How to clone project from gitlab

How to copy a Gitlab project to another Gitlab repository?

Part of GitLab Collective

I want to copy a GitLab project to another repository which should be completely independent from the original project.

For this reason, I tried forking the original project into another project. But inside the original project, the maintainer still can see a list of forks and knows where the other forks are maintained.

I want to have a complete copy without any link to the main project so it cannot be managed by the original project maintainer.

How can I do this?

4 Answers 4

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Another option is to use Gitlab’s export/import feature.

Existing projects running on any GitLab instance or GitLab.com can be exported with all their related data and be moved into a new GitLab instance.

The difference with the other answer is that it also copies the following:

Exported contents

The following items will be exported:

So it depends on your use-case if you want to copy just the codes or if you also want to also migrate the other non-code items as listed above. The result would still be 2 separate projects (i.e. It will not appear as a fork).

The GitLab import/export button is displayed if the project import option is enabled.

To export, go to your project’s Settings > General page:

Then wait for the email with the downloadable tar.gz. file.
(On my version of Gitlab, if you click the button twice, you can download directly from the browser.)

Then to import, on Gitlab, select the New button > New Project from the top bar.
Then, select Import Project > Gitlab export.

If all you need to migrate is the Git repo itself, you can clone the original project in a sandbox on your local machine, create the new project where you want it, set your new location as the remote and push there.

The fast approach: transit via a mirror

Assuming old_url and new_url are your old and new URLs:

If your new repo was empty when you did this, it will now contain all the branches that exist in the original repo, without any connections to it.

If you also want to push all your tags to the new remote, run this command next:

Note that you might have to create an empty repo on the new server before you do the push operations, depending on your new server’s configuration.

The slower approach: transit via a regular sandbox

So checkout any branch you want to transfer to the new remote, and push it to the new remote. This is a somewhat slower process, but it also lets you control exactly what is being migrated, which can have its own benefits.

Limitations

Migrating a Git repo via a clone will transfer everything that is managed by Git itself, but nothing else. If you have any PRs, issues, CI actions, Wikis, etc, that you also want to migrate, you will have to use the export/import feature or another full migration approach.

How can I clone a private GitLab repository?

Part of GitLab Collective

I am getting this error:

I am getting this error:

Initialized empty Git repository in /server/user/git@example.com:root/test.git/.git/
fatal: ‘user’ does not appear to be a git repository
fatal: The remote end hung up unexpectedly

It’s a private repository, and I have added my SSH keys.

8 Answers 8

Trending sort

Trending sort is based off of the default sorting method — by highest score — but it boosts votes that have happened recently, helping to surface more up-to-date answers.

It falls back to sorting by highest score if no posts are trending.

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It looks like there’s not a straightforward solution for HTTPS-based cloning regarding GitLab. Therefore if you want a SSH-based cloning, you should take account these three forthcoming steps:

Create properly an SSH key using your email used to sign up. I would use the default filename to key for Windows. Don’t forget to introduce a password! (tip: you can skip this step if you already have one ssh key here)

Copy and paste all content from the recently id_rsa.pub generated into Setting>SSH keys>Key from your GitLab profile.

Get locally connected:

Finally, clone any private or internal GitLab repository!

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How to Clone a project from GitLab using IntelliJ

What is GitLab?

GitLab is a web-based Git repository that provides free open and private repositories, issue-following capabilities, and wikis. It is a complete DevOps platform that enables professionals to perform all the tasks in a project—from project planning and source code management to monitoring and security.

In this tutorial, I will explain how we can clone a project from GitLab in IntelliJ.

Implementation Steps

Step 1 – Go to GitLab and select the project which you want to clone. Click on the blue color “Clone” button then copy the hyperlink as shown in the image. You can either Clone with SSH or Clone with HTTPS.

Step 4 – A dialog box will appear to login to the GitLab. Provide the username and password of GitLab. Select the “Log In” button.

