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Gitdevops~10 mins

Global vs local configuration in Git - Interactive Practice

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Practice - 5 Tasks
Answer the questions below
1fill in blank
easy

Complete the command to set your user name globally in Git.

Git
git config --global user.name [1]
Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'
A--local
B"Your Name"
Cuser.email
Dinit
Attempts:
3 left
💡 Hint
Common Mistakes
Using --local instead of --global
Forgetting quotes around the name
Using user.email instead of user.name
2fill in blank
medium

Complete the command to set your email only for the current Git repository.

Git
git config [1] user.email "you@example.com"
Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'
Astatus
B--global
C--local
Dinit
Attempts:
3 left
💡 Hint
Common Mistakes
Using --global instead of --local
Using unrelated commands like init or status
3fill in blank
hard

Fix the error in the command to check the global user name configuration.

Git
git config [1] user.name
Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'
A--global
Bset
C--local
Dget
Attempts:
3 left
💡 Hint
Common Mistakes
Using --local instead of --global
Using 'set' or 'get' which are not valid flags here
4fill in blank
hard

Fill both blanks to list all Git configurations with their scope.

Git
git config --[1] --[2]
Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'
Alist
Bglobal
Clocal
Dedit
Attempts:
3 left
💡 Hint
Common Mistakes
Mixing up local and global
Using --edit instead of --list
5fill in blank
hard

Fill all three blanks to set a local Git alias named 'co' for 'checkout'.

Git
git config [1] alias.[2] [3]
Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'
A--local
Bco
Ccheckout
D--global
Attempts:
3 left
💡 Hint
Common Mistakes
Using --global instead of --local
Swapping alias name and command
Forgetting to use alias. prefix

Practice

(1/5)
1. What is the main difference between git config --global and git config --local?
easy
A. Local config is stored in the user's home directory.
B. Global config applies only to the current project; local config applies to all projects.
C. Global config overrides local config settings.
D. Global config applies to all projects; local config applies only to the current project.

Solution

  1. Step 1: Understand global configuration scope

    Global configuration applies settings to all Git projects on the computer, stored in the user's home directory.

  2. Step 2: Understand local configuration scope

    Local configuration applies only to the current Git project and overrides global settings if both exist.

  3. Final Answer:

    Global config applies to all projects; local config applies only to the current project. -> Option D

  4. Quick Check:

    Global = all projects, Local = current project [OK]
Hint: Global is for all projects, local is project-specific [OK]
Common Mistakes:
  • Confusing which config applies globally or locally
  • Thinking local config is stored in home directory
  • Assuming global config overrides local config
2. Which of the following commands correctly sets the user email only for the current Git project?
easy
A. git config --global user.email "user@example.com"
B. git config --system user.email "user@example.com"
C. git config user.email "user@example.com"
D. git set user.email "user@example.com"

Solution

  1. Step 1: Identify the correct command for local config

    By default, git config without --global or --system sets local config for the current project.

  2. Step 2: Check command syntax

    git config --local is valid but optional; git config user.email "user@example.com" is the simplest correct form.

  3. Final Answer:

    git config user.email "user@example.com" -> Option C

  4. Quick Check:

    Local config uses git config without --global [OK]
Hint: Use git config without --global for local settings [OK]
Common Mistakes:
  • Using --global when wanting local config
  • Using invalid command like git set
  • Assuming --local is mandatory
3. Given these commands run in order inside a Git project:
git config --global user.name "GlobalUser"
git config user.name "LocalUser"
git config user.name

What will be the output of the last command?
medium
A. GlobalUser
B. LocalUser
C. No output (empty)
D. Error: user.name not set

Solution

  1. Step 1: Understand config precedence

    Local config overrides global config when both exist for the same key.

  2. Step 2: Analyze the commands

    First sets global user.name to "GlobalUser", then local user.name to "LocalUser". The last command reads the effective user.name, which is local.

  3. Final Answer:

    LocalUser -> Option B

  4. Quick Check:

    Local overrides global, so output is LocalUser [OK]
Hint: Local config overrides global for same key [OK]
Common Mistakes:
  • Assuming global config always shows
  • Thinking last set value globally is used
  • Confusing output with error
4. You ran git config --local user.name "Alice" but git config user.name still shows "Bob". What is the most likely problem?
medium
A. You are not inside a Git repository directory.
B. You used --local incorrectly; it should be --global.
C. The global config is overriding the local config.
D. The user.name key is misspelled.

Solution

  1. Step 1: Check local config requirements

    Local config applies only inside a Git repository folder. Outside, local config commands fail silently or do not apply.

  2. Step 2: Understand why global shows instead

    If outside a repo, local config is ignored, so global config value "Bob" is shown.

  3. Final Answer:

    You are not inside a Git repository directory. -> Option A

  4. Quick Check:

    Local config needs repo folder [OK]
Hint: Local config works only inside a Git repo folder [OK]
Common Mistakes:
  • Assuming global always overrides local
  • Using wrong option --global instead of --local
  • Misspelling config keys
5. You want to set your Git user email globally but override it with a different email for a specific project. Which sequence of commands achieves this?
hard
A. git config --global user.email "global@example.com"
git config --local user.email "project@example.com" (inside project)
B. git config --local user.email "global@example.com"
git config --global user.email "project@example.com"
C. git config user.email "global@example.com" (inside project)
git config --global user.email "project@example.com"
D. git config --global user.email "project@example.com"
git config user.email "global@example.com" (inside project)

Solution

  1. Step 1: Set global email first

    Use git config --global user.email "global@example.com" to set the default email for all projects.

  2. Step 2: Override locally inside the project

    Inside the project folder, run git config --local user.email "project@example.com" to override the global email only for that project.

  3. Final Answer:

    git config --global user.email "global@example.com" followed by git config --local user.email "project@example.com" inside project -> Option A

  4. Quick Check:

    Global first, then local override inside project [OK]
Hint: Set global first, then local inside project to override [OK]
Common Mistakes:
  • Setting local config before global
  • Using local config outside project folder
  • Confusing which email applies where