Infrastructure/Git

This is the hub page for all information about the use of Git by KDE.

This section provides details on using the KDE Git infrastructure. This is intended for use by KDE developers to find out how KDE uses Git and how to set up Git for use with KDE.

Git at KDE

KDE currently offers code hosting using Git. Additionally, KDE also maintains a limited Subversion infrastructure for certain special projects, such as translations and older websites.

Anonymous access

Both Git and Subversion repositories can be accessed anonymously by anyone. This access takes place from https://invent.kde.org/ and anonsvn.kde.org for Git and Subversion respectively, and grants read-only access to the same repositories which are available to contributors with developer accounts.

KDE also maintains a mirror of its mainline Git repositories on GitHub. This mirror is read-only, and disables all of GitHub's additional features, such as issues, the wiki, and downloads, in favour of KDE's own hosted services. Additionally, pull requests on these repositories are not accepted. Code changes should use the official KDE git repositories https://invent.kde.org/. And still, GitHub may be used / searched more intuitively than the alternatives. E.g. sign into github.com, then search for source code in the entire "KDE" organization with a URL such as https://github.com/search?q=org%3AKDE+KMessageBox Then click on "Code" or "Commits".

For Subversion, access is only provided over the Subversion protocol. If you are behind a restrictive firewall and need to access the KDE Subversion repository anonymously (and have no other means of network access), please file a ticket.

Pushing

Push or commit access to all KDE code repositories is open to any holder of a KDE developer account, subject to few limitations. This model allows contributors to easily make contributions to all parts of KDE without needing further approval. All commits made to either Git or Subversion are subject to commit hooks which will perform a few quality control checks and can take other actions on behalf of the developer. In the case of both Git and Subversion it is only possible to commit over SSH.

With KDE Git, it is recommended to use a shortcut to access repositories instead of directly cloning them from the Git server itself. This shortcut allows you to use a local mirror of the repositories, and should improve response times. To setup a kde: shortcut, you should add the following configuration block to ~/.config/git/config. If your network blocks the Git protocol, then you can exchange that for HTTP instead.

[url "https://invent.kde.org/"]
    insteadOf = kde:
[url "[email protected]:"]
    pushInsteadOf = kde:

Once setup as above, you can clone and push to repositories through the URL kde:group/repository.

As Subversion requires that checkouts you are committing from are made from the same location you are committing to, checkouts should be made from the Subversion server directly. It can be accessed at svn+ssh://[email protected]/home/kde/. If you have existing checkouts, you will need to relocate them using the svn switch command before you are able to commit.

Browsing

To allow for quick review of code, web repository browsers exist for both Git and Subversion repositories. Those interested in browsing Subversion should visit WebSVN, which will contain the latest commits made to the KDE Subversion repository subject to a delay of 10 minutes at maximum.

In the case of Git, repository browsing is available via GitLab. Additionally, all mainline repositories are available on GitHub and can be browsed there. Please note that personal repositories are only browsable on our GitLab, they are not mirrored to GitHub.

If you need to link to materials which are stored in either Git or Subversion repositories on KDE infrastructure, it is requested that you do not embed the content directly, but simply link to it. Embedding content, such as images, causes significantly higher load on the repository browser servers, making it unavailable for others wishing to use it. This is particularly relevant for blog posts on Planet or any other high traffic web page.

New repositories

To allow for free form development in a manner similar to Subversion did, KDE Git allows personal repositories to be created on demand as needed. You can create personal repositories from the GitLab web interface. You can also "fork" an existing official KDE repository.

Personal repositories and forks can be deleted at any time.

From time to time it may be necessary to create new project repositories, to contain newly developed applications, migrate existing applications from Subversion or to bring new projects under the KDE umbrella. New repositories can be requested by filing a ticket, and will be created in the appropriate group on invent.kde.org.

Extra Karma

At times contributors may find it necessary to push or commit to certain repositories or paths which are protected. In this case the server will reject your request with a message such as insufficient karma or access denied. This protection is most often applied to repositories which run parts of the infrastructure such as websites or other crucial components.

If you would like to request access to these protected areas, please file a ticket, mentioning which repositories or paths you are trying to change.

A complete manual on how to use KDE's Git services, along with some best practices, is available on the KDE Community Wiki.