Step 5 – When you import or clone a project for the first time, IntelliJ IDEA analyzes it. If the IDE detects more than one configuration (for example, Eclipse and Gradle), it prompts you to select which configuration you want to use. Select the necessary configuration and click the OK button. I have selected Maven project.

Step 6 – Once I have selected the Maven project, a new dialog box will appear. IntelliJ asks you to either Trust Project or Preview in Safe Mode. I Trust the project, so I have selected the Trust Project button.

Step 7 – IntelliJ will ask if you want to open the project in current window or New Window. It is always a good practice to open the project in New Window.

Step 8 – We have successfully imported the GitLab Repository as shown in the below image.

Congratulations on making it through this tutorial and hope you found it useful! Happy Learning!! Cheers!!

Start using Git on the command line (FREE)

Git is an open-source distributed version control system. GitLab is built on top of Git.

You can do many Git operations directly in GitLab. However, the command line is required for advanced tasks, like fixing complex merge conflicts or rolling back commits.

For a quick reference of Git commands, download a Git Cheat Sheet.

For more information about the advantages of working with Git and GitLab:

To help you visualize what you’re doing locally, you can install a Git GUI app.

Git terminology

If you’re familiar with Git terminology, you might want to skip this section and go directly to prerequisites.

Repository

In GitLab, files are stored in a repository. A repository is similar to how you store files in a folder or directory on your computer.

Often, the word «repository» is shortened to «repo».

In GitLab, a repository is contained in a project.

When you want to contribute to someone else’s repository, you make a copy of it. This copy is called a fork. The process is called «creating a fork.»

When you fork a repo, you create a copy of the project in your own namespace. You then have write permissions to modify the project files and settings.

Difference between download and clone

To create a copy of a remote repository’s files on your computer, you can either download or clone the repository. If you download it, you cannot sync the repository with the remote repository on GitLab.

Cloning a repository is the same as downloading, except it preserves the Git connection with the remote repository. You can then modify the files locally and upload the changes to the remote repository on GitLab.

Pull and push

Prerequisites

To start using GitLab with Git, complete the following tasks:

Open a terminal

To execute Git commands on your computer, you must open a terminal (also known as command prompt, command shell, and command line). Here are some options:

Install Git

Determine if Git is already installed on your computer by opening a terminal and running this command:

If Git is installed, the output is:

Configure Git

To start using Git from your computer, you must enter your credentials to identify yourself as the author of your work. The username and email address should match the ones you use in GitLab.

In your shell, add your user name:

Add your email address:

To check the configuration, run:

You can read more on how Git manages configurations in the Git configuration documentation.

Choose a repository

Before you begin, choose the repository you want to work in. You can use any project you have permission to access on GitLab.com or any other GitLab instance.

To use the repository in the examples on this page:

You can fork any project you have access to.

Clone a repository

When you clone a repository, the files from the remote repository are downloaded to your computer, and a connection is created.

This connection requires you to add credentials. You can either use SSH or HTTPS. SSH is recommended.

Clone with SSH

Clone with SSH when you want to authenticate only one time.

Authenticate with GitLab by following the instructions in the SSH documentation.

Go to your project’s landing page and select Clone. Copy the URL for Clone with SSH.

Open a terminal and go to the directory where you want to clone the files. Git automatically creates a folder with the repository name and downloads the files there.

Run this command:

To view the files, go to the new directory:

Clone with HTTPS

Clone with HTTPS when you want to authenticate each time you perform an operation between your computer and GitLab.

Go to your project’s landing page and select Clone. Copy the URL for Clone with HTTPS.

Open a terminal and go to the directory where you want to clone the files.

Run the following command. Git automatically creates a folder with the repository name and downloads the files there.

GitLab requests your username and password:

To view the files, go to the new directory:

Convert a local directory into a repository

You can initialize a local folder so Git tracks it as a repository.

Open the terminal in the directory you’d like to convert.

Run this command:

Add the path to your remote repository so Git can upload your files into the correct project.

Add a remote

You add a «remote» to tell Git which remote repository in GitLab is tied to the specific local folder on your computer. The remote tells Git where to push or pull from.

