Pull All Git Repositories with a Simple Bash Script

Sat Oct 19 2024

Introduction

Managing multiple Git repositories can be a daunting task, especially when it comes to updating them all. Repetitive commands can lead to frustration and wasted time. Fortunately, with a simple Bash script, you can effortlessly pull updates from all your repositories at once. In this post, I'll share how to set up and use this script.

The Bash Script

Here's a straightforward script that allows you to pull all Git repositories within a given directory or the current directory if no path is specified.

#!/bin/bash

# Use the provided argument or default to the current directory
DIRECTORY=${1:-$(pwd)}

# Find .git directories and perform the operations
find "$DIRECTORY" -type d -name '.git' -execdir sh -c 'git --git-dir="{}" remote get-url origin && git --git-dir="{}" pull' \;

Explanation of the Script

Directory Argument: The script accepts a directory path as an argument. If no argument is provided, it defaults to the current working directory using pwd.
Finding Git Repositories:
- It uses the find command to search for all .git directories within the specified path.
Pulling Changes:
- For each found repository, the script retrieves the origin URL and then performs a git pull to update it.

How to Use the Script

Create the Script File:
- Save the provided script into a file, for example, git_pull.sh.
Make the Script Executable:
```
  chmod +x git_pull.sh
```
Run the Script:
- Without a Path: If you run the script without any arguments, it will pull updates from repositories in the current directory:
```
 ./git_pull.sh
```
- With a Specific Path: You can also specify a directory path: bash ./git_pull.sh /path/to/your/directory

Conclusion

By using this simple Bash script, you can efficiently manage and update multiple Git repositories without manually running pull commands for each one. This is a small but powerful addition to your coding toolkit, particularly for developers and teams working with numerous projects.