Git Setup with Earth Engine

Configure Git access for Earth Engine repositories hosted on earthengine.googlesource.com.

Understanding Earth Engine Git Integration

Google Earth Engine provides Git repositories for:

Code Sharing: Collaborate on Earth Engine scripts
Version Control: Track changes in your analyses
Asset Management: Manage Earth Engine assets with Git
Team Collaboration: Share code across research teams

Git repositories are hosted on earthengine.googlesource.com and require OAuth authentication.

Prerequisites

Before setting up Git access:

Git Installed: Git 2.0 or later
Earth Engine Account: Approved and verified account
Google Cloud Project: Properly configured project
Command Line Access: Terminal or command prompt

Setting Up Git Authentication

Step 1: Generate Git Password

Visit https://earthengine.googlesource.com/new-password
Sign in with your Google Account
Click “Generate Password”
Complete OAuth authorization flow
Copy the generated Git configuration commands

Step 2: Configure Git Credentials

The generated commands will look like:

git config --global credential.https://source.developers.google.com.helper store
git config --global credential.https://earthengine.googlesource.com.helper store

Run these commands in your terminal.

Step 3: Store Authentication Token

# The system will prompt for credentials when first accessing repositories
git clone https://earthengine.googlesource.com/users/YOUR-USERNAME/default

Alternative Authentication Methods

Method 1: Manual Token Entry

# Clone repository (will prompt for credentials)
git clone https://earthengine.googlesource.com/users/YOUR-USERNAME/default

# Enter your username and generated password when prompted
Username: your.email@gmail.com
Password: [paste generated password]

Method 2: Credential Helper Configuration

# Configure Git to use credential helper
git config --global credential.helper 'store --file ~/.git-credentials'

# Add credentials manually to ~/.git-credentials
echo "https://username:password@earthengine.googlesource.com" >> ~/.git-credentials

Method 3: Environment Variables

# Set environment variables (for scripts)
export GIT_USERNAME="your.email@gmail.com"
export GIT_PASSWORD="your-generated-password"

# Use in clone commands
git clone "https://${GIT_USERNAME}:${GIT_PASSWORD}@earthengine.googlesource.com/users/YOUR-USERNAME/default"

Working with Earth Engine Repositories

Creating a New Repository

Visit Earth Engine Code Editor
Create a new script or project
Save to create repository structure
Access via Git:

git clone https://earthengine.googlesource.com/users/YOUR-USERNAME/default

Repository Structure

Earth Engine Git repositories typically contain:

repository/
├── scripts/
│   ├── analysis1.js
│   ├── analysis2.js
│   └── utils/
│       └── helper_functions.js
├── assets/
│   ├── images/
│   ├── tables/
│   └── image_collections/
└── README.md

Basic Git Workflow

# Clone repository
git clone https://earthengine.googlesource.com/users/YOUR-USERNAME/default
cd default

# Create new branch for feature
git checkout -b new-analysis

# Add your changes
git add scripts/new_analysis.js
git commit -m "Add vegetation analysis script"

# Push changes
git push origin new-analysis

Syncing with Code Editor

Changes made in the Code Editor automatically sync with Git:

# Pull latest changes from Code Editor
git pull origin master

# View changes
git log --oneline

# Push local changes to Code Editor
git push origin master

Managing Earth Engine Assets with Git

Asset Version Control

# Track asset metadata
git add assets/metadata/

# Commit asset changes
git commit -m "Update training data polygons"

# Tag important asset versions
git tag -a v1.0-dataset -m "Initial training dataset release"

Asset Documentation

Create documentation for your assets:

# assets/README.md

## Earth Engine Assets

### Training Data
- `training_polygons_v1`: Initial hand-digitized training areas
- `training_polygons_v2`: Expanded training dataset

### Processed Images
- `landsat_composite_2023`: Annual Landsat composite
- `ndvi_time_series`: Monthly NDVI calculations

