My git config

My git config settings

[branch]
  sort = -committerdate
[tag]
  sort = version:refname
[diff]
  algorithm = histogram
  colorMoved = plain
  mnemonicPrefix = true
  renames = true
[push]
  default = simple
  autoSetupRemote = true
  followTags = true
[init]
  defaultBranch = main
[pull]
  rebase = true
[core]
  editor = vim
[user]
  name = headwindz
  email = zhengjianhua.michael@gmail.com
[commit]
  verbose = true
[merge]
  conflictstyle = zdiff3

Branch settings

[branch]
  sort = -committerdate

sort = -committerdate - When listing branches (e.g., git branch), sort them by most recent commit date first. The minus sign means descending order, so the most recently committed branches appear at the top. Useful for finding active branches quickly.

Tag settings

[tag]
  sort = version:refname

sort = version:refname - Sort tags using version number ordering (semantic versioning). For example, v1.2.0, v1.10.0, v2.0.0 will be sorted correctly instead of alphabetically where v1.10.0 would come before v1.2.0.

Diff settings

[diff]
  algorithm = histogram
  colorMoved = plain
  mnemonicPrefix = true
  renames = true

algorithm = histogram - Use the histogram algorithm for generating diffs. It's generally faster and produces more human-readable diffs than the default Myers algorithm, especially for large files with moved blocks of code.

colorMoved = plain - Highlight moved lines in diffs with different colors. When code is moved (not just deleted and added), Git will show this visually, making refactoring easier to review.

mnemonicPrefix = true - Use more descriptive prefixes in diffs instead of a/ and b/. For example, shows i/ (index), w/ (working tree), c/ (commit), o/ (object) to indicate where the file is coming from.

renames = true - Detect when files are renamed and show them as renames in the diff rather than as a deletion and addition. Makes it easier to track file history.

Push settings

[push]
  default = simple
  autoSetupRemote = true
  followTags = true

default = simple - When you run git push without specifying a branch, push the current branch to its upstream branch. The branch names must match. This is the safest option and is the default in modern Git.

autoSetupRemote = true - Automatically set up the remote tracking branch when you push a new local branch for the first time. No need to use git push -u origin branch-name anymore—just git push works.

followTags = true - Automatically push tags that are reachable from the commits being pushed. Useful for ensuring version tags are synchronized with their commits.

Init settings

[init]
  defaultBranch = main

defaultBranch = main - Set the default branch name to main instead of master when creating new repositories with git init. Aligns with modern naming conventions used by GitHub and other platforms.

Pull settings

[pull]
  rebase = true

rebase = true - Use git pull --rebase by default instead of merge. This keeps your commit history linear by replaying your local commits on top of the fetched commits, avoiding unnecessary merge commits. Equivalent to git fetch followed by git rebase.

Core settings

[core]
  editor = vim

editor = vim - Set vim as the default text editor for Git operations like writing commit messages, interactive rebases, and resolving merge conflicts. Change to nano, code, or your preferred editor.

User settings

[user]
  name = headwindz
  email = zhengjianhua.michael@gmail.com

name - Your name that appears in commit author information.

email - Your email address that appears in commit author information. Make sure this matches your GitHub/GitLab email for proper commit attribution.

Commit settings

[commit]
  verbose = true

verbose = true - Show the diff of changes being committed in the commit message editor. Helps you write more accurate commit messages by seeing exactly what you're committing while writing the message.

Merge settings

[merge]
  conflictstyle = zdiff3

conflictstyle = zdiff3 - Use the zdiff3 conflict style which shows three sections in conflicts: the original common ancestor code, your changes, and their changes. This extra context makes it much easier to understand and resolve merge conflicts compared to the default merge style.