How to configure Git credentials
Łukasz Holeczek
Follow Łukasz Holeczek on GitHub
Connect with Łukasz Holeczek on LinkedIn
Follow Łukasz Holeczek on X (Twitter)
Configuring Git credentials properly prevents repetitive authentication prompts and securely manages access to remote repositories. As the creator of CoreUI with over 25 years of development experience, I’ve configured Git authentication across countless development environments. The most effective solution is to use Git credential helpers that securely store credentials in your system’s keychain or credential manager. This approach balances convenience with security by leveraging OS-native credential storage.
Configure Git credentials using credential helpers for secure storage.
# Use system credential manager (recommended)
# Windows
git config --global credential.helper manager-core
# macOS
git config --global credential.helper osxkeychain
# Linux
git config --global credential.helper store
# Cache credentials temporarily (15 minutes default)
git config --global credential.helper cache
# Cache for custom duration (1 hour)
git config --global credential.helper 'cache --timeout=3600'
# Check current credential helper
git config --global credential.helper
Credential helpers store your username and password securely after the first authentication. On Windows, manager-core uses Windows Credential Manager. On macOS, osxkeychain uses the Keychain Access app. On Linux, store saves credentials in a plain text file, while cache keeps them in memory temporarily. The cache helper is more secure as credentials aren’t written to disk, but you’ll need to re-authenticate after the timeout period.
Best Practice Note
This is the same credential configuration we recommend for CoreUI contributors to streamline Git workflows securely. For enhanced security, use SSH keys instead of HTTPS with username/password. For organizations, consider using Git Credential Manager (GCM) which supports multi-factor authentication and works across all platforms.
