Use SSH unless your network or policy requires HTTPS. Log in to the Linux account that will own the checkout, make sure Git is installed, add that account’s SSH public key to GitLab (or add a project deploy key), then run git clone [email protected]:GROUP/PROJECT.git in the destination directory. SSH keeps the secret out of clone URLs and is GitLab’s recommended authentication method.
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What a private-repository clone does
git clone downloads the project’s files, commit history, branches and other Git metadata into a new directory. It also records the GitLab repository as the origin remote, so later git fetch, git pull and git push commands know where to connect. A private project returns those objects only after GitLab has authenticated the server and authorized the requested repository.
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Authentication belongs to the Linux account running Git. A key installed for root is not automatically available to an application account, a deployment user or a CI service account. Perform the setup and the clone as the account that will read and maintain the checkout.
Check the server before authenticating
Confirm Git and OpenSSH
On most GNU/Linux distributions, the OpenSSH client is already installed. Check both programs before creating credentials:
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git --version
ssh -VIf Git is missing, install the package named git with your distribution’s package manager. Install the OpenSSH client package when ssh is unavailable. Use your organization’s approved repositories and change-management process for package installation.
Choose an owned, writable destination
Switch to the account that will own the checkout and create or enter its parent directory. For example:
sudo -iu deploy
mkdir -p ~/src
cd ~/srcDo not clone into a directory that another account controls. A successful first clone can still produce confusing later failures if the service cannot write .git, update files or create lock files.
Confirm outbound access and the project path
Copy the repository address from the project’s Code menu rather than typing a group path from memory. The path is case-sensitive in some integrations, and a similarly named project can authenticate successfully while still returning a “not found” or authorization error.
Choose the credential that matches the job
| Method | Best fit | Access boundary | Automation characteristics | Main exposure and lifecycle concern |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| User SSH key | A human administrator or developer maintaining a server | Permissions of the associated GitLab user and every project that user can reach | Convenient for interactive work; requires a protected private key and a plan for the user’s departure | Broader than one repository; disable or replace it when the user, host or role changes |
| Project deploy key | One server or deployment job that needs one project | Attached to a single project; GitLab supports read-only or read-write permission | Clear boundary for unattended jobs; read-only is normally sufficient for a checkout | Project administrators must track ownership, rotation and revocation; removing or disabling the key stops the job |
| HTTPS personal, project, group or deploy token | Environments where SSH is blocked or token policy is mandatory | Exactly the scopes granted to the token; a deploy token needs read_repository to clone |
Works through HTTPS proxies and firewalls; inject the secret through approved credential management | Never put the token in a URL, shell history, repository configuration or logs; expire and revoke it deliberately |
For a single unattended checkout, a read-only project deploy key usually gives the narrowest practical permission. For a person who needs several repositories, an account SSH key is simpler, but its access is tied to that person’s GitLab permissions. Use HTTPS when SSH cannot traverse the network or when your security policy requires token authentication.
Recommended method: clone over SSH
1. Generate a dedicated key as the checkout owner
Run this command as the Linux account that will perform the clone:
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mkdir -p ~/.ssh
chmod 700 ~/.ssh
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "server-repo" -f ~/.ssh/gitlab_repoThe command creates a private key at ~/.ssh/gitlab_repo and a public key at ~/.ssh/gitlab_repo.pub. Follow local cryptographic policy if it requires a different algorithm or filename. A passphrase protects the key if the file is stolen, but an unattended job then needs an approved way to unlock it; do not remove a passphrase merely to make automation convenient without weighing that trade-off.
2. Register only the public key in GitLab
Display the public key and copy its complete, single-line contents:
cat ~/.ssh/gitlab_repo.pubFor a human-owned server, add that line to the GitLab user account’s SSH keys page. The server will then receive whatever projects that user is authorized to access.
For a service or deployment job, add the key in the project’s Settings → Repository → Deploy keys area. Give it a descriptive title, paste the public key, and enable read-write access only when the job truly must push. A deploy key is an external host credential associated with a project, so it avoids granting the server the rest of a user’s project access.
Never upload gitlab_repo (without the .pub suffix). The private key must remain on the server and must not be committed to the repository, copied into an image, or pasted into a ticket.
3. Protect the private key and its directory
chmod 700 ~/.ssh
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/gitlab_repo
chmod 644 ~/.ssh/gitlab_repo.pubCheck ownership as well:
ls -l ~/.ssh/gitlab_repo ~/.ssh/gitlab_repo.pubThe private key should be readable only by its owner. If a service account cannot read it, fix ownership or the service’s home-directory permissions rather than making the key world-readable.
