Remote Repositories

Last updated on 2026-04-30 | Edit this page

Overview

Questions

How do I backup a repository?
How do I share a repository with other people?

Objectives

To understand how to create a repository on a web service
To understand how to download a repository from a web service

What, exactly, is a repository?

A git repo has two parts:

a .git directory full of special files
the working tree, the current state of your project and files on disk
If you share the .git directory, you share the entire repo history
To backup the repo, just need to backup .git

Making a repo on Github

Now click this!

GitHub screenshot showing list of repositories and new repo button

Navigate to https://github.com/your-username
Select the Repositories tab
Select the green New icon
Don’t add a README or .gitignore
Make it public rather than private, will simplify things later!
From the front page of your new repo, press the green Code button and copy the URL
Paste it into the following command:

BASH

git remote add origin <YOUR REPO URL>

This creates a reference in your copy of the repository to an origin repository on GitHub

Pushing Your First Commit

GitHub Desktop with 'Push origin' button highlighted

BASH

git push --set-upstream origin main

Only need to do it this way the first time we push to a new branch. --set-upstream links your local branch main with a branch main in GitHub. Normally, we just need:

BASH

git push

Your repository is now on GitHub: https://github.com/<username>/<repo-name>. This means it is:

Backed up!
Easily shareable !
Easily accessible from other machines!

Now delete the whole project from your computer using the file explorer / finder / rm command

Cloning Your Repository

Getting your code and all of its history back is as easy as a few button clicks
Once it has finished cloning, we should be back to where we were before deleting
You can clone other GitHub users’ public repositories too!

GitHub Desktop 'Can't find git_tutorial'

BASH

git clone https://github.com/<username>/<repo-name>

This is a Good Idea!

If the repository is private, you will need to set up a personal access token before you can clone the repository
You can also set up passwordless authentication using SSH keys, see the GitHub documentation for more details
- This is a Good Idea!

Making More Changes

Go ahead and make some more commits to your repository:

Fix that typo, and some more things you’ve learnt how to do
On the command line, don’t forget the two-step dance: add, then commit

Make sure to push commits when you’ve made them!

You don’t have to push after every single commit, as long as you remember to push at some point

Think and chat about the way you like to work and how that might map onto version control history:

Do you work in big chunks and then sign off for the day?
Do you often switch tasks and have trouble figuring out where you were when you left off?
Do you program first and plan later? Or the other way around?!

Ask any questions you’d like!