Desired Solution:
I am looking for a shared git server with instant application of pulled changes.

Current Situation:
Presently, I have VPS hosting, along with git and ssh as available resources.

Issue at Hand:
To provide some context, I had a regular website stored in the www/ directory. I initialized it as a git repository by using "git init", followed by "git add .", and then committed the changes. Subsequently, I cloned the repository on my local machine, and everything worked smoothly up until this point. However, now the challenge lies in pushing the changes from my local repository back to the production environment (VPS). The command "git pull" refuses to execute, stating that a bare repository is required. Despite this, I am puzzled as to how it can be considered "bare" if it is the production environment. As far as my understanding goes, these repositories do not actually store the files themselves, but solely capture the changes made within the ".git" folder.

Here's what I did in a nutshell: created a bare repository and used Capistrano. The outcome was quite satisfactory.
However, it would be more advisable to isolate the code changes rather than burdening the web server with direct repository operations. This can be achieved by implementing a straightforward server-side hook mechanism.

If my understanding is correct, the task at hand involves uploading changes to the server and subsequently applying them. However, this approach would require two repositories on the server: one to receive the push from the local computer and another to pull from the remote repository (since the server cannot directly pull from the local one).

To simplify matters, the second repository can be conveniently set up in the home folder. As for the pulling process, it can be effortlessly automated using a cron job, such as scheduling it to run daily or every half day.

I utilize the configuration settings of bare=false and denyCurrentBranch=ignore. Moreover, there is a need for an additional step, which involves utilizing the .git/hooks/post-receive file exclusively:

#!/bin/sh

cd...
GIT_DIR='.git'
umask 002 && git reset --hard

When executing this script, it ensures that the necessary actions are taken after receiving the push, including changing directories, setting the GIT_DIR variable to '.git', and subsequently performing a hard reset using the appropriate permissions (umask 002).

The Git server will function as a repository hosted on the server machine, and the first step is to install Git itself.

For Ubuntu, which is installed on my server, I open the console and enter the following commands:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install git

These commands automatically download and install the latest version of Git from the batch repository on a Linux computer.

By the way, all subsequent actions will be performed in the console, so it's important not to close it after successfully completing each step.

If your server operates on a different operating system, you can download the corresponding distributions from the official Git website: https://git-scm.com/downloads. Currently, Git solutions are available for Mac OS X, various Linux distributions (such as Ubuntu, Debian, Arch Linux, etc.), and Windows.

Step 2. Creating a system user to work with Git is the next step. In my case, I will name the user "git." I use the following command:

sudo adduser git

You will also need to set a password for the user. I recommend using a password that is not too complex or long, as it will need to be entered every time you interact with the repository, which can become tedious for you and your colleagues.

Step 3. Now let's create the repository itself. Switch to the newly created user by using the following command:

su git

Navigate to the directory where we will store our repositories. In my case, I chose to store them in the user's home folder, so the command looked like this:

cd /home/git

Step 4. Create a bare repository, which means an empty one without any files. As per Git's standard, the directories of such repositories should have a ".git" extension in their names:

mkdir myrepo.git

Enter the directory and initialize our bare repository within it:

cd /home/git/myrepo.git

git init --bare

That's it, our repository is now set up. The next task is to establish communication between the server and the client machines, enabling data read/write operations with the repository.

Step 5. Determine the IP addresses of computers connected to the same local network as your server by using the following command in the server console:

nmap -sP 192.168.1.0/24

If the system displays an error referring to a non-existent command, you will need to pre-install nmap by using the following command:

sudo apt-get install nmap

If nmap returns a list of hosts with detailed information (such as their local IP addresses, response time, etc.), this confirms the connection between the server and workstations.

If you feel the need for more information, you can try pinging a specific workstation using its IP address obtained from the previous command:

ping 192.168.1.101

Keep in mind to replace the example IP address with the actual IP address of the workstation.

If you still cannot determine the IP addresses of the computers through the methods described above, there may be network-related issues. Verify that the computers are connected to the network (e.g., check if the network cables are properly inserted) and review the connection settings on both the server and workstations.

Additionally, there might be problems with the network equipment that connects your PCs, such as the router, switch, or router.

With the confirmation of a physical connection between the server and workstations, the next step is to configure data transfer between them.

The error message you mentioned, "bare repository is required," suggests that you may not have set up a bare repository on your VPS.

In Git terminology, a bare repository is one that does not have a working directory and only contains the ".git" folder, which stores the version history and metadata. Bare repositories are commonly used for central shared repositories, as they allow multiple developers to push and pull changes without conflicting with each other's work.

To resolve your issue, you can create a bare repository on your VPS and then push to it from your local repository.

On your VPS, navigate to the desired directory where you want to create the bare repository. Then run the following command:

```
git init --bare
```

This command will create a new bare repository in the current directory.

Next, on your local machine, update the remote URL of your repository to point to the new bare repository on your VPS. You can do this by running the following command in your local repository:

```
git remote set-url origin <username>@<hostname>:<path/to/repository.git>
```

Replace "<username>", "<hostname>", and "<path/to/repository.git>" with the appropriate values for your VPS setup.

Once the remote URL is updated, you should be able to push changes from your local repository to the bare repository on your VPS using the standard git push command:

```
git push origin <branch-name>
```

Where "<branch-name>" is the name of the branch you want to push.

information to assist you with using a shared Git server and instantly applying pulled changes.

1. Shared Git Server:
To set up a shared Git server, you have a few options. One popular choice is to use a Git hosting service like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. These platforms provide both hosting for your repositories and collaboration features for teams. You can create a repository on one of these services, and then multiple developers can clone, push, and pull from it.

Another option is to set up your own shared Git server using software like Gitea, GitLab Community Edition, or Apache Allura. These solutions allow you to host your Git repositories on your own infrastructure or cloud instances.

2. Instant Application of Pulled Changes:
To achieve instant application of pulled changes from the shared Git server to your production environment, you can use a deployment strategy like Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. CI/CD pipelines automate the process of building, testing, and deploying your application whenever changes are pushed to the repository.

Several tools can help you implement CI/CD pipelines, such as Jenkins, Travis CI, CircleCI, or GitLab CI/CD. These tools integrate with your Git server and provide functionality to trigger automatic deployments upon successful pushes.

Here's a high-level overview of how this process works:

- Developers push code changes to the shared Git server.
- The CI/CD pipeline detects the new changes and triggers a build process.
- The code is built and tested, ensuring it meets the necessary criteria.
- If the build process is successful, the CI/CD pipeline deploys the changes to your production environment.

By using CI/CD pipelines, you can ensure that changes are applied instantly, reducing manual intervention and making it easier to manage deployments.

Remember to configure the CI/CD pipeline to suit your specific needs and requirements. You may need to set up authentication, specify deployment targets, and customize the build and test processes.