Developer’s favourite code sharing / source code management platform Github, recently announced unlimited private repositories for unpaid customers. This is really important, if you are working on a small project (maximum three collaborators) and don’t want to make it public on Github. Here is how you can take advantage of this new offer.
New private repository
If you have an existing repository which is currently public, jump directly to how to make your existing repository private. To start off, let us look how to start creating a new private repository. Log in to your Github account and click on the + icon on the top right of the navigation bar at the top and select New Repository.
Here is where you give information about your project. Fill it up and make sure to select “Private” option (Public is selected by default)
And that’s all to it. Enjoy your new private repository.
How to make your existing repository private
Follow these steps:
- Select the project you want to make private from the left side menu on your Github main page.
- From the menu that appears right below the repository name, select Settings with a gear icon logo
- Scroll down to the Danger Zone
First option would be to make your repository private. Click “Make private” button on the right side of that section.
Read all the warnings that appear in the model (this is very important!), and type the project name in the textbox below it and confirm.
Once your repository is private, a new private tag will appear next to your repository name.
That’s it. Your repository is now private!
What happens if you already have more than 3 collarborators
Unfortunately Github puts a limit of 3 team members to the free private repositories. If your project has more members than this limit, you will be presented with this message instead.
The account needs to be upgraded to Github Pro make it private.
What if I try to add more than 3 collaborators to a free private repository?
Github won’t let to add more than 3 members, and you’ll be presented with this message.
However, those 3 member limit is without counting yourself (as the owner of this repository). That means it will work for a 4 member team including the owner of the repository.
Summary
Github is one of the most (if not the most) popular code sharing platform, and this is a wonderful chance to safeguard your repo if you are a startup or a small project team trying to get your amazing idea of the ground. If your team if slightly bigger than what Github allows (at this time), you can also check out Bitbucket, which allows free private repositories up to 5 users.
If you have any questions or feedback, simply send it to me at sonny@nowplayingapps.com.