MyWeb Tutorials: Git (Version Control)

Recommended Workflow (Read First) 

 If you are planning to use GIT, then you need to consider our GitLab server is the source of truth for your website code. You should write and edit your code locally on your own computer using any editor or IDE (such as VS Code). Your local project must be connected to gitlab.cs.uwindsor.ca, where you commit and push your changes. Once your code is pushed to GitLab, you then log in to MyWeb (DirectAdmin) and use Fetch followed by Deploy to publish the latest version of your code to the web server. Do not edit files directly in MyWeb using File Manager or FTP after Git is enabled, as those changes will be overwritten on the next deploy. 

   Summary of Workflow: 

 

 Edit locally on your computer 

 Commit & push to GitLab 

 Fetch & Deploy to MyWeb 

 

 First-Time Setup (Do Once) 

 

 Create an SSH key on the student’s local computer 

 Add the local SSH key to GitLab (gitlab.cs.uwindsor.ca) 

 Configure your IDE (e.g., VS Code) to use GitLab 

 Create a new project on GitLab and copy the SSH remote URL 

 Initialize the local project and connect it to the GitLab repository 

 If code already exists on MyWeb, import it into the local project 

 Commit and push the initial codebase to GitLab 

 Create a separate SSH key in MyWeb (DirectAdmin) for deployment 

 Add the MyWeb public SSH key to GitLab 

 Initialize and connect the Git repository in MyWeb 

 Perform the first Fetch and Deploy from GitLab to MyWeb 

 

   

 Daily / Ongoing Workflow 

 

 Edit code locally on the student’s computer 

 Commit and push changes to GitLab 

 Log in to MyWeb (DirectAdmin) 

 Fetch updates from GitLab 

 Deploy the latest code to the website 

 

 

 1. Create an SSH key on the student’s local computer 

 

 SSH keys are used to connect your computer to GitLab securely 

 If you already have an SSH key, you may reuse it 

 For simplicity and clarity, it is recommended to create a new SSH key specifically for GitLab 

 

 Windows (Windows Terminal / PowerShell / Git Bash) 

 

 Open Windows Terminal , PowerShell , or Git Bash 

 Generate a new SSH key: 

 

 ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "yourusername@gitlab.cs.uwindsor.ca" 

 

 When prompted: 

 

 File location : press Enter to accept default (or use gitlab_cs if you want a dedicated key) 

 Passphrase : optional (press Enter to skip) 

 

 Start the SSH agent: 

 

 eval "$(ssh-agent -s)" 

 

 Add the key to the agent: 

 

 ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 

 (or the filename you chose) 

   

 macOS / Linux 

 

 Open Terminal 

 Generate a new SSH key: 

 

 ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "yourusername@gitlab.cs.uwindsor.ca" 

 

 When prompted: 

 

 File location : press Enter to accept default 

 Passphrase : optional (press Enter to skip) 

 

 Start the SSH agent: 

 

 eval "$(ssh-agent -s)" 

 

 Add the key to the agent: 

 

 ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 

   

 Verify the Key Was Created (All Systems) 

 

 List SSH keys: 

 

 ls ~/.ssh 

 

 You should see: 

 id_ed25519 

 id_ed25519.pub 

 

 Notes for Students: 

 

 .pub file = public key (safe to share) 

 non-.pub file = private key (never share) 

 Public key will be added to GitLab in the next step 

 You do not need to repeat this step unless you change computers 

 

 

 

   

 2. Add the SSH Key to GitLab (gitlab.cs.uwindsor.ca) 

 

 Open GitLab in your browser: 

 https://gitlab.cs.uwindsor.ca   

 Log in with your CS credentials 

 Open User Preferences 

 Go to SSH Keys 

 

 

 

 Copy Your Public Key (from your computer) 

 

 Display the public key: 

 

 cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub 

 (If you used a different filename, replace id_ed25519 accordingly.) 

