VS Terminal / PowerShell Terminal / Git / Git Bash

1

So far, I’ve used git in Windows PowerShell. I’ve managed to create a few local repos and push them to GitHub. But, I have a LOT TO LEARN.

I’m finding git within PowerShell to be a bit cumbersome. I’ve seen references to Git Bash - and other interface tools - but don’t want to distract myself by looking into them UNLESS I’m wasting time and attention span on something that I will only want to replace later - such as Git Bash (or another tool).

I’ve been using a separate window tab for PowerShell, but I just read that I can access my terminal from within VS Code. That is appealing because navigation might be simplified. It seems at first glance that staying within the VS Code tab to write code and manage local and remote repos might simplify things.

So, what would you recommend for someone just beginning? . . . PowerShell terminal or VS Code terminal? . . . git or git bash?

tia

2

I always use the terminal in VSCode, and you can open any kind of terminal you have available in the computer from there.
Here, the first screenshot is from using VSCode in the Linux environment and the other in Windows, to show that it allows to open the kind of terminal you have available in the environment

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From there you use the kind of terminal you need for the task at hand.

3

Install https://gitforwindows.org/. Use Git BASH. Keep it simple while you are learning.

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4

I mostly use the intergraded terminal as well once inside a project.

But you often start in an external terminal, say when cloning a repo or whatnot. I would highly suggest installing Windows Terminal, it gives a lot of niceties, like tabs and a dropdown for starting the different shells and whatnot. Plus, it is handy when using WSL.

As said in your other thread, it is nice that Git Bash shows the branch you are on, so that is one reason to use it over PS. Although, you can set up PS to show more information.

https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Appendix-A:-Git-in-Other-Environments-Git-in-PowerShell

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5

If you’re just starting with Git, here’s what I recommend:

  1. Use the terminal inside VS Code. It’s easier because you don’t have to switch between different windows. You can write code and manage Git in one place, which saves time.
  2. Stick with PowerShell for now. Since you’ve already been using PowerShell, there’s no need to switch to Git Bash unless you feel PowerShell is too hard or you run into problems. Both can do the same things with Git.
  3. Focus on learning Git basics. The tool (PowerShell or Git Bash) doesn’t matter as much as understanding how to use Git itself. Commands like git init, git add, git commit, git push, and git pull are the same no matter what terminal you use.

For now, use the VS Code terminal with PowerShell.