How to Install Gitolite on macOS

Gitolite is a tool that provides fine-grained access control to your Git repositories. It allows you to easily manage and control access to your repositories without relying on third-party services.

In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Gitolite on macOS.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have the following requirements installed on your macOS:

• Git
• Perl 5.8.3 or higher
• SSH

Step 1: Install Gitolite

1. Open the Terminal app on your macOS.

2. Clone the Gitolite repository by running the following command:

   git clone https://github.com/sitaramc/gitolite
   

3. Move into the cloned directory by running the following command:

   cd gitolite
   

4. Run the install script by running the following command:

   ./install -ln
   

5. Gitolite should now be installed and a new user git should be created on your macOS.

Step 2: Configure Gitolite

1. In the Gitolite directory, create a new file named gitolite-admin.pub by running the following command:

   touch gitolite-admin.pub
   

2. Open the file using your favorite text editor and paste your public SSH key. To find your public SSH key, run the following command:

   cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
   

3. Save the file and exit your text editor.

4. Commit the changes and push them to the Gitolite repository by running the following commands:

   git add gitolite-admin.pub
   git commit -m "Add admin SSH key"
   git push origin master
   

5. Your Gitolite configuration should now be updated with your public SSH key and you should have access to the Gitolite admin repository.

Step 3: Create a New Repository

1. To create a new repository, clone the Gitolite admin repository by running the following command:

   git clone git@localhost:gitolite-admin
   

2. Move into the cloned directory by running the following command:

   cd gitolite-admin
   

3. Open the conf/gitolite.conf file using your favorite text editor.

4. Add the following lines to the end of the file:

   repo my_repo
       RW+ = user
   

   Replace my_repo with the name of your new repository and replace user with your username.

5. Save the file and exit your text editor.

6. Commit the changes and push them to the Gitolite repository by running the following commands:

   git add conf/gitolite.conf
   git commit -m "Add new repository"
   git push origin master
   

7. Your new repository should now be available on your Gitolite server.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you have successfully installed and configured Gitolite on your macOS. You can now create and manage Git repositories with fine-grained access control. Happy coding!

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