Git repository URL - SSH syntax without absolute path

Question

I'm running a git repository server accessible via SSH, on a custom port (let's say 12345). I have found that in this case the repository URLs need to be specified using SSH syntax:

git clone ssh://[email protected]:12345/absolute/path/to/repository 

I'd like to setup it in such a way that it would be possible for users to clone repositories without specifying the absolute path.

git clone ssh://[email protected]:12345/repository.git 

I have researched the topic and found the following options:

1. Remove the custom port from the URL and make the users add it to their ~/.ssh/config file (a last-resort workaround rather than a solution).
2. Drop SSH and use git-daemon and specify its --base-path parameter (still a workaround...)
3. Use an utility like gitosis or gitolite - but wouldn't it be an overkill to use it for this purpose only? Gitosis is discontinued, gitolite is a quite huge piece of software...

All I want is a "prettier" SSH URL with custom port (so I can distribute the whole git clone command and require nothing more from the remote user). Which one of the above solutions would be the most viable in my case?

Answer 1

If you use the alternate form of ssh URLs you don't need an absolute path. For example...

git clone [email protected]:repos/myrepo.git 

...will clone repository repos/myrepo.git relative to my home directory, although this doesn't permit use of an alternate port. However, you can also use ~ in either form to indicate the user's home directory, e.g.:

git clone ssh://[email protected]:12345/~/repository.git 

Incidentally, despite being discontinued, gitosis functions quite well, and the code is both small and easy to understand. It offers a useful set of access controls and self-service management of repositories. I wouldn't discount it completely.

Answer 2

I do this, not exactly what you asked, but close and with prettier links:

create a path like

/srv/git  

where you place you git projects

next make a symbolic link to home:

ln -s /srv/git $HOME 

next you can have shorter links

git clone user@server:git/myproject.git 

if you have a single project you can get rid of the git/ part in the url

ln -s /srv/git/myproject.git $HOME 

next

git clone user@server:myproject.git 

will work. Of course the .git at the end of the URL comes only from creating the bare with .git in the name. Note also that ssh:// part is not needed: the @ implies it is an ssh URL for git.

Updated: let me add a sidenote: following the most recent Filesystem Hierarchy Standard I use now /srv/git as repository location.