How to clone a private repo in other machine (like VPS)

To clone a private repository in your VPS, follow these steps:

1. Use SSH Key Authentication (Recommended)

Step 1: Generate SSH Key (If Not Already Generated)

Run this command on your VPS:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your-email@example.com"

Press Enter to save it in the default location (~/.ssh/id_ed25519).

Step 2: Copy the SSH Public Key

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Copy the output.

Step 3: Add the SSH Key to GitHub

1. Go to GitHub → Settings → SSH and GPG keys.
2. Click New SSH key.
3. Paste the copied key and save it.

Step 4: Test the Connection

ssh -T git@github.com

It should return:

Hi <your-username>! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

Step 5: Clone the Repository

Now, clone the private repo using SSH:

git clone git@github.com:your-username/your-private-repo.git

2. Use Personal Access Token (Alternative)

If SSH is not an option, use a GitHub personal access token (PAT).

Step 1: Generate a Personal Access Token

1. Go to GitHub → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens.
2. Click Generate new token (classic).
3. Select scopes like repo (for private repo access).
4. Copy the generated token.

Step 2: Clone Using HTTPS

Run:

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

🔹 Tip: Instead of putting the token in the command, configure it securely:

git config --global credential.helper store
git clone https://github.com/your-username/your-private-repo.git

Then, enter the username as your GitHub username and password as your token.

For security, SSH authentication is the best choice. Let me know if you need help setting it up! 🚀