To add a remote to your local copy:

In GitLab, create a project to hold your files.

On your computer, open the terminal in the directory you’ve initialized, paste the command you copied, and press enter :

View your remote repositories

To view your remote repositories, type:

Download the latest changes in the project

To work on an up-to-date copy of the project, you pull to get all the changes made by users since the last time you cloned or pulled the project. Replace with the name of your default branch to get the main branch code, or replace it with the branch name of the branch you are currently working in.

You can learn more on how Git manages remote repositories in the Git Remote documentation.

Branches

Use branches when you:

A new branch is often called feature branch to differentiate from the default branch.

Create a branch

To create a feature branch:

Switch to a branch

All work in Git is done in a branch. You can switch between branches to see the state of the files and work in that branch.

To switch to an existing branch:

For example, to change to the main branch:

View differences

To view the differences between your local unstaged changes and the latest version that you cloned or pulled:

View the files that have changes

When you add, change, or delete files or folders, Git knows about the changes. To check which files have been changed:

Add and commit local changes

To stage a file for commit:

Confirm that the files have been added to staging:

The files should be displayed in green text.

To commit the staged files:

Stage and commit all changes

As a shortcut, you can add all local changes to staging and commit them with one command:

Send changes to GitLab.com

To push all local changes to the remote repository:

For example, to push your local commits to the main branch of the origin remote:

Sometimes Git does not allow you to push to a repository. Instead, you must force an update.

Delete all changes in the branch

To discard all changes to tracked files:

This action removes changes to files, not the files themselves. Untracked (new) files do not change.

Unstage all changes that have been added to the staging area

To unstage (remove) all files that have not been committed:

Undo most recent commit

To undo the most recent commit:

This action leaves the changed files and folders unstaged in your local repository.

WARNING: A Git commit should not be reversed if you already pushed it to the remote repository. Although you can undo a commit, the best option is to avoid the situation altogether by working carefully.

You can learn more about the different ways Git can undo changes in the Git Undoing Things documentation.

Merge a branch with default branch

When you are ready to add your changes to the default branch, you merge the two together:

In GitLab, you typically use a merge request to merge your changes, instead of using the command line.

To create a merge request from a fork to an upstream repository, see the forking workflow.

Advanced use of Git through the command line

For an introduction of more advanced Git techniques, see Git rebase, force-push, and merge conflicts.

Synchronize changes in a forked repository with the upstream

To create a copy of a repository in your namespace, you fork it. Changes made to your copy of the repository are not automatically synchronized with the original. To keep the project in sync with the original project, you need to pull from the original repository.

You can now use the upstream as a to pull new updates from the original repository, and use the origin to push local changes and create merge requests.

Git on the command line (FREE)

Git is an open-source distributed version control system. GitLab is built on top of Git.

You can do many Git operations directly in GitLab. However, the command line is required for advanced tasks, like fixing complex merge conflicts or rolling back commits.

If you’re new to Git and want to learn by working in your own project, learn how to make your first commit.

For a quick reference of Git commands, download a Git Cheat Sheet.

For more information about the advantages of working with Git and GitLab:

To help you visualize what you’re doing locally, you can install a Git GUI app.

Choose a terminal

To execute Git commands on your computer, you must open a terminal (also known as command prompt, command shell, and command line). Here are some options:

Confirm Git is installed

You can determine if Git is already installed on your computer by opening a terminal and running this command:

If Git is installed, the output is:

If your computer doesn’t recognize git as a command, you must install Git.

Configure Git

To start using Git from your computer, you must enter your credentials to identify yourself as the author of your work. The username and email address should match the ones you use in GitLab.

In your shell, add your user name:

Add your email address:

To check the configuration, run:

You can read more on how Git manages configurations in the Git configuration documentation.

Choose a repository

Before you begin, choose the repository you want to work in. You can use any project you have permission to access on GitLab.com or any other GitLab instance.

To use the repository in the examples on this page:

You can fork any project you have access to.

