How to Set Up a Local Git Server on macOS with Gitblit in Minutes

Why Set Up a Local Git Server?

Git dominates version‑control usage; a local Git server is useful when code cannot be hosted on public platforms, when collaboration is limited to a LAN, or for learning purposes.

Environment Preparation

Install a JDK (required by Gitblit) on macOS. JDK 8 can be downloaded from Oracle:

https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javase/javase-jdk8-downloads.html

Download and Install Gitblit

Obtain the Linux/OSX package from the official site:

http://gitblit.github.io/gitblit/

Download gitblit-1.9.1.tar.gz, extract it (e.g., to ~/gitblit), and edit the defaults.properties file located in the data directory.

# Absolute path for repository storage
git.repositoriesFolder = /path/to/your/repositories
# HTTP port for the web UI
server.httpPort = 7070

Start the Server

From the Gitblit root directory run the startup script:

./gitblit.sh

The console prints a URL such as http://127.0.0.1:7070. Access the web UI with that address (replace 127.0.0.1 with the machine’s LAN IP for remote access). The default credentials are admin / admin.

Create a Repository

Log in to the web admin panel, navigate to “Repositories”, and click “Create Repository”. Provide a name and initialize the repository.

Clone the repository from another machine on the LAN using the SSH URL shown in the UI, for example:

git clone ssh://[email protected]:29418/project.git

Standard Git commands ( git clone, git init, git push, etc.) work as with any remote service. This guide assumes the client already has a configured SSH key.

Key Points

Local Git server provides private code management and LAN‑only collaboration.

Gitblit is lightweight compared with full‑featured platforms such as GitLab.

Configuration mainly involves setting git.repositoriesFolder and server.httpPort.

Repositories are managed through the web UI without additional infrastructure.