A GitHub Personal Access Token (PAT) is a secure way to authenticate a user to use a GitHub API, which uses OAuth2 for authentication and authorization. When you generate a token, you can customize its permission level for different API scopes, such as read access to public and private repositories, upload and delete files, list and create issues, and so on. By using a PAT, you can automate repetitive tasks, integrate with other tools, and avoid sharing your password or SSH key with third-party services.
Here are the steps to generate and use a GitHub Personal Access Token:
1. Go to your GitHub account settings by clicking on your profile picture in the top right corner and selecting Settings.
2. Click on Developer settings and select Personal access tokens.
3. Click on Generate new token and enter a descriptive note for your token. The note will help you remember the purpose of the token, such as “CI/CD pipeline for my app” or “Backup script for my website”.
4. Choose the scopes you want to grant to your token. You can select individual scopes or use a preset template that includes common scopes, such as repo, read:user, and gist.
5. Click on Generate token and copy the token value to your clipboard. Be careful not to share the token publicly, as it can be used to access your repositories and data.
6. Use the token in your API requests or command-line tools. For example, if you want to clone a private repository using HTTPS, you can use the following command:
git clone https://
Replace
7. You can also use the token in GitHub Actions or other workflow automation tools. You can store the token as a secret, which encrypts the value and makes it accessible only to authorized actions.
8. To revoke a token, go to the Personal access tokens page and click on the token you want to revoke. Then, click on Delete to remove the token permanently.
In summary, a GitHub Personal Access Token is a powerful tool to authenticate and authorize API requests and automate workflows. By following the steps above, you can generate a token with the right scopes and use it securely in your code and tools. However, make sure to keep your token private and revoke it when you no longer need it.
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