Git Clone

git clone creates a complete local copy of a remote repository including all branches, commits, and the full project history.

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Basic Syntax

git clone <url> [<directory>]

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Protocols & URL Formats

Protocol	Example	Usage
HTTPS	https://github.com/org/repo.git	Simple, works everywhere
SSH	git@github.com:org/repo.git	Recommended for regular use (key auth)
SSH (explicit)	ssh://git@github.com/org/repo.git	Alternative SSH format
Local	/opt/repos/project.git	Local bare repos

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Common Options

# Clone into a named directory
git clone git@github.com:org/repo.git myproject

# Clone a specific branch only
git clone -b develop git@github.com:org/repo.git

# Shallow clone — only the last N commits (faster, less data)
git clone --depth 1 git@github.com:org/repo.git

# Clone and initialize submodules immediately
git clone --recurse-submodules git@github.com:org/repo.git

# Bare clone (Git object directory only, no working tree)
git clone --bare git@github.com:org/repo.git repo.git

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SSH Setup for GitHub / GitLab

# Generate ED25519 key (recommended)
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "git@company" -f ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_git

# Display public key → paste into GitHub/GitLab under SSH Keys
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_git.pub

# SSH config for multiple accounts (~/.ssh/config)
Host github-work
    HostName github.com
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_git

# Clone using the specific host alias
git clone git@github-work:org/repo.git

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After Cloning

cd repo

git remote -v             # Show configured remotes
git branch -a             # All branches (local + remote)
git log --oneline -10     # Last 10 commits
git status                # Working tree status

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Submodules

If a repo contains submodules that were not initialized during clone:

git submodule update --init --recursive

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Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
Permission denied (publickey)	SSH key not added to agent / not registered in GitHub
Repository not found	Check URL and access permissions on remote
Clone very slow / large repo	Use --depth 1 for a shallow clone
SSL certificate error (self-signed)	git config --global http.sslVerify false (internal only!)