Streamlining GitHub Migrations: Check Git repository size with gh repo-stats

By Madis Kõosaar
github git gh-repo-stats repo-size

Streamlining GitHub Migrations: Check Git repository size with gh repo-stats

Migrating repositories between GitHub instances or organizations can be a complex task, especially when dealing with numerous repositories of varying sizes. To facilitate this process, the gh-repo-stats extension for the GitHub CLI offers a streamlined approach to gathering essential repository statistics, enabling more efficient planning and execution of migrations.

In this post, we’ll focus on how to use gh-repo-stats to streamline the preparation phase of your migration, ensuring you have all the necessary insights to make informed decisions.

What is gh-repo-stats?

The gh-repo-stats extension is a third-party plugin for the GitHub CLI that scans an organization or list of organizations for all repositories and gathers size statistics, key to understanding how long a migration of the data from one instance of GitHub to another will take.

Key Benefits of Using gh-repo-stats

  1. Comprehensive Scanning:
    • Analyze all repositories within an organization to gather detailed size metrics.
  2. Migration Planning:
    • Utilize collected data to estimate migration durations and resource allocation.
  3. Compatibility:
    • Supports GitHub.com and GitHub Enterprise Server version 2.20 or newer.
  4. Time Efficiency

Manual analysis of repository data can be time-consuming, especially for large projects. The extension automates data collection and analysis, presenting everything in a digestible format in seconds.

  1. Data-Driven Decisions_
  • Use the data to: Identify problematic repositories that may require special handling.
  1. Open Source Transparency

Showcasing repository statistics is particularly useful for open-source projects. It provides potential contributors and funders with a clear view of the project’s activity and health.

How to Set Up and Use gh-repo-stats

Prerequisites

  1. Install the GitHub CLI. If you haven’t already, you can follow the official guide.
  2. Ensure you have a GitHub account and access to the repository you want to analyze.
  3. Ensure jq is installed on your system. If not, you can install it using your package manager.

Permissions

gh repo-stats uses the permissions of the authenticated accounts setup with gh auth login or environment variables supported by gh.

The permissions needed by gh repo-stats depends based on -y, –token-type:

  • user: admin:org, user:all, and repo:all
  • app with GitHub App server-to-server token with Read-only permissions to the following:
    • Repository Administration
    • Repository Contents
    • Repository Issues
    • Repository Metadata
    • Repository Projects
    • Repository Pull requests
    • Organization Members

Step 1: Install the gh-repo-stats Extension

  1. Open your terminal.
  2. Use the following command to install the extension:
gh extension install mona-actions/gh-repo-stats

This command fetches and installs the extension directly from the repository.

Step 2: Authenticate with GitHub

If this is your first time using the GitHub CLI, authenticate by running:

gh auth login

Follow the prompts to log in using your credentials or a personal access token.

Step 3: Run gh-repo-stats

Once installed, you can start analyzing a repository by running:

gh repo-stats --org <ORG_NAME>

Replace with the name of your GitHub organization. For example:

gh repo-stats microsoft

Usage Options

To explore additional options and functionalities, use the help command:

gh repo-stats --help

This command provides detailed information on available parameters and their usage.

Advanced Options

The extension offers to check for repository name conflicts:

  • Checks the Repo Name against repos in other organizations and generates a list of potential naming conflicts if those orgs are to be merged during migratio:
gh repo-stats -o <ORG_NAME> --analyze-repo-conflicts
  • Gathers each org’s teams and checks against other orgs to generate a list of potential naming conflicts if those orgs are to be merged during migration: 
    gh repo-stats -o <ORG_NAME> --analyze-team-conflicts

Benefits of Using gh-repo-stats

  • Efficient Migration Planning: By understanding repository sizes, you can better plan the migration process, allocate resources appropriately, and estimate timelines accurately.
  • Data-Driven Decisions: Access to precise statistics enables informed decision-making regarding which repositories to prioritize during migration.
  • Simplified Workflow: Integrating gh-repo-stats into your migration strategy reduces complexity and enhances efficiency.

Conclusion

The gh-repo-stats extension is an invaluable tool for organizations looking to migrate repositories within GitHub. By providing detailed size statistics, it aids in effective planning and execution, ensuring a smoother migration process. To get started, visit the gh-repo-stats GitHub repository and follow the installation instructions.

Embrace gh-repo-stats to optimize your GitHub migration strategy and achieve seamless transitions between instances or organizations. 🚀