docs/content/github/importing-your-projects-to-github/importing-a-git-repository-using-the-command-line.md

title, intro, redirect_from, versions

title	intro	redirect_from	versions
Importing a Git repository using the command line	{% if currentVersion == "free-pro-team@latest" %}If [GitHub Importer](/articles/importing-a-repository-with-github-importer) is not suitable for your purposes, such as if your existing code is hosted on a private network, then we recommend importing using the command line.{% else %}Importing Git projects using the command line is suitable when your existing code is hosted on a private network.{% endif %}	/articles/importing-a-git-repository-using-the-command-line	free-pro-team enterprise-server * *

Before you start, make sure you know:

• Your {{ site.data.variables.product.product_name }} username
• The clone URL for the external repository, such as https://external-host.com/user/repo.git or git://external-host.com/user/repo.git (perhaps with a user@ in front of the external-host.com domain name)

{% tip %}

For purposes of demonstration, we'll use:

• An external account named extuser
• An external Git host named https://external-host.com
• A {{ site.data.variables.product.product_name }} personal user account named ghuser
• A {{ site.data.variables.product.product_name }} repository named repo.git

{% endtip %}

1. Create a new repository on {{ site.data.variables.product.product_name }}. You'll import your external Git repository to this new repository.
2. On the command line, make a "bare" clone of the repository using the external clone URL. This creates a full copy of the data, but without a working directory for editing files, and ensures a clean, fresh export of all the old data.

$ git clone --bare https://external-host.com/<em>extuser</em>/<em>repo.git</em>
# Makes a bare clone of the external repository in a local directory

3. Push the locally cloned repository to {{ site.data.variables.product.product_name }} using the "mirror" option, which ensures that all references, such as branches and tags, are copied to the imported repository.

$ cd <em>repo.git</em>
$ git push --mirror https://{{ site.data.variables.command_line.codeblock }}/<em>ghuser</em>/<em>repo.git</em>
# Pushes the mirror to the new {{ site.data.variables.product.product_name }} repository

4. Remove the temporary local repository.

$ cd ..
$ rm -rf <em>repo.git</em>