Notes on Git Setup with SSH for Windows (GitHub)

Notes on Git Setup with SSH for Windows (GitHub)

There are many guides on how to install and configure Git on a Windows PC. As I test new developer laptops for Wehkamp, it makes sense to have some notes on how to do it. Most Windows developers use git HTTPS cloning, but this guide shows how to install and configure SSH. All scripts should run in PowerShell.

Step 1: Git install

There are many ways to install git, I use WinGet:

winget install Git.Git

Step 2: Configure Git

Before we start, let's make sure our git settings are set:

& {
  $gitUsername = Read-Host "Enter Git username"
  $gitEmail    = Read-Host "Enter Git email"

  git config --global user.name  "$gitUsername"
  git config --global user.email "$gitEmail"

  # "Fix" line endings, so your Linux (Docker) and Windows (host) think alike:
  git config --global core.eol lf
  git config --global core.autocrlf false

  # Convenience, make it easier to push newly created branches
  git config --global push.autoSetupRemote true
}

Step 3: Install OpenSSH

Next, we'll need to install OpenSSH in Windows. With the installed tools we can generate a new SSH key and add it to our GitHub account.

Run the following from an elevated PowerShell (Windows Key + X, A):

& {
  Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name OpenSSH.Client~~~~0.0.1.0
  ssh -V
}

Step 4: Generate a New SSH Key

Let's continue in a normal (unelevated) PowerShell. The following command will generate new SSH key for the email you've registered in the previous step:

$email = git config --global user.email
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C $email

You will be prompted for a passphrase. If you use one, add the key to an SSH agent so you only need to enter the passphrase when you load the key into the agent. Git can then use the loaded key without prompting for every operation. If the agent restarts or loses the key, add the key again and enter the passphrase.

Add the key to the SSH agent:

ssh-add

Copy the public key to your clipboard:

& {
  Get-Content ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | Set-Clipboard; `
  echo "Key copied to clipboard.";
}

This will copy something like ssh-ed25519 IAMASUPERLONGANDSECUREKEY my@email.com to your clipboard.

Step 5: Add SSH Key to GitHub

Add the new SSH key to your GitHub account:

  1. Open your keys in your profile on GitHub: https://github.com/settings/profile
  2. Click the New SSH Key button.
  3. Enter a Title for the authentication key and paste the clipboard into the Key field.
  4. Click Add SSH Key.

Step 6: Test SSH Connection

Verify that the SSH setup is working by running:

ssh -T git@github.com

It should show something like: Hi USERNAME! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

🥳 That's it! You’re now set up to use Git with SSH on Windows. Consider adding a GPG key to sign your commits for additional security.

Bonus: convert a GitHub repo from HTTPS to SSH

So, what if you previously cloned a GitHub repo using HTTPS and want to switch it to SSH? The following PowerShell script converts a GitHub HTTPS remote to its SSH URL:

$remoteOriginUrl = git config --get remote.origin.url; `
Write-Host "Remote url: $remoteOriginUrl" `

if(!$remoteOriginUrl.StartsWith("https://")) {
    Write-Host "Remote origin does not start with https://, so it can't be converted.";
    exit 0;
} else {

    # replace https
    $remoteOriginUrl = $remoteOriginUrl.Replace("https://", "git@");
    # postfix with .git
    $remoteOriginUrl += ".git"
    $remoteOriginUrl = $remoteOriginUrl.Replace("/.git", ".git");
    $remoteOriginUrl = $remoteOriginUrl.Replace(".git.git", ".git");
    # replace first slash after extension
    [regex]$pattern = "(\.[^/]+)/";
    $remoteOriginUrl = $pattern.replace($remoteOriginUrl, '$1:', 1) ;

    git remote set-url origin $remoteOriginUrl

    Write-Host "Remote url is now: $remoteOriginUrl"
}

Additional Resources

While researching how to set this up, I've use the following sources:

Changelog

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