Github Desktop Linux 2023 Online
Rohan's team lead, Alex, had created a new repository on GitHub for their project, and Rohan needed to clone it to his local machine. He clicked on the "Clone a Repository" button on the GitHub Desktop dashboard and entered the repository URL. With a few clicks, the repository was cloned, and Rohan could see all the files and folders in the repository.
# Download the gpg key wget -qO - https://shiftkey.dev | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/shiftkey-packages.gpg > /dev/null # Add the repository echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/shiftkey-packages.gpg] https://shiftkey.dev any main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/shiftkey-packages.list # Update and install sudo apt update sudo apt install github-desktop Use code with caution. 2. Fedora, RHEL, and CentOS
By far, the easiest and most recommended method was to install the community fork via Flatpak from Flathub. Flatpak provides a sandboxed environment that works across nearly all Linux distributions. To install GitHub Desktop on any distribution with Flatpak support, the process was straightforward:
Most tellingly, GitHub Desktop for Linux in 2023 did integrate with system keychains (like GNOME’s libsecret or KDE’s kwallet ) by default. It stored credentials in its own plaintext-adjacent Electron store—a security regression compared to the CLI’s integration. github desktop linux 2023
: It is generally considered "snappier" than alternatives like Sourcetree for medium-sized repositories. Alternative Options : For those seeking a native cross-platform experience,
Even on Linux, the app maintains the essential GitHub Desktop experience: GitHub Docs Workflow Management
While the Linux version was a community effort, it largely mirrored the features of the official application. The 2023 versions included many useful functionalities: Rohan's team lead, Alex, had created a new
But GitHub Desktop shines in specific scenarios common in 2023:
After installation (especially with the .deb package), you may need to log out and log back in, or restart your desktop session, for the application icon to appear.
If you need specific steps for integrations # Download the gpg key wget -qO - https://shiftkey
Sign in to your GitHub account and authorize the desktop application.
# Import the GPG key for package verification sudo rpm --import https://shiftkey.dev # Add the repository configuration sudo sh -c 'echo -e "[shiftkey]\nname=GitHub Desktop\nbaseurl=https://shiftkey.dev\nenabled=1\ngpgcheck=1\ngpgkey=https://shiftkey.dev" > /etc/yum.repos.d/shiftkey.repo' # Install GitHub Desktop via DNF sudo dnf install github-desktop Use code with caution. 3. Arch Linux (AUR)
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade github-desktop
Run from terminal to see errors:
Sometimes, clicking "Authorize" in your web browser fails to pass the token back to GitHub Desktop.