Managing multiple git accounts

managing-multiple-git-accounts.md

Copy and pasted from: https://mherman.org/blog/managing-multiple-github-accounts/

Managing Multiple Git Accounts

Let’s look at how to manage multiple Github accounts from one computer. In essence, it’s simply a matter of balancing both your git and ssh configurations - which actually is not as bad as it might seem.

Note: This tutorial is meant for Unix users.

Set up SSH Keys

Let’s assume your two Github accounts are named githubPersonal and githubWork, respectively.

Create two SSH keys, saving each to a separate file:

$ cd ~/.ssh
$ ssh-keygen -t rsa -C "your_email@associated_with_githubPersonal.com"
# save it as id_rsa_personal when prompted
$ ssh-keygen -t rsa -C "your_email@associated_with_githubWork.com"
# save it as id_rsa_work when prompted

The above commands setup the following files:

• id_rsa_personal
• id_rsa_personal.pub
• id_rsa_work
• id_rsa_work.pub

Add the keys to your Github accounts:

Copy the key to your clipboard:

$ pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_rsa_personal.pub

Add the key yo your account:

• Go to your Account Settings
• Click “SSH Keys” then “Add SSH key”
• Paste your key into the “Key” field and add a relevant title
• Click “Add key” then enter your Github password to confirm

Repeat the process for your githubWork account.

Create a configuration file to manage the separate keys

Create a config file in ~/.ssh/

$ touch config

Edit the file using the text editor of your choice. I used vim - $ vim config:

# githubPersonal
Host personal
   HostName github.com
   User git
   IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa_personal

# githubWork
Host work
   HostName github.com
   User git
   IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa_work

Update stored indentities

Clear currently stored indentities:

$ ssh-add -D

Add new keys:

$ ssh-add id_rsa_personal
$ ssh-add id_rsa_work

Test to make sure new keys are stored:

$ ssh-add -l

Test to make sure Github recognizes the keys:

$ ssh -T personal
Hi githubPersonal! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.
$ ssh -T work
Hi githubWork! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.