Simple way to manage all of your dotfiles

You can learn how I manage my dotfiles in the simplest way that I know.

✅ Step-by-Step: Setup Your Dotfiles (Including Git) on a New Machine

Install Git  

sudo apt install git  # Debian/Ubuntu
# or
sudo pacman -S git    # Arch

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Clone Your Dotfiles Repo  

Example using SSH or HTTPS:

# Option 1: HTTPS
git clone https://gitea.xrx-tech.org/wanchufley/homelab ~/repositories/homelab

# Option 2: SSH (preferred if you’ve set up SSH keys)
git clone git@gitea.xrx-tech.org:wanchufley/homelab.git ~/repositories/homelab

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Run the Bootstrap Script  

Change directory and run it like this:

cd ~/repositories/homelab
chmod +x bootstrap.sh
./bootstrap.sh

This will:

• Back up existing configs (.bashrc.bak, etc.)
• Symlink your dotfiles into place

if you cant run it:

Chech if the file is executable by running ls -l, and if it isnt't run: chmod +x nameofthefile

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Set Up Git Credential Storage (Optional but Handy)  

If you use HTTPS and want Git to remember your credentials:

git config --global credential.helper store

After this, Git will prompt you once for credentials, then store them in plain text at:

~/.git-credentials

Since your .gitconfig is symlinked already, it will also use your name and email from there.

Check for the file

If after your first push you go to your home directory and you don't see the file, just manually create it yourself adding the credentials in the following way: https://username:token@github.com

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Verify Git Config  ✅

git config --list --show-origin

This will show you:

• Where each config is coming from
• That your symlinked ~/.gitconfig is being used