How to Use Multiple GitHub Accounts on the Same Machine

Working with multiple GitHub accounts on the same machine can be challenging, especially when it comes to managing separate SSH keys and repositories. In this article, we will guide you through the process of setting up and using multiple GitHub accounts on your computer, making your development workflow more efficient and organized.

Step 1: Generate SSH Keys for Each GitHub Account

To generate a new SSH key for each GitHub account, open your terminal and run the following command, replacing "your_email@example.com" with the email address associated with the GitHub account:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "work_email@example.com"

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "personal_email@example.com"

When prompted for a file in which to save the key, choose a unique name and location, such as ~/.ssh/any_name_enter_here.

Example

$ ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "work_email@example.com"
Generating public/private ed25519 key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/c/Users/MyPc/.ssh/id_ed25519):
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):

If you want to change the file name, enter a new path:

$ ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "work_email@example.com"
Generating public/private ed25519 key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/c/Users/MyPc/.ssh/id_ed25519): /c/Users/MyPc/.ssh/any_name_enter_here
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):

Step 2: Add the SSH Key to the SSH Agent

To add the newly generated SSH key to the SSH agent, run these commands in your terminal:

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

Then add your keys:

ssh-add ~/.ssh/personal
ssh-add ~/.ssh/work

Example:

MyPc@DESKTOP ~
$ cd .ssh/

MyPc@DESKTOP ~/.ssh
$ ls
config  id_rsa.pub   known_hosts.old  personal.pub  work.pub
id_rsa  known_hosts  personal         work

Step 3: Configuring GitHub Accounts

To configure your GitHub accounts, create a new file called config in the ~/.ssh directory:

MyPc@DESKTOP ~/.ssh
$ cat config
Host github.com-work
  HostName github.com
  User git
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/work

Host github.com-personal
  HostName github.com
  User git
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/personal

Step 4: Test the Configuration

To test your configuration, run the following command for each account, replacing "github.com-work" or "github.com-personal" with the correct Host value from your config file:

MyPc@DESKTOP ~/.ssh
$ ssh -T git@github.com-work
git@github.com: Permission denied (publickey).

If you encounter this issue, check if the public key is added to the appropriate GitHub account.

Add Your Public Key to GitHub

To add your public key, print the content of the .pub file and copy it:

MyPc@DESKTOP ~/.ssh
$ cat personal.pub
ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIDYjVY0dPurupQoAHBbT4Lef4XgSN+GWCvd//T61mSyD personal_email@example.com

Go to GitHub settings under SSH keys.
Create a new SSH key.
Paste the content of the .pub file (as shown above).

Test Again

After adding the key, test again:

MyPc@DESKTOP ~/.ssh
$ ssh -T git@github.com-personal
Hi yourname! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

Step 5: Managing Multiple Repositories

Cloning a Repository

To clone a repository from one of your GitHub accounts, use the following command, replacing github.com-personal with the appropriate Host value and your_username and your_repository with the correct information:

Note : Need to take ssh type git repository url

git clone git@github.com-personal:your_username/your_repository.git

Next, configure Git:

git config user.email personal_email@example.com
git config user.name your_username

Pushing Changes to a Repository

To push changes to a repository, navigate to the local repository folder and execute the following commands:

git add .
git commit -m "Your commit message"
git push

Push Files into a New Repository

To push files into your new repository:

git config user.email personal_email@example.com
git config user.name your_username

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Your commit message"
git branch -M main
git remote add personal git@github.com-personal:your_username/your_repository.git
git push personal main

That's it! Now you're all set to manage multiple GitHub accounts on the same machine.

muhammedrahil/How-to-Use-Multiple-GitHub-Accounts-on-the-Same-Machine