How to store GIT credentials on Azure (Kudu) environment for external private git repositories authentication

How to store GIT credentials on Azure Kudu environement.md

Global GIT Config File

Original problem

• We need to authenticate to multiple private external repositories using credentials stored in a file
• We don't want use private/public RSA keys with ssh

Investigating how to load user defined .gitconfig

I tried to understand what was the default .gitconfig location in Azure:

git config --system -l
git config --global -l
git config --local -l ( only for local repository )
git config --show-origin -l

I discovered that $HOME/.gitconfig is not writale and we cannot create it in Kudu CMD console :

- 409 Conflict: Could not write to local resource 'D:\home\.gitconfig' due to error 
- 'Access to the path 'D:\home\.gitconfig' is denied.'.

My conclusion was :

• system and global locations are unwritable
• we cannot use user .gitconfig file in default $HOME location
• the only chance is change GIT_CONFIG env var to point to a user defined file in a writable location
• we can copy git config options from --system config and paste in our custom file d:/home/git/config

You can test correct gitconfig placement with the following commands that start git with your new config file:

git config --file d:/home/git/config -l
GIT_CONFIG=d:/home/git/config git config -l

System wide gitconfig

Use this template or copy from git system config :

[http]
sslcainfo=D:/Program Files (x86)/Git/mingw32/ssl/certs/ca-bundle.crt
#sslbackend=openssl

[diff "astextplain"]
textconv=astextplain

[filter "lfs"]
clean=git-lfs clean -- %f
smudge=git-lfs smudge -- %f
required=true
process=git-lfs filter-process


[pack]
packsizelimit=2g

[credential]
helper="store --file=d:/home/git/credentials"

Azure Environment Variables

You need to set this env var in porta.azure.com app properties:

set GIT_CONFIG=d:/home/git/config
set XDG_CONFIG_HOME=d:/home

Create file %GIT_CONFIG%

Add your user details into your git config

[user]
name = Matteo Orefice
email = user@youremail.com

Create file %XDG_CONFIG_HOME%/git/credentials

After generating PAT Personal Access Token you can authenticate to your external visualstudio.com repo, put this in the credentials file

https://matteo.orefice:YOURPASSWORD@bitiagit.visualstudio.com

Clone a repository

Change Kudu deployment target

set DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=d:/home/site/app

Change WWW public

set WEBROOT_PATH=d:/home/site/app/wwwroot

vendor in public dir unaccessible

If you installed composer as azure extension make sure to put in your web.config file this directives:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
    <system.webServer>
        ...
        <rewrite>
            <rules>
                <clear/>
                ...
                your other rules
            </rules>
        </rewrite>    
    </system.webServer>
</configuration>