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Installing Git on your server

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Self-Hosting Git on Your Own Server

If you don’t know what Git is yet, it’s one of the most powerful version control systems available. It can manage any kind of project—programming, design, or even casual work. Git was created by Linus Torvalds in 2005 for Linux kernel development and is now the most widely adopted version control system.

While you can use services like GitHub for public or private repositories, you can also host Git on your own server or computer.

Step 1: Install Git

Depending on your operating system:

Windows: Download the .exe from git-scm.com
macOS: Download the .dmg from git-scm.com
Linux: Use your package manager:

# Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install git-core

# Fedora
sudo yum install git

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S git

Step 2: Create a Git Repository Script

Create a shell script (example: smjrifle-git.sh) with the following content:

#!/bin/bash
# Self-host Git repo creation script

if [ "$#" -eq 1 ]
then
    sudo mkdir $1
    cd $1
    sudo git init --bare
    cd ..
    sudo chown git:git $1 -R
    sudo chmod 775 -R $1
    echo "Created git repo for $1"
    echo "You can clone the repo using:"
    echo "git clone git@smjrifle.net:$1"
    echo "Or add your codes using:"
    echo "git remote add origin git@smjrifle.net:$1"
else
    echo "Please pass the repository name as a parameter"
fi

Make sure the script has execute permission. If not, run:

sudo chmod a+x smjrifle-git.sh

Step 3: Run the Script

Execute the script with the repository name:

sh smjrifle-git.sh gitdirname

This will:

  1. Create a bare Git repository in the specified directory.
  2. Set proper ownership and permissions.
  3. Output commands for cloning or adding the repo.

Step 4: Clone or Add Repository

The Git URL format for self-hosted repos is:

git_username@your_ip_or_domain:path_to_repo

#Example:
git clone git@smjrifle.net:gitdirname

For more details on ad-hoc Git sharing, check this guide: Git Ad-Hoc Sharing of Repository