Synchronize a distant server directory with a local git repositery

Question

I want to synchronize a directory /home/myproject of my distant machine with, as source, the directory D:\myproject\ of my local machine. I would like to use git (to also benefit from commits history, etc.)

I did this on distant machine (creation of a bare repository, see also What is the difference between "git init" and "git init --bare"?):

mkdir /home/myproject.git
cd /home/myproject.git
git init --bare

and this on local machine (with current directory D:\myproject\):

git init
git add main.py   # D:\myproject\main.py exists on local machine
git commit -m "First"
git remote add dest root@203.0.113.0:/home/myproject.git    # via ssh
git push dest master

It works, now distant server's /home/myproject.git is synchronized, but the directory /home/myproject/ (that should contain for example /home/myproject/main.py) still doesn't exist!

So I have to do this on the distant server:

cd /home
git clone myproject.git myproject

and now /home/myproject/main.py exists.

Problem: each time I do git push on local machine, it's distant server's /home/myproject.git which is updated, and not /home/myproject/.

Question: how to configure these repositories such that git push automatically updates all the files in /home/myproject such as /home/myproject/main.py, instead of only /home/myproject.git?

About bare repositories: https://stackoverflow.com/q/7861184/7976758. Using GIT to deploy: https://stackoverflow.com/q/18804552/7976758. — phd, Jun 20 '18 at 20:08
Thank you @phd, I already read https://stackoverflow.com/questions/7861184/what-is-the-difference-between-git-init-and-git-init-bare before posting the question, but it did not really help in this precise request, i.e. `git push` updating not only the myproject.git but above all the destination directory. — Basj, Jun 20 '18 at 20:15

Basj · Answer 1 · 2018-06-27T21:52:11.350

As explained in this tutorial, here is a working solution:

On the local machine (from working directory D:\myproject\), create the repository:

git init
git add main.py
git commit -m "First"
git remote add dest root@203.0.113.0:/home/myproject.git

On the distant machine, create a "bare repository" + the destination directory:

mkdir /home/myproject.git && cd /home/myproject.git && git init --bare
echo -e '#!/bin/sh\nGIT_WORK_TREE=/home/myproject git checkout -f' > hooks/post-receive
chmod +x hooks/post-receive

mkdir /home/myproject

On local machine:

git push -u dest master        # later we can just do: git push

Now /home/myproject is updated on the distant machine!

Basj · Accepted Answer · 2018-06-27T21:51:34.940

Here is an easier solution (not requiring a "bare" repository or "post-receive hook" script):

On the distant machine, create the destination repository and configure it like this:

mkdir /home/myproject && cd /home/myproject
git init
git config receive.denyCurrentBranch updateInstead

On the local machine (from working directory D:\myproject\), create the source repository, and push it:
```
git init
git add main.py
git commit -m "First"
git remote add dest root@203.0.113.0:/home/myproject
git push -u dest master
```
Now /home/myproject is updated on the distant machine!

Note: this requires git version >= 2.4. If you don't have this one, and not available in your current distribution this can help: add-apt-repository ppa:git-core/ppa; apt update; apt install git.

Synchronize a distant server directory with a local git repositery

2 Answers2