How to Clone a Private Repository on Your VPS

This guide will walk you through the necessary steps to clone a private repo on your VPS, allowing you to access and work with your code seamlessly.

Key Takeaways

  • Generating an SSH key pair on your VPS is essential for secure authentication.
  • Adding the public key to your Git hosting service grants access to your private repository.
  • Use the git clone command with the SSH URL to clone the private repository onto your VPS.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Access your VPS through SSH

To begin, establish an SSH connection to your VPS using the provided credentials. This will give you command-line access to your server.

2. Navigate to the desired directory

Once connected to your VPS, navigate to the directory where you want to clone the private repository. Use the cd command to change directories.

cd /path/to/directory

3. Generate an SSH key pair

If you don’t already have an SSH key pair on your VPS, generate one using the ssh-keygen command. This will create both a private and public key.

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "[email protected]"

Press Enter to accept the default file location, and optionally provide a passphrase for added security.

4. Add the public key to your Git hosting service

Copy the contents of the public key using the following command:

cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

Next, go to the website of your Git hosting service, such as GitHub, and navigate to the SSH keys section in your account settings. Add a new SSH key and paste the copied public key. Give it a meaningful title for identification, then save the new SSH key.

5. Clone the private repository

Back in your VPS terminal, use the git clone command to clone the private repository. Replace <repository-url> with the SSH URL of your private repository.

git clone [email protected]:username/repo.git

Enter your passphrase (if you set one) if prompted, and the private repository will be cloned onto your VPS.

Conclusion

Now you can access and work with your private code repository on your VPS without any hassle. Happy coding!

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