

Step 2 : Install Git

Once repositories are up to date, we will install git using apt install command.

sudo apt install git -y

installing git using apt package manager

Step 3 : Verify installation

Once, installation is done, verify installation using git –version command.

git --version

verifying installation

Method 2 : Compiling from sources

Step 1 : Installing dependencies

In order to install git from Tarball package, we will need to download required dependencies using apt install command as follows

sudo apt-get install dh-autoreconf libcurl4-gnutls-dev libexpat1-dev gettext libz-dev libssl-dev build-essential

installing git dependencies

Step 2 : download archive

In this step, we will download official Tarball package from official git repository. Go to following link in your browser and download latest .tar.gz package as shown below

Link : https://github.com/git/git/tags

downloading tarball latest package

Step 3 : Extract the archive

Once downloading is completed, we will extract the package using tar -zxf command.

First navigate to Downloads folder using cd command

cd Downloads

Now extract tarball package using tar -zxf command

tar -zxf git-*

Step 4 : Navigate to the extracted directory

Once extracted, navigate to extracted directory using cd command.

cd 
cd Downloads/git-2.44.0/

navigating to extracted directory

Step 5: Configure and build

Once we are in extracted git directory, use following commands to make configurations and installation.

make configure

configuring installation

./configure --prefix=/user

configure for user

sudo make install install-doc install-html install-info

installing git

Step 6 : Verify installation

Once, installation is done, verify installation using git -v command.

 git -v

How To Install Git on Ubuntu 20.04 – FAQs

How do I keep git updated?

If you used Method 1, simply run sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade regularly. For Method 2, download the latest source code, recompile, and install.

Is there another way to install Git like GUI?

While Git itself is a command-line tool, there are graphical user interface (GUI) clients available for Git. These clients provide a visual interface to interact with Git repositories.

Can I use same steps on Ubuntu based distributions?

Yes. These steps will work on any Ubuntu based distributions like PopOS, Linux Mint, Kali Linux etc.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve explored two methods for installing Git on Ubuntu 22.04. For most users, using the Ubuntu repositories (via the apt package manager) is the recommended approach. This method offers a straightforward installation, ensures compatibility with your system, and provides regular security updates. However, if you require a specific Git version or prefer more customization, compiling from source is an alternative option.