 

 Select and copy the entire output (starts with ssh-ed25519) 

 

 Add the Key in GitLab 

 

 Paste the key into the Key field 

 (Optional) Set a descriptive Title (e.g., Laptop – CS GitLab) 

 Click Add key 

 

 

 

 Quick Verification (Optional but Recommended) 

 

 Test the SSH connection: 

 

 ssh -T git@gitlab.cs.uwindsor.ca 

 

 You should see a success message indicating authentication worked 

 

 Notes for Students 

 

 You can add multiple SSH keys to the same GitLab account (one per device) 

 This key is for your local computer only 

 Do not upload private keys (id_ed25519)—only the .pub file 

 

 

 

   

 3. Configure Your IDE (VS Code) to Use GitLab 

 

 Install Visual Studio Code if it is not already installed 

 Ensure Git is installed on your system and available in your terminal 

 Open VS Code 

 

 Verify Git Is Detected by VS Code 

 

 Open the integrated terminal in VS Code: 

 View → Terminal 

 Check Git availability: 

 

 git --version 

 

 If Git is detected, VS Code will automatically enable source control features 

 

   

 Configure VS Code to Use Your SSH Key 

 

 Ensure the SSH agent is running (from earlier step) 

 Confirm your SSH key is loaded: 

 

 ssh-add -l 

 

 You should see your id_ed25519 (or chosen key name) 

 

 VS Code uses the system SSH configuration automatically— no extra setup is required if SSH works in the terminal. 

   

 (Optional but Recommended) Configure Git Identity 

 

 Set your name and email (used in commits): 

 

 git config --global user.name "Your Full Name" 

 git config --global user.email "yourusername@uwindsor.ca" 

   

 (Optional) Test GitLab Access from VS Code 

 

 From the VS Code terminal, test SSH: 

 

 ssh -T git@gitlab.cs.uwindsor.ca 

 

 A success message confirms VS Code can authenticate with GitLab 

 

   

 Notes for Students 

 

 VS Code does not store your SSH key; it uses the system SSH agent 

 If Git works in the terminal, it will work in VS Code 

 You only need to do this setup once per computer 

 

 

 

   

 4. Create a Project on GitLab and Get the SSH Remote URL 

 

 Open GitLab in your browser: 

 https://gitlab.cs.uwindsor.ca   

 Log in with your CS credentials 

 Click New Project 

 Choose Create blank project 

 

 

 

 

 Project Setup 

 

 Enter a Project name (e.g., myweb-project) 

 Leave Visibility as default (Private) 

 Click Create project 

 

 

 Get the SSH Remote URL 

 

 After the project is created, open the project page 

 Click Code (or Clone ) 

 Select SSH 

 Copy the SSH URL, which looks like: 

 

 git@gitlab.cs.uwindsor.ca:yourusername/myweb-project.git 

 

   

 Notes for Students 

 

 Always use the SSH URL , not HTTPS 

 This URL will be used to connect: 

 

 Your local project 

 Your MyWeb deployment 

 

 You only create the GitLab project once 

 

 

 

   

 5. Initialize the Local Project and Push Code to GitLab 

 This step connects your local code to the GitLab repository you just created. 

   

 If You Are Starting with New Code (No Existing MyWeb Files) 

 

 Open a terminal inside your project folder 

 Initialize Git: 

 

 git init 

 

 Add the GitLab remote (use the SSH URL you copied): 

 

 git remote add origin git@gitlab.cs.uwindsor.ca:yourusername/myweb-project.git 

 

 Add all files: 

 

 git add . 

 

 Commit the initial version: 

 

 git commit -m "Initial commit" 

 

 Push to GitLab: 

 

 git branch -M main 

 git push -u origin main 

 

 If Code Already Exists on MyWeb (Common Case) 

 

 First, make sure your local project folder contains the files from MyWeb (public_html) 

 

 Download them from MyWeb (zip or File Manager) 

 Or copy them manually 

 

 Then, inside that folder: 

 

 git init 

 git remote add origin git@gitlab.cs.uwindsor.ca:yourusername/myweb-project.git 

 git add . 

 git commit -m "Initial import from MyWeb" 

 git branch -M main 

 git push -u origin main 

 ✔ GitLab now contains the full website code ✔ GitLab becomes the source of truth 

   

 Notes for Students 

 

 This initialization happens once 

 After this step: 

 

 Do not treat MyWeb as the main copy 

 All future changes start locally 

 

 

 

 

   

 6. Create a Deployment SSH Key in MyWeb (DirectAdmin) 

 This key is used only by MyWeb to fetch and deploy code from GitLab. It is separate from the SSH key on your local computer. 

