Git Credential Manager
Git for Windows comes bundled with Git Credential Manager (gcm) which makes using git on command-line much easier, automatically opening up authentication in a GUI window or web browser and storing the results. On linux things are not quite so simple–however, you can now install Git Credential Manager manually.
(alternatively, you can use Git Credential Helper if you have authentication tokens set up already)
Install git-credential-manager
Follow the instructions for your OS documented at the gcm github repository. Here a the summary for Ubuntu:
- download latest “.deb” package release
- install the deb
sudo dpkg -i <path-to-package> - run
git-credential-manager configure - configure a credential store. I use the secretservice option which is built in to Ubuntu:
git config --global credential.credentialStore secretservice - Restart your system! (otherwise you will get weird errors)
Next time you clone or pull from a private repository (or push), gcm will pop open a little window to handle authentication for the platform. The credentials will be stored for future re-use.
If you need to update your credentials, the easiest method is to use “Passwords and Keys” / Seahorse app: Look in Passwords > Login category. You should find an entry such as “git:https://github.com/” that corresponds with the credential. I usually just delete the old one, then provide the updated version on my next git operation.