Bringing Your Existing GitHub Code Repository to a Fresh GCP VM

Bringing Your Existing GitHub Code Repository to a Fresh GCP VM

If you’ve just created a fresh virtual machine (VM) on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and want to bring in an existing GitHub code repository, you’re in the right place! This post will guide you through the process of setting up your GCP VM to access and clone a GitHub repository. Additionally, we will discuss whether you should use HTTPS or SSH to clone your repository and why that matters.

Step 1: Access Your GCP VM

To begin with, you’ll need to SSH into your freshly created GCP virtual machine. Assuming you have the gcloud CLI installed, follow these steps:

1. Open Google Cloud Console: Head to the Google Cloud Console.
2. Navigate to Compute Engine: In the left-hand sidebar, go to Compute Engine and select VM instances.
3. Connect to Your VM: Next to your VM instance, click on the SSH button to access the virtual machine directly in your browser. Alternatively, you can use the following gcloud command from your local terminal:

gcloud compute ssh [YOUR_VM_NAME] --zone [YOUR_VM_ZONE]

Step 2: Install Git on the VM (If Needed)

Git might not be pre-installed on your VM, especially if you are using a minimal OS image. To ensure you can clone your GitHub repository, run the following command to install Git:

• For Debian/Ubuntu-based VMs:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git

• For RedHat/CentOS-based VMs:

sudo yum install git

You can verify that Git is installed correctly by running:

git --version

This should return the installed Git version.

Step 3: Set Up SSH Keys (If Using SSH)

If you’re cloning the repository via SSH (which we’ll discuss in detail shortly), you need to generate SSH keys and associate them with your GitHub account. If you already have SSH keys set up, skip this step. Otherwise:

1. Generate an SSH Key Pair:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"

Press Enter to save the keys to the default location (~/.ssh/id_rsa).

2. Add the Public Key to GitHub:

• Get the public key by running:

cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

• Copy the output and go to GitHub > Settings > SSH and GPG keys.
• Click New SSH key, give it a title (e.g., “GCP VM”), and paste your public key in the field provided.
• Click Add SSH key.

3. Test Your SSH Connection:

   To ensure everything is set up correctly, run:

ssh -T git@github.com

If successful, you’ll see a message like this:

Hi your_username! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

Now, your GCP VM is set up to clone your GitHub repository via SSH.

Step 4: Clone Your GitHub Repository

At this point, you’re ready to clone your GitHub repository to the VM. Decide whether you want to use HTTPS or SSH for this.

Option 1: Clone Using HTTPS

If you’re using HTTPS, you can simply run:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/your-repository.git

Git will prompt you to enter your GitHub username and password (or a Personal Access Token if you’ve enabled two-factor authentication).

Pros of HTTPS:

• Easier to set up for beginners.
• No need to worry about SSH keys.
• Can be used on any machine without additional setup.

Cons of HTTPS:

• You’ll have to enter your credentials (or use a personal access token) every time you push/pull from the repository unless you cache your credentials.

Option 2: Clone Using SSH

If you set up SSH keys earlier, you can clone your repository with:

git clone git@github.com:yourusername/your-repository.git

Pros of SSH:

• Once set up, you don’t need to re-enter your credentials every time you interact with your GitHub repository.
• More secure than HTTPS since SSH keys are generally more difficult to compromise than passwords.

Cons of SSH:

• Requires setting up SSH keys.
• Can be slightly more complicated for beginners.

Should You Use HTTPS or SSH?

The choice between HTTPS and SSH depends on your security and convenience needs.

• Use HTTPS if:

  • You’re just starting out and want something simple.
  • You’re working on a personal project and don’t mind entering credentials occasionally.
  • You don’t want to manage SSH keys.

• Use SSH if:

  • You plan to frequently interact with your GitHub repositories (e.g., push/pull often).
  • You want a more secure and streamlined experience without needing to enter credentials every time.
  • You’re working on a team or in a production environment where security is a higher concern.

Recommendation: For most production environments or when working on code frequently, SSH is generally the better choice due to its security benefits and the convenience of not needing to re-enter credentials.

Step 5: Verify the Clone

After cloning the repository, navigate into the directory and check that everything has been successfully cloned:

cd your-repository
ls

This will list all the files and directories from your GitHub repository. If everything looks good, you’re ready to start working on the project!

Conclusion

Cloning your existing GitHub code repository to a fresh GCP VM is a straightforward process, whether you choose HTTPS or SSH. Both methods have their advantages, but for long-term use and enhanced security, SSH is generally preferred, especially for developers working on collaborative or large projects. With SSH, you only need to set it up once and can avoid entering credentials every time you interact with the repository.