Connect GitHub to VS Code

1. Install Git and VS Code

• Download Git: git-scm.com
• Download Visual Studio Code: code.visualstudio.com

Check that Git is installed:

git --version

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2. Configure Git

Set your identity (same information as on GitHub):

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your@email.com"

Set VS Code as the default editor:

git config --global core.editor "code"

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3. Generate an SSH key

Create a new SSH key pair:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your-email@example.com"

You get two files in ~/.ssh/:

• id_rsa → private key (keep it secret)
• id_rsa.pub → public key (share with GitHub)

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4. Add the key to GitHub

1. Copy the public key:

cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

2. Go to GitHub → Settings > SSH and GPG keys > New SSH Key
3. Paste the key, give it a name, save.

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5. Enable the key locally

Start the SSH agent and add the key:

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

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6. Connect VS Code to GitHub

• Open VS Code
• Install the GitHub Pull Requests and Issues extension
• Click bottom left on Sign in to GitHub
• Authorize access to your GitHub account

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7. Clone a GitHub repository

In VS Code:

1. Ctrl + Shift + P → type Git: Clone
2. Paste the SSH URL of the repository:

git@github.com:user/my-project.git

3. Choose a folder → VS Code opens the project automatically.

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8. Typical workflow in VS Code

• Source Control tab (branch icon in the sidebar)
• Main steps:
  1. Stage (+) = git add
  2. Commit (message required) = git commit -m "Message"
  3. Sync Changes (↑↓) = git push / git pull

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Best practices

• Always create a branch per feature (feature/login, fix/bug).
• Make frequent commits with clear messages.
• Use a .gitignore to skip unnecessary files.
• Always pull before starting to code.