Creating a new Go/Golang repository

These instructions will help you create a new Go (a.k.a. Golang) project repository based on our template.

Prerequisites

• the git CLI
• the GitHub CLI gh
• devctl version 6.12.0 or newer

Step 1 - Preparation

Since you will need the repository name several times on the command line, we first create an environment variable REPOSITORY_NAME with the new repository name as the value.

Example:

export REPOSITORY_NAME=test-repo

Here we assume you want to create the new repository named test-repo.

Step 2 - Repo creation

In your current command line / shell session, navigate to the directory where you keep git clones.

Note: No need to create an empty sub folder just for the new repo, as this will happen automatically in the next step.

Now create the repository, using our template to pre-fill its content. Execute this command to create the new public repository:

gh repo create \
  --clone \
  --public \
  --template=giantswarm/template \
  giantswarm/${REPOSITORY_NAME}

Note: At Giant Swarm, most of our software development is done in public under the Apache 2.0 license. You can replace the flag --public with --private to start with a private repository instead.

Step 3 - Name replacement

Let’s fill in the actual repository name in a bunch of places in the new repo’s content, as otherwise we would have just the placeholder REPOSITORY_NAME in there.

Make sure to navigate into your local clone of the repository:

cd ${REPOSITORY_NAME}

Here is your command to run:

devctl replace \
  -i 'REPOSITORY_NAME' ${REPOSITORY_NAME} \
  --ignore '.git/**' '**'

Commit and push these replacements:

git commit -a -m "Replace placeholder by ${REPOSITORY_NAME}"
git push origin $(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)

Step 4 - Renovate setup

By default our template comes with a basic renovate.json5 configuration. For the Go-specific configuration run the following:

devctl gen renovate --language go

Step 5 - Configure settings

Now configure the GitHub repository settings (permission, branch protection, Renovate access, etc.) with one simple command:

devctl repo setup giantswarm/${REPOSITORY_NAME}

Step 6 - Set up repository automation

To maintain team ownership and keep the repository up-to-date with our standards, you should add the new repository to your team’s list in giantswarm/github. See the README for more details.

Step 7 - Create a container repo

To build containers for the new repository, set up registry repositories for it.

Step 8 - Final touches

• On the repository home page near About, click the cog icon to adjust the repository description and tags. Under “Include in the home page” de-select the Packages and Environments options.
• Add documentation to the docs/ folder.
• Add badges to the README top if you like. Find some suggestions in the README of your new repo.
• Replace the README.md of your new repository with meaningful info about the software you’re offering there.