Secure SSH Access to Private GIT Repositories

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Secure SSH Access to Private GIT Repositories

With the AccuWeb.Cloud platform, you can effortlessly deploy your application from any remote public or private GIT/SVN repository, supporting various programming languages such as Java, PHP, Ruby, Python, and Node.js.

To increase security, you can access your private GIT repositories via SSH, allowing for easy cloning and updating of your applications. This capability also enables you to work with repositories hosted on private servers, as opposed to common web-based services like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket.

Secure SSH Access

Accessing Your Private GIT Repository Using the Secured SSH Protocol

Follow these steps to access your private GIT repository securely via SSH:

  1. Generate SSH Keychain
  2. Add Private SSH Key to Platform Account
  3. Add Public SSH Key to Git Account
  4. Deploy Project via SSH

Generate SSH Keychain

To begin, create an SSH key pair (consisting of a private key and a public key) to bind your GIT repository to your AccuWeb.Cloud account. If you haven’t generated a keychain before, follow the Generate SSH Key instructions.

Note: Ensure that your keys do not contain password protection (passphrase) to establish a connection between the platform and GIT accounts.

Add Private SSH Key to Platform Account

Once you have generated your SSH key pair, add your private key to your AccuWeb.Cloud account by following these steps:

Step 1. Log in to your AccuWeb.Cloud account and navigate to the settings by clicking the “Settings” button at the top-right section of the dashboard.

Settings

Step 2. In the opened User Settings tab, switch to the SSH Keys > Private Keys option and click on the Add Private Key button.

Add Private Keys

Step 3. Copy your private SSH key and insert it into the Key input field. Provide a Name for this key (e.g., git-key) and finalize the addition by clicking the Add button.

Add Key

Note: If you encounter an error while adding the key, ensure it is not protected with a passphrase. If it is, remove the protection and try again.

Step 4. Your new private key will appear in the corresponding tab shortly.

Key added to tab

You can delete keys that are no longer needed by clicking the appropriate red cross button. Deleting the key from the manager won’t remove it from existing GIT projects on the platform, allowing you to continue working with them as before.

Add Public SSH Key to Git Account

After uploading your private key to your AccuWeb.Cloud account, you need to configure your GIT repository account.

For repositories on a remote private server, upload the corresponding SSH public key and add it to the list of authorized keys.

For web-based project hosting services, follow the detailed steps for each service below. We will cover the setup for three popular platforms:

  • GitHub
  • GitLab
  • Bitbucket

GitHub

Step 1. Log in to your GitHub account and go to Settings (top-right corner). Select the SSH and GPG keys tab from the left panel and click the New SSH key button.

Add SSH Key

Step 2. Paste your public SSH key into the Key field, assign a Title, and click Add SSH key.

Add Credentials

Step 3. Verify that your newly added key appears in the SSH keys tab.

SSH Keys

Step 4. To obtain the SSH link for your project, navigate to the desired repository (ensure you are logged in), and switch the link type to SSH in the Clone URL section on the right-hand pane. Click the Copy to Clipboard button or copy the link manually.

Copy to Clipboard

GitLab

Step 1. Log in to your GitLab account. Go to Preferences and select the SSH Keys tab from the left menu.

Add SSH Keys

Step 2. Paste your public SSH key into the Key field, provide a Title, and optionally set an Expires at a date for the key.

Add Credentials

Note: The expiration date is informational and does not restrict key usage. It can help administrators manage key rotation.

Step 3. Click the Add key button.

Step 4. Verify that your key appears in the Your SSH keys list below.

Verify Key

Step 5. To obtain the SSH link for your project, navigate to the desired repository (ensure you are logged in), expand the Clone menu, and copy the Clone with SSH link.

Clone with SSH

Bitbucket

Step 1. Log in to your Bitbucket account and select the Settings icon from the top-right corner and click Personal Bitbucket settings.

Step 2. In the account settings page, go to the SSH keys tab found under the Security section using the left-hand menu. Click the Add key in the central area of the page.

Add Key to Bitbucket

Step 3. In the prompt that appears, paste your public SSH key into the Key field, provide a Label, and click Add key.

Add Key

Step 4. Confirm that your new key appears in the SSH keys tab.

Verify added key

Step 5. To get the SSH link for your project, go to the desired repository (ensure you are logged in). Click the Clone and copy the displayed string.

Clone Repository

Deploy Project via SSH

Finally, you can proceed with deploying your project via the secured connection.

Step 1. Navigate to the Deployment Manager at the bottom of the dashboard and click on Add repo. Provide the following information in the form:

  • Name: The name of your application (no spaces or special symbols allowed).
  • URL: The appropriate git URL for the repository.
  • Branch: The required branch of the project (default is master).
  • Tick the Use Authentication checkbox, choose SSH Key as your Access Type, and select the key from the list.

Step 2. Click Apply to save your project information.

Add project via Git

Step 3. Once the project is added to the Deployment Manager, hover over it and click the Deploy button to deploy your application.

In the opened window, specify the deployment target and additional configurations:

  • Environment: Choose a target environment from the list.
  • Path: Enter the context where you want your application to be deployed (or leave the default).
  • Hooks: Include pre- and post-deployment operations as necessary.
  • Check and auto-deploy updates: Enable automatic periodic updates of your project from the repository (performed only if there are code changes) with a set interval.
  • Auto-resolve conflicts: Prevent merge conflicts by using the “git reset –hard” command during each subsequent project update (contradictory files will be updated according to the repository version, discarding locally made changes).
  • Enable zero-downtime deployment: Adjust the deployment flow to avoid application downtime (for PHP servers only).

Step 4. After entering all the required data, click Deploy to start the process and wait until your project is successfully deployed.

Deploy

Step 5. Verify that your project files are available. Open the Configuration File Manager for your environment, navigate to the webroot directory, and check for a folder named after the specified context (ROOT by default) inside.

Webroot

Step 6. Finally, click Open in Browser for your environment to ensure your application is running.

Verify in Browser

That’s it! Enjoy secure interaction with your version control system – clone and update your projects hosted on the platform directly from your private GIT repositories via SSH.