How do I clone all repos from a GitLab group with ghorg?

Set GHORG_SCM_TYPE to gitlab in your config, provide a personal access token with read_api scope, and use the group name in the clone command. Detailed examples are provided in the GitLab setup and examples sections of the README.

ghorg vs manually cloning each repo for backups?

ghorg automates bulk cloning with features like --backup for mirror clones and filtering, saving significant time over manual commands. However, for one-off backups of a few repos, standard git clone might be simpler and less overhead.

How to schedule regular backups with ghorg?

Use the reclone-cron command with the --minutes flag to set intervals, or configure a system cron job to run ghorg reclone. The README includes examples for automating cloning tasks via cron or the HTTP server.

Does ghorg support SSH cloning for private repositories?

Yes, use the --protocol=ssh flag to fetch SSH URLs instead of HTTPS. Ensure your SSH keys are properly set up, as mentioned in the troubleshooting section for cloning private repos.

Can I exclude specific repositories from being cloned?

Create a ghorgignore file in ~/.config/ghorg with substrings of clone URLs to exclude them, or use --exclude-match-regex for pattern-based exclusion. This is detailed in the selective cloning section.

How to handle cloning large organizations without open file errors?

Reduce concurrency with the --concurrency flag below the default 25 and increase ulimits on your system, as advised in the troubleshooting section to avoid 'too many open files' errors.

ghorg

Apache-2.0Gov1.11.10

A CLI tool to clone or backup all repositories from a GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket organization or user into a single directory.

GitHub

What is ghorg?

ghorg is a command-line tool that clones or backs up all repositories from a GitHub organization, GitLab group, Bitbucket workspace, or user account into a single local directory. It solves the problem of manually cloning multiple repositories by automating the process across multiple SCM providers, including self-hosted instances.

Target Audience

Developers, DevOps engineers, and teams who need to efficiently clone, back up, or audit large sets of repositories for tasks like code searching, scripting, onboarding, or compliance.

Value Proposition

Developers choose ghorg for its cross-platform support, powerful filtering options, and automation features, which save time and reduce manual effort when managing repository collections at scale.

Overview

Quickly clone or backup an entire org/users repositories into one directory - Supports GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and more 🐇🥚

Use Cases

Best For

Cloning all repositories from an organization for local code searching with grep or ack

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Creating automated backups of Git repositories across multiple SCM providers

Onboarding new team members by quickly cloning all team repositories

Performing security or compliance audits on organizational codebases

Automating repository synchronization with cron jobs or HTTP triggers

Filtering and cloning only specific repositories (e.g., by topic or regex) from large orgs

Not Ideal For

Projects requiring real-time, event-driven repository synchronization (e.g., CI/CD pipelines that trigger on every push)
Users who only need to clone a single repository occasionally; standard git clone is simpler and more straightforward
Environments with strict bandwidth or storage constraints where bulk cloning could be prohibitive
Teams that rely heavily on GUI tools for repository management without CLI expertise

Pros & Cons

Pros

Multi-Platform Compatibility

Supports GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea, and Sourcehut, including self-hosted instances, as detailed in the provider setup sections, enabling unified cloning across diverse SCM ecosystems.

Advanced Filtering Options

Allows selective cloning using regex, prefixes, topics, and ignore files like ghorgignore, providing precise control over which repositories are cloned, which is essential for large organizations.

Automation and Scheduling

Features reclone commands, an HTTP server, and cron integration for automating cloning tasks, making it ideal for backups, audits, and team onboarding without manual intervention.

Concurrent Operations

Configurable concurrency (default 25) speeds up cloning by processing multiple repositories simultaneously, improving efficiency for large-scale operations.

Cons

Provider-Specific Setup Complexity

Each SCM provider requires distinct token creation and configuration steps (e.g., GitHub PATs, GitLab read_api scope), which can be cumbersome and error-prone for users managing multiple platforms.

Default Overwrite Behavior

By default, ghorg cleans local directories on subsequent runs with git pull and git clean, risking data loss if the --no-clean flag isn't used, as explicitly warned in the README.

Inconsistent Feature Support

Some features, like --skip-archived, don't work on Bitbucket, and Sourcehut has limited functionality, leading to a fragmented experience across different providers.

Frequently Asked Questions

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