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4. Make Git use the intended key
If this server has one GitLab key, SSH may select it automatically. When several keys or agents are present, force the exact identity so Git does not offer an unrelated key first.
A host alias in ~/.ssh/config keeps the choice reusable:
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Host gitlab-repo
HostName gitlab.com
User git
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/gitlab_repo
IdentitiesOnly yesProtect the configuration file:
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/configUse the alias in the clone URL:
git clone git@gitlab-repo:GROUP/PROJECT.gitFor a one-time clone without changing SSH configuration, set GIT_SSH_COMMAND:
GIT_SSH_COMMAND='ssh -o IdentitiesOnly=yes -i ~/.ssh/gitlab_repo -F /dev/null' git clone [email protected]:GROUP/PROJECT.gitAfter the repository exists, you can bind the same choice to that repository alone:
cd PROJECT
git config core.sshCommand "ssh -o IdentitiesOnly=yes -i ~/.ssh/gitlab_repo -F /dev/null"The -F /dev/null option prevents an unexpected system SSH configuration from changing this repository’s identity selection. Omit it only when your organization intentionally centralizes SSH settings there.
5. Verify the host and authentication
Test the GitLab SSH endpoint before cloning:
ssh -T [email protected]On the first connection, SSH may ask whether to trust GitLab’s host key. Validate the fingerprint through your organization’s approved GitLab documentation or administrator process before accepting it. A successful GitLab SSH test normally confirms authentication while explaining that shell access is not provided; that message is expected.
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If you use an alias, test the alias instead:
ssh -T git@gitlab-repo6. Clone into the destination directory
cd ~/src
git clone [email protected]:GROUP/PROJECT.gitReplace GROUP/PROJECT.git with the exact path copied from the project’s Code → Clone with SSH option. Git creates a directory named after the project unless you provide a second argument:
git clone [email protected]:GROUP/PROJECT.git application-sourceTo clone directly into an existing empty directory, use a trailing dot:
mkdir application-source
cd application-source
git clone [email protected]:GROUP/PROJECT.git .The target must be empty when using .; Git refuses to overwrite unrelated files.
7. Check the remote and working tree
cd PROJECT
git remote -v
git statusgit remote -v should show the expected GitLab SSH address for fetch and push. git status should identify the current branch and report a clean working tree immediately after a normal clone.
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1. Create the narrowest suitable token
Use HTTPS if a firewall blocks outbound SSH or organizational policy requires tokens. GitLab supports personal, project, group and deploy tokens for HTTPS cloning. Grant only the repository-read permission needed for a checkout. A deploy token must include the read_repository scope.
Record the token’s expiry, owner and intended server in your secret-management system. A token that never expires is harder to audit and replace than a short-lived credential with a documented renewal process.
2. Clone and answer the prompts
cd ~/src
git clone https://gitlab.com/GROUP/PROJECT.gitAt the prompts, enter a non-empty username and then paste the token when Git asks for the password. For a personal access token, GitLab states that the username can be any non-empty string; the token is used as the password. Do not use your normal GitLab password in place of a token when the instance requires token authentication.
3. Keep the token out of URLs and logs
Do not run a command such as git clone https://user:[email protected]/GROUP/PROJECT.git. A token embedded in a URL can be written into .git/config, displayed in shell history, captured by process inspection, or recorded by proxies and application servers. Use an interactive prompt, an organization-approved Git credential manager, or a secret-injection mechanism that does not persist the token in the repository URL.
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Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Designing an unattended checkout
Use a service identity, not a departing employee’s account
For CI, a deployment daemon or a scheduled server job, use a dedicated service account or a project deploy key. Document who owns the credential and who can revoke it. A personal key can continue working after a person changes roles unless someone remembers to remove it.
Prefer read-only access for pull-only jobs
A process that only fetches source does not need push permission. Make a deploy key read-only, or grant an HTTPS token only repository-read scope. Separate credentials are easier to disable for one project without interrupting unrelated checkouts.
Make noninteractive behavior explicit
Automation cannot answer an SSH passphrase or host-key prompt reliably. Pre-register a verified host key according to your organization’s SSH policy, make the private-key path explicit with IdentitiesOnly=yes, and ensure the service account can read the key. Do not depend on an administrator’s interactive SSH agent being present after logout or reboot.
