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

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 *} {github-ae *}]

Before you start, make sure you know:

• Your {% 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 {% data variables.product.product_name %} personal user account named ghuser
• A {% data variables.product.product_name %} repository named repo.git

{% endtip %}

1. Create a new repository on {% 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 {% 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://{% data variables.command_line.codeblock %}/<em>ghuser</em>/<em>repo.git</em>
# Pushes the mirror to the new {% data variables.product.product_name %} repository

4. Remove the temporary local repository.

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