How to Speed Up GitHub Project Downloads

Cloning projects from GitHub within China is always extremely slow. Based on my observations from multiple cloning attempts, the maximum download speed is around 20KB/s, which is unbearable when cloning large projects! Below is a method to speed up project cloning.

Using Gitee as a Relay for Faster Downloads

1. First, you need a Gitee (opens new window) account

2. After logging in to Gitee, click the plus sign in the upper right corner and select Import from GitHub/GitLab

   

3. Select Import from URL, paste the repository address copied from GitHub, and import. This import process is usually very fast.

   

4. Clone the imported project from Gitee. The cloning speed will be much faster — with good internet, it can reach several MB/s (actual speed depends on your connection).

   

5. One important note: the cloned project is linked to the Gitee repository. If you need to link it to the GitHub repository, you'll need to change the remote repository.

   git remote -v # View linked remote repositories
   git remote rm <repo-name> # Remove a remote repository
   git remote add <repo-name> <remote-repo-url> # Link a remote repository (repo-name is typically 'origin')
   

This method is suitable for cloning large projects. For small projects, 20KB/s might still be tolerable.