Collaboration Workflows

Team Repository Setup

# Clone shared repository
git clone https://earthengine.googlesource.com/users/TEAM-LEAD/shared-project

# Create feature branch
git checkout -b feature/land-cover-analysis

# Work on your changes
# ... make changes ...

# Push feature branch
git push origin feature/land-cover-analysis

Code Review Process

Create feature branches for new work
Push branches to shared repository
Use Code Editor for review and testing
Merge approved changes to main branch

Handling Merge Conflicts

# Pull latest changes
git pull origin master

# If conflicts occur, resolve manually
git status  # Shows conflicted files

# Edit files to resolve conflicts
# Remove conflict markers (<<<<<<< ======= >>>>>>>)

# Add resolved files
git add resolved_file.js

# Complete merge
git commit -m "Resolve merge conflict in analysis script"

Advanced Git Configuration

Custom Git Aliases

# Add useful aliases
git config --global alias.ee-status "status --short"
git config --global alias.ee-log "log --oneline --graph"
git config --global alias.ee-push "push origin HEAD"

Branch Protection

# Create development branch
git checkout -b development
git push origin development

# Set up branch protection (main branch)
# Use Code Editor settings for repository configuration

Large File Handling

For large datasets (though Earth Engine assets are preferred):

# Install Git LFS
git lfs install

# Track large files
git lfs track "*.tif"
git lfs track "*.nc"

# Add .gitattributes
git add .gitattributes
git commit -m "Configure Git LFS for large files"

Troubleshooting Git Issues

Authentication Failures

# Clear stored credentials
git config --global --unset credential.helper

# Regenerate password at earthengine.googlesource.com/new-password
# Reconfigure credential helper
git config --global credential.helper store

Clone Failures

# Check repository URL
git remote -v

# Update remote URL if needed
git remote set-url origin https://earthengine.googlesource.com/users/YOUR-USERNAME/default

Sync Issues with Code Editor

# Force sync with Code Editor
git fetch origin
git reset --hard origin/master

# Warning: This will overwrite local changes

Large Repository Issues

# Shallow clone for large repositories
git clone --depth 1 https://earthengine.googlesource.com/users/YOUR-USERNAME/default

# Later get full history if needed
git fetch --unshallow

Best Practices

Repository Organization

Use clear directory structure
Document scripts and assets
Tag important versions
Regular commits with descriptive messages

Collaboration Guidelines

Create feature branches for new work
Use pull requests for code review
Keep commits focused and atomic
Write clear commit messages

Security Considerations

Never commit credentials or API keys
Use .gitignore for sensitive files
Regular credential rotation
Monitor repository access

Integration with Development Workflow

Connecting Local Development

# sync_ee_repo.py - Script to sync with Earth Engine repository

import subprocess
import os

def sync_with_ee_repo():
    """Sync local development with Earth Engine Git repository."""
    try:
        # Pull latest changes
        subprocess.run(['git', 'pull', 'origin', 'master'], check=True)
        print("✓ Synced with Earth Engine repository")

        # Copy local scripts to repository
        # ... your sync logic ...

    except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
        print(f"✗ Sync failed: {e}")

Automated Workflows

#!/bin/bash
# ee_git_workflow.sh - Automated Earth Engine Git workflow

# Pull latest changes
git pull origin master

# Run tests
python test_ee_scripts.py

# If tests pass, push changes
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
    git push origin master
    echo "✓ Changes pushed successfully"
else
    echo "✗ Tests failed, not pushing"
fi

Next Steps

After setting up Git access:

Authentication Methods - Complete authentication setup
Basic Examples - Start with basic examples
Create your first Earth Engine repository
Explore collaborative workflows

Note

Git credentials for Earth Engine are separate from other Google services. You’ll need to generate specific passwords for earthengine.googlesource.com.

Tip

Use the Code Editor for initial development and Git for version control and collaboration. Both systems sync automatically.

Warning

Generated Git passwords should be treated as sensitive credentials. Store them securely and rotate regularly.