A simple local server that livereloads local source files via a containerized git server with advanced rsync filtering support.

git-livereload creates a containerized git server that continuously syncs files from your local development directory to a git repository, automatically committing changes and making them available via HTTP. It supports sophisticated file filtering using rsync's include/exclude patterns.

• Automatic Git Commits: Watches for file changes and commits them automatically
• HTTP Git Server: Serves git repository over HTTP with basic authentication
• Advanced Filtering: Support for include/exclude patterns with proper rsync rule ordering
• Webhook Support: Optional webhook notifications on commits
• Docker-based: Easy deployment with Docker Compose

• GIT_USERNAME (default: git) - Username for HTTP basic authentication
• GIT_PASSWORD (default: p@$$w0rd) - Password for HTTP basic authentication
• WEBHOOK_URL - Optional webhook URL to notify on commits
• VERIFY_SSL (default: true) - Set to false to disable SSL verification for webhooks

The system supports three types of rsync filtering:

Specifies which files/directories to include. When set, everything else is excluded by default.

# Include only the 'kustomize' directory
RSYNC_INCLUDE=kustomize

# Include multiple directories
RSYNC_INCLUDE=src,docs,config

# Include nested paths
RSYNC_INCLUDE=app/src,app/config

How it works:

• Automatically generates directory traversal rules (--include=dir/ for each path component)
• Includes all contents of specified paths (--include=path/***)
• Adds --exclude=* to exclude everything else

Specifies files/directories to exclude from the sync.

# Exclude common build artifacts
RSYNC_EXCLUDE=node_modules,*.log,build,dist

# Exclude with patterns
RSYNC_EXCLUDE=*.tmp,*.cache,test/*

Protects files from deletion during sync (uses rsync's protect filter).

# Protect configuration files
RSYNC_PROTECT=.env,config.local.yaml

# Only sync 'kustomize' directory, exclude everything else
RSYNC_INCLUDE=kustomize

Generates rsync args: --include=kustomize/*** --exclude=*

# Include 'kustomize' but exclude 'kustomize/protected' subdirectory
RSYNC_INCLUDE=kustomize
RSYNC_EXCLUDE=kustomize/protected

Generates rsync args: --include=kustomize/*** --exclude=kustomize/protected --exclude=*

# Include multiple directories with nested structure
RSYNC_INCLUDE