Remote repository

Disclaimer: setting up a remote repository is OPTIONAL. You can skip this section if you wish.

Aims

  • Synchronise your local repository with a remote Github repository

Learning outcomes

  • Undrestand how to use the command line tool gh to create a remote repositoory and link it to a local one

Remote repositories

git can be used exclusively locally and it is completely fine to do so. It can be useful however to also have a remote (online) repository, to easily share it with others and to have a dematerialiased storage.

There are many services that can be used for this purpose. For example:

  1. GitHub
    https://github.com
    The most popular platform for hosting Git repositories, offering robust collaboration tools, CI/CD, and integrations.

  2. GitLab
    https://gitlab.com
    Open-source DevOps platform that can be used as a hosted service or self-hosted for full control. It includes CI/CD pipelines and project management tools.

  3. Codeberg
    https://codeberg.org
    A community-driven, non-profit platform for hosting Git repositories, focused on privacy and open-source principles.

Setting up a Github account

For convenience we will use Github. For this, you need a Github account.

To set up a GitHub account, follow these steps:

1. Go to GitHub’s Website

Visit https://github.com.

2. Sign Up

Click the “Sign up” button in the top-right corner of the homepage.

3. Create an Account

  • Enter your details:
    • Email address: Provide a valid email.
    • Password: Choose a strong password.
    • Username: Pick a unique username (visible to others).
  • Solve CAPTCHA: Complete the CAPTCHA to verify you’re human.
  • Click “Create account”.

4. Verify Your Email

Check your email inbox for a verification email from GitHub. Click the verification link to activate your account.

Using gh to create a remote repository linked to your local repository

To set up a remote repository on GitHub from a local one using the gh command-line utility, follow these steps:

1. Install gh (if not already installed)

Follow the instructions provided in the welcome page. Further information can be found at the GitHub CLI installation page.

2. Authenticate gh

Run the following command to log in to GitHub:

    gh auth login

Follow the prompts to authenticate.

4. Create a Remote Repository on GitHub

Run the following command to create a new repository on GitHub:

   gh repo create
This will prompt you with several options: 
    ? What would you like to do?  [Use arrows to move, type to filter]
    Create a new repository on GitHub from scratch
    Create a new repository on GitHub from a template repository
    > Push an existing local repository to GitHub
- Select the **last one** ("Push an existing local repository to GitHub").
- Then, press **ENTER** when asked for the path to the local directory (it should be the directory you are in, hence the path is `.`).
- Choose a suitable repository name and yourself as the owner
- Skip the description (or provide a brief one)
- Set the visibility to *public*
- Add a remote and leave the default name **(origin)**
- Finally push the commits.

Example of the creation of a repository called temporary

    ? What would you like to do? Push an existing local repository to GitHub
    ? Path to local repository .
    ? Repository name temporary
    ? Repository owner FTurci
    ? Description 
    ? Visibility Public
    ✓ Created repository FTurci/temporary on GitHub
    https://github.com/FTurci/temporary
    ? Add a remote? Yes
    ? What should the new remote be called? origin
    ✓ Added remote https://github.com/FTurci/temporary.git
    ? Would you like to push commits from the current branch to "origin"? Yes
    Enumerating objects: 3, done.
    Counting objects: 100% (3/3), done.
    Writing objects: 100% (3/3), 209 bytes | 209.00 KiB/s, done.
    Total 3 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0
    To https://github.com/FTurci/temporary.git
    * [new branch]      HEAD -> main
    branch 'main' set up to track 'origin/main'.
    ✓ Pushed commits to https://github.com/FTurci/temporary.git

5. Verify the Setup

Check that the remote repository is correctly set up:

    git remote -v

That’s it! Your local repository is now linked to a remote repository on GitHub.