Comprehensive guide on managing GitLab repositories over HTTPS using the command line

Note: Make sure you have Git installed on your machine and have correctly set up access to your GitLab repository via HTTPS.

1. Clone a Repository:

To clone a GitLab repository over HTTPS, use the git clone command followed by the HTTPS URL of the repository. Replace https://gitlab.com/username/repo.git with the URL of your GitLab repository.

git clone https://gitlab.com/username/repo.git

You will be prompted to enter your GitLab credentials (username and password or token) to authenticate.

2. Login with a Personal Access Token (Optional):

If you prefer to use a personal access token instead of your password to access GitLab over HTTPS, you can create one in your GitLab account settings. To use the token for authentication, run the following command:

git clone https://<your-access-token>@gitlab.com/username/repo.git

Replace <your-access-token> with your actual personal access token.

3. Configure Git Identity:

Before making any changes, configure your Git identity with your name and email address. This information will be associated with your commits.

git config --global user.name "Your Name" git config --global user.email "youremail@example.com"

Replace "Your Name" and "youremail@example.com" with your actual name and email.

4. Make Changes to the Repository:

Navigate to the cloned repository directory using the cd command and start making changes to your code.

cd repo

Use standard Git commands to make changes, such as git add, git commit, and git push. For example:

git add . git commit -m "Add new feature" git push origin master

5. Pulling Changes:

To retrieve the latest changes from the remote repository, use the git pull command.

git pull origin master

6. Create a New Branch:

To create a new branch in your repository, use the git checkout -b command.

git checkout -b new-branch

7. Switch Branches:

You can switch between branches using the git checkout command.

git checkout existing-branch

8. Merge Branches:

To merge changes from one branch into another, use the git merge command.

git checkout destination-branch git merge source-branch

9. View Repository Status:

To see the status of your repository, including untracked files and changes not yet committed, use the git status command.

git status

10. Log of Commit History:

To view the commit history, use the git log command.

git log

These are the fundamental Git commands for managing repositories on GitLab over HTTPS using the command line. Remember to replace placeholders with your actual information and adapt these commands as needed for your specific workflow.