This guide covers everything you need to start using the git server at git.ventoz.ca — from setting up your account to pushing your first commit, on both Linux and Windows.
Accounts are created by the administrator. You'll receive a username and a temporary password and will be prompted to set a new password on first login.
Log in at https://git.ventoz.ca
Most distributions include git or make it easy to install:
# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt install git
# Arch / EndeavourOS
sudo pacman -S git
# Fedora
sudo dnf install git
Verify it worked:
git --version
Verify it worked in Git Bash:
git --version
Before you do anything else, tell git who you are. Run these once on each computer you use:
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"
Git over HTTPS requires a Personal Access Token (PAT) — not your account password. A token can be revoked without changing your password and works seamlessly with git.
my-laptop)So you're not asked for your username and token on every push, configure git to cache them.
git config --global credential.helper store
The first time you push, git will ask for your username and token. After that it saves them to ~/.git-credentials and you won't be prompted again.
Git for Windows includes Git Credential Manager which handles this automatically. You'll get a login prompt the first time you push, and it saves the token in the Windows credential store — no extra setup needed.
To download a repo to your computer:
git clone https://git.ventoz.ca/username/repo-name.git
This creates a folder called repo-name in your current directory. When prompted for credentials, enter your Forgejo username and your token as the password.
Once you have a repo cloned, the everyday workflow is:
git pull
git status
git add filename # stage a specific file
git add . # stage everything
git commit -m "Brief description of what you changed"
git push
Then clone it to your computer:
git clone https://git.ventoz.ca/yourusername/your-repo.git
If you already have a folder on your computer that isn't a git repo yet, you can initialize it and push it to a new repo on the server.
First, create the repo on https://git.ventoz.ca (as in Step 8) — but do not check "Initialize this repository" this time, since your local project is the source of truth.
Then in your project folder:
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin https://git.ventoz.ca/yourusername/your-repo.git
git push -u origin main
The -u flag sets origin main as the default so future pushes are just git push.
Note: if you receive an error similar to this
![[Pasted image 20260609033729.png]]
please use the following command:
git branch -M main
And then continue with:
git push -u origin main
A .gitignore file tells git which files to never track. Create it in the root of your repo:
# Example .gitignore
.env
*.log
node_modules/
__pycache__/
.DS_Store
Any file or pattern listed here will be ignored by git add and git status. This is especially useful for keeping secrets, build artifacts, and OS junk out of your repo.
Create or edit it in any text editor, then commit it like any other file:
git add .gitignore
git commit -m "Add .gitignore"
git push
If you accidentally committed a file before adding it to .gitignore, you can stop tracking it without deleting it:
git rm --cached filename
Then add it to .gitignore and commit.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
git status |
Show what files have changed |
git add . |
Stage all changes |
git add <file> |
Stage a specific file |
git commit -m "msg" |
Commit staged changes with a message |
git push |
Push commits to the server |
git pull |
Pull latest changes from the server |
git log --oneline |
Show recent commit history |
git diff |
Show unstaged changes |
git checkout -- <file> |
Discard changes to a file |
git clone <url> |
Clone a repo to your computer |
"Authentication failed" when pushing
Make sure you're using your token as the password, not your account password. If stored credentials stopped working (e.g. you regenerated your token), clear them and push again to re-enter:
~/.git-credentials then push — git will prompt for the new tokengit.ventoz.ca, remove it, then push — git will prompt again"Please tell me who you are" error
You haven't configured your name and email yet. Run the commands in Step 3.
"Remote: Repository not found"
Double-check the clone URL. Private repos require you to be a collaborator — contact the admin if you need access.