Clone a repository

When you clone a repository, the files from the remote repository are downloaded to your computer, and a connection is created.

This connection requires you to add credentials. You can either use SSH or HTTPS. SSH is recommended.

Clone with SSH

Clone with SSH when you want to authenticate only one time.

Authenticate with GitLab by following the instructions in the SSH documentation.

Go to your project’s landing page and select Clone. Copy the URL for Clone with SSH.

Open a terminal and go to the directory where you want to clone the files. Git automatically creates a folder with the repository name and downloads the files there.

Run this command:

To view the files, go to the new directory:

Clone with HTTPS

Clone with HTTPS when you want to authenticate each time you perform an operation between your computer and GitLab.

Go to your project’s landing page and select Clone. Copy the URL for Clone with HTTPS.

Open a terminal and go to the directory where you want to clone the files.

Run the following command. Git automatically creates a folder with the repository name and downloads the files there.

GitLab requests your username and password:

To view the files, go to the new directory:

Convert a local directory into a repository

You can initialize a local folder so Git tracks it as a repository.

Open the terminal in the directory you’d like to convert.

Run this command:

Add the path to your remote repository so Git can upload your files into the correct project.

Add a remote

You add a «remote» to tell Git which remote repository in GitLab is tied to the specific local folder on your computer. The remote tells Git where to push or pull from.

To add a remote to your local copy:

In GitLab, create a project to hold your files.

On your computer, open the terminal in the directory you’ve initialized, paste the command you copied, and press enter :

View your remote repositories

To view your remote repositories, type:

Download the latest changes in the project

To work on an up-to-date copy of the project, you pull to get all the changes made by users since the last time you cloned or pulled the project. Replace with the name of your default branch to get the main branch code, or replace it with the branch name of the branch you are currently working in.

You can learn more on how Git manages remote repositories in the Git Remote documentation.

Branches

Use branches when you:

A new branch is often called feature branch to differentiate from the default branch.

Create a branch

To create a feature branch:

Switch to a branch

All work in Git is done in a branch. You can switch between branches to see the state of the files and work in that branch.

To switch to an existing branch:

For example, to change to the main branch:

View differences

To view the differences between your local unstaged changes and the latest version that you cloned or pulled:

View the files that have changes

When you add, change, or delete files or folders, Git knows about the changes. To check which files have been changed:

Add and commit local changes

To stage a file for commit:

Confirm that the files have been added to staging:

The files should be displayed in green text.

To commit the staged files:

Stage and commit all changes

As a shortcut, you can add all local changes to staging and commit them with one command:

Send changes to GitLab.com

To push all local changes to the remote repository:

For example, to push your local commits to the main branch of the origin remote:

Sometimes Git does not allow you to push to a repository. Instead, you must force an update.

Delete all changes in the branch

To discard all changes to tracked files:

This action removes changes to files, not the files themselves. Untracked (new) files do not change.

Unstage all changes that have been added to the staging area

To unstage (remove) all files that have not been committed:

Undo most recent commit

To undo the most recent commit:

This action leaves the changed files and folders unstaged in your local repository.

WARNING: A Git commit should not be reversed if you already pushed it to the remote repository. Although you can undo a commit, the best option is to avoid the situation altogether by working carefully.

You can learn more about the different ways Git can undo changes in the Git Undoing Things documentation.

Merge a branch with default branch

When you are ready to add your changes to the default branch, you merge the feature branch into it:

In GitLab, you typically use a merge request to merge your changes, instead of using the command line.

To create a merge request from a fork to an upstream repository, see the forking workflow.

Advanced use of Git through the command line

For an introduction of more advanced Git techniques, see Git rebase, force-push, and merge conflicts.

Synchronize changes in a forked repository with the upstream

To create a copy of a repository in your namespace, you fork it. Changes made to your copy of the repository are not automatically synchronized with the original. To keep the project in sync with the original project, you need to pull from the original repository.

You can now use the upstream as a to pull new updates from the original repository, and use the origin to push local changes and create merge requests.