 

 Log in to MyWeb (DirectAdmin) 

 Go to Advanced features →  SSH Keys 

 Click Create Key 

 

 

 

 Fill in the fields 

 

 Key ID : gitlab (or any short name) 

 Authorize : ✔ checked 

 Comment : yourusername@gitlab.cs.uwindsor.ca 

 Key Size : 2048 

 Password : leave empty 

 Click Create 

 

 

 Copy the Public Key 

 

 After creation, copy the public key (the .pub content) 

 You will add this key to GitLab in the next step 

 

 

 To copy the public key, right click on *.pub file and open/edit it and copy the full content (to be used in step 7 below) 

 Notes for Students 

 

 This key stays on the server 

 Do not download or reuse it on your computer 

 One MyWeb key can be reused for multiple repositories 

 

 

 

   

 7. Add the MyWeb SSH Key to GitLab 

 This step authorizes MyWeb to access your GitLab repository for Fetch and Deploy . 

 

 Open GitLab in your browser: 

 https://gitlab.cs.uwindsor.ca   

 Log in with your CS credentials 

 Go to User Preferences 

 Select SSH Keys 

 

 

 Add the MyWeb Public Key 

 

 Paste the public SSH key you copied from MyWeb 

 Set a clear Title (e.g., MyWeb Deployment Key) 

 Click Add key 

 

 

 Notes for Students 

 

 This key is server-side only (deployment) 

 It is different from your local computer’s SSH key 

 GitLab allows multiple SSH keys per account 

 

 

 

   

 8. Initialize and Connect the Repository in MyWeb (DirectAdmin) 

 This step links MyWeb to your GitLab repository so it can deploy your code. 

 

 Log in to MyWeb (DirectAdmin) 

 Go to Advanced Features -> Git 

 Click Create Repository 

 

 

 

 Fill in the Repository Details 

 

 Domain : select your MyWeb domain (auto-filled) 

 Name : any label (e.g., myweb-site) 

 Remote : paste the SSH URL of your GitLab repository 

 

 git@gitlab.cs.uwindsor.ca:yourusername/myweb-project.git 

 

 

 Keyfile : select or enter the path to the private key created in MyWeb 

 

 .ssh/gitlab  (the exact file name you have in .ssh folder) 

 

 

 

 

 Click  Create Repository 

 

 

 What This Does 

 

 Creates a local Git repository on MyWeb 

 Links it to GitLab using SSH 

 Prepares MyWeb for deployment (no files are changed yet) 

 

   

 Notes for Students 

 

 Always use the SSH remote , not HTTPS 

 Do not include full /home/... paths in the Keyfile field 

 This setup is done once per project 

 

 

 

   

 9. Fetch and Deploy the Code to MyWeb 

 This step publishes your GitLab code to your MyWeb website . 

   

 Fetch From GitLab 

 

 In MyWeb (DirectAdmin) , go to Git 

 Locate your repository 

 Click the three dots ( ⋯ ) next to it 

 Click Fetch 

 

 

 What Fetch does: 

 

 Connects to GitLab 

 Retrieves the latest commits and branch information 

 Does not change your website files 

 

 Deploy to MyWeb 

 

 Click the three dots ( ⋯ ) again 

 Click Deploy 

 

 What Deploy does: 

 

 Checks out the latest commit (usually from main) 

 Copies files into: 

 public_html/ 

 Makes the code live on your website 

 

   

 Verify Deployment 

 

 Open File Manager 

 Confirm files appear in public_html 

 Visit your website in a browser: 

 https://yourproject.myweb.cs.uwindsor.ca/ 

 

   

 Important Notes for Students 

 

 Always Fetch before Deploy 

 Do not edit files in File Manager or via FTP after Git is enabled 

 Manual changes will be overwritten on the next deploy 

 

   

 ✅ Setup Complete 

 You have now: 

 

 Connected your local computer to GitLab 

 Connected MyWeb to GitLab 

 Deployed your site using Git 

 

 

 

 

 Daily Workflow Reminder 

 

 Edit code locally 

 Commit and push to GitLab 

 Fetch and Deploy from MyWeb