Github Access tokens - 2FA

With the introduction of two factor authentication, we are now required to change the way we access our repositories. There are now two main methods to upload to Github: using ssh keys or access tokens. This page describes the latter.

Generating a Token

  1. Click on your user icon (right)

  2. Select Settings

  3. From the left-hand menu, select Developer Settings

  4. Personal Access Tokens

  5. Right Top Generate New Token

Copy and SAVE the token, you will not get to view it again without generating a new one!

Storing the token

Caching for a TEMPORARY period in time

If we wish to store our token for a fixed period in time we may cache it with a predefined timeout.

git config --global credential.helper 'cache --timeout=31540000'

Here the timeout corresponds to that of a year, and you should not need to re-enter it during that time.

Storing the token in plaintext

It is also possible to save it within your home directory as a plaintext file, serving much the same purpose.

git config credential.helper store

Finally, we need to enter the token itself.

We can do this by running a git pull command, entering our username and using the token when prompted for a password.

Username for 'https://github.com': <user>
Password for 'https://<user>@github.com': <your token>