In a previous article, we walked you through how to set up SSH to connect your Windows machine to GitHub. Once you have SSH set up, you can easily clone repositories without entering your credentials every time. In this post, we’ll detail how to clone a GitHub repository using SSH on a Windows machine.
Step 1: Ensure SSH is Set Up
Before you dive into cloning, ensure you’ve set up SSH correctly. If you haven’t, refer to our guide on how to connect your Windows machine to GitHub using SSH.
Step 2: Get the SSH URL of the Repository
1. Navigate to the GitHub page of the repository you wish to clone.
2. Click on the green “Code” button located near the top right.
3. Ensure “SSH” is selected in the dropdown menu. Here, you’ll find a URL that begins with git@github.com:. This is your repository’s SSH URL.
4. Copy the SSH URL.
Step 3: Clone Using Git Bash
1. Open Git Bash on your computer.
2. Choose a directory where you’d like to clone the repository and navigate there.
3. Enter the command:
git clone git@github.com:username/repository-name.git
Make sure to replace username/repository-name.git with the actual SSH URL you copied earlier.
4. If connecting to GitHub via SSH for the first time from this device, you’ll receive a message asking to continue connecting. Confirm by typing yes.
5. If everything’s set up correctly, the repository will clone to your machine without requiring GitHub login credentials.
Step 4: Navigating the Cloned Repository
After cloning, you can move into the repository’s directory:
cd repository-name
Replace repository-name with the name of the cloned repository.
From here, any interactions with the remote repository (like pushing or pulling) will use the SSH key. No need to input your GitHub credentials!
Conclusion
Cloning a GitHub repository using SSH streamlines the process, making it more secure and less tedious. With SSH set up, you’re free from the hassle of entering your GitHub credentials every time you interact with your repositories.
Happy coding!
