Is it possible to use pip to install a package from a private GitHub repository?

Question

I am trying to install a Python package from a private GitHub repository. For a public repository, I can issue the following command which works fine:

pip install git+git://github.com/django/django.git 

However, if I try this for a private repository:

pip install git+git://github.com/echweb/echweb-utils.git 

I get the following output:

Downloading/unpacking git+git://github.com/echweb/echweb-utils.git Cloning Git repository git://github.com/echweb/echweb-utils.git to /var/folders/cB/cB85g9P7HM4jcPn7nrvWRU+++TI/-Tmp-/pip-VRsIoo-build Complete output from command /usr/local/bin/git clone git://github.com/echweb/echweb-utils.git /var/folders/cB/cB85g9P7HM4jcPn7nrvWRU+++TI/-Tmp-/pip-VRsIoo-build: fatal: The remote end hung up unexpectedly  Cloning into /var/folders/cB/cB85g9P7HM4jcPn7nrvWRU+++TI/-Tmp-/pip-VRsIoo-build...  ---------------------------------------- Command /usr/local/bin/git clone git://github.com/echweb/echweb-utils.git /var/folders/cB/cB85g9P7HM4jcPn7nrvWRU+++TI/-Tmp-/pip-VRsIoo-build failed with error code 128 

I guess this is because I am trying to access a private repository without providing any authentication. I therefore tried to use Git + ssh hoping that pip would use my SSH public key to authenticate:

pip install git+ssh://github.com/echweb/echweb-utils.git 

This gives the following output:

Downloading/unpacking git+ssh://github.com/echweb/echweb-utils.git Cloning Git repository ssh://github.com/echweb/echweb-utils.git to /var/folders/cB/cB85g9P7HM4jcPn7nrvWRU+++TI/-Tmp-/pip-DQB8s4-build Complete output from command /usr/local/bin/git clone ssh://github.com/echweb/echweb-utils.git /var/folders/cB/cB85g9P7HM4jcPn7nrvWRU+++TI/-Tmp-/pip-DQB8s4-build: Cloning into /var/folders/cB/cB85g9P7HM4jcPn7nrvWRU+++TI/-Tmp-/pip-DQB8s4-build...  Permission denied (publickey).  fatal: The remote end hung up unexpectedly  ---------------------------------------- Command /usr/local/bin/git clone ssh://github.com/echweb/echweb-utils.git /var/folders/cB/cB85g9P7HM4jcPn7nrvWRU+++TI/-Tmp-/pip-DQB8s4-build failed with error code 128 

Is what I am trying to achieve even possible? If so, how can I do it?

Answer 1

You can use the git+ssh URI scheme, but you must set a username. Notice the git@ part in the URI:

pip install git+ssh://[email protected]/echweb/echweb-utils.git 

Also read about deploy keys.

PS: In my installation, the "git+ssh" URI scheme works only with "editable" requirements:

pip install -e URI#egg=EggName 

Remember: Change the : character that git remote -v prints to a / character before using the remote's address in the pip command:

$ git remote -v origin  [email protected]:echweb/echweb-utils.git (fetch) #                     ^ change this to a '/' character 

If you forget, you will get this error:

ssh: Could not resolve hostname github.com:echweb:          nodename nor servname provided, or not known 

Answer 2

As an additional technique, if you have the private repository cloned locally, you can do:

pip install git+file://c:/repo/directory 

More modernly, you can just do this (and the -e will mean you don't have to commit changes before they're reflected):

pip install -e C:\repo\directory