Plan rotation and revocation
Keep an inventory containing the project, Linux account, key or token identifier, creation date, expiry date and responsible owner. Replace credentials before expiry and test the replacement while the old one remains available. When a server is retired, a job is removed or a key may have leaked, revoke it immediately and confirm that no replacement process still depends on it.
SSH versus HTTPS: a practical decision table
| Question | SSH | HTTPS |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive administration | Usually the simplest workflow after a user key is registered | Requires a token and a username at the prompt unless approved credential management is configured |
| Unattended use | Works well with a dedicated deploy key and explicit identity selection | Works where HTTPS is permitted, but the token needs secure injection and storage |
| Repository-specific credentials | Deploy keys and per-repository core.sshCommand make separation straightforward |
Project or deploy tokens can be scoped, but helpers and URLs must be reviewed for persistence |
| Network reachability | Requires the SSH endpoint to be reachable; some corporate networks block it | Often passes through networks that already allow web traffic |
| Secret exposure risk | Private key stays in a file and is not part of the clone URL; file permissions and backups matter | Tokens can leak through URLs, history, configuration, proxy logs or application logs if handled carelessly |
| Rotation and revocation | Remove or disable the user key or deploy key, then install a replacement | Expire or revoke the token, issue a replacement and update the secret injection |
Troubleshoot a failed private clone
Permission denied (publickey)
- Confirm that the URL is the project’s SSH URL and that the group and project names are correct.
- Check which Linux account is running Git:
whoami. Its home directory must contain the key you configured. - Verify the private-key path, ownership and mode. The private key should normally be mode
600, and~/.sshshould be mode700. - Make sure the matching public key was added to the intended GitLab user or enabled for the intended project deploy key. A disabled, expired or removed deploy key cannot authenticate.
- Force the identity for a diagnostic attempt:
ssh -o IdentitiesOnly=yes -i ~/.ssh/gitlab_repo -T [email protected]. - If the account has an SSH agent loaded with other keys, use the explicit identity or alias configuration instead of relying on agent order.
HTTP Basic: Access denied
- Check that the token has not expired or been revoked.
- Confirm its scope includes repository download; a deploy token requires
read_repository. - Enter a non-empty username and use the token as the password.
- Check whether the GitLab instance requires a fine-grained permission for repository download or applies organization-specific restrictions.
- Verify that the HTTPS URL points to the correct project and instance.
SSH test works, but git clone fails
- Compare the tested host with the host in the clone URL. An alias may be configured for
gitlab-repowhile the command uses another hostname. - Check the repository path and the authenticated user’s or deploy key’s project membership.
- Inspect the repository’s effective SSH command with
git config --get core.sshCommand; an obsolete key path or-F /dev/nullsetting may be selecting the wrong identity.
Manual cloning works, automation fails
- Automation may run as a different user with a different home directory.
- Use an absolute key path and
IdentitiesOnly=yesrather than relying on an interactive agent. - Ensure the service account can traverse its home and
.sshdirectories and read the private key. - Provide a verified host-key policy that does not depend on a human accepting a first-connection prompt.
- Check that the job’s secret injection is available at the time Git starts and is not being written into command-line arguments or logs.
The checkout contains unexpected files or cannot be created
- Clone into a new directory, or confirm that the target directory is empty before using
git clone ... .. - Inspect ownership and permissions on the parent directory and any existing
.gitdirectory. - Do not run the initial clone as
rootand then expect an unprivileged service account to update it without correcting ownership.
If a credential may have leaked
- Revoke or disable the affected personal key, deploy key or token in GitLab immediately.
- Remove the secret from shell history, temporary files, CI variables, copied URLs and configuration where it was stored.
- Issue a replacement with the smallest required scope and a documented owner and expiry.
- Inspect server, proxy, CI and application logs for copies of the old credential and follow your incident-response process.
- Run a fresh clone or fetch using the replacement, then verify that old credentials no longer work.
Revocation is preferable to merely changing a file permission after a token or private key has been exposed. Treat backups and machine images as possible copies until your retention and incident policies account for them.
Quick Recap
Quick checklist
- Git and the OpenSSH client are installed.
- You are operating as the Linux account that will own the checkout.
- The repository path came from GitLab’s Code menu.
- SSH is preferred; a read-only deploy key is used for a single pull-only service.
- The private key is stored outside the repository with restrictive permissions.
- SSH identity selection is explicit when multiple keys or agents exist.
- The host key was verified through an approved process.
- HTTPS tokens have only the required repository-read scope and never appear in URLs or logs.
git remote -vandgit statusconfirm the expected checkout after cloning.
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