Cloning Local GitLab Repositories for Hugo Websites

At the time of writing this post, GitLab doesn’t have a desktop app for Mac yet. Too lazy to learn (and memorize) git from the command line, I tried to find a way to push/ pull files to my private GitLab repositories.

In a nutshell, these are the steps to follow to get it done:

PREREQUISITES:

1. A GitLab account.
2. A running Hugo website. (You can fork the GitLab repo here.)
3. GitHub Desktop installed.

STEPS TO USE GITLAB WITH GITHUB DESKTOP:

1. Inside your GitLab project, go to Project > Details. In project details, copy the HTTPS link.
2. Go to GitHub Desktop
   1. In the menu bar, choose File > Clone Repository then click the URL tab.
   2. Paste link and click Clone. (Enter your login details as necessary.)
3. Go to your local Terminal (or command line)
   1. cd or change directory to project folder
   2. type in hugo serve
   3. Visit localhost URL to check if site is successfully running
4. Use GitHub Desktop to commit changes to your site/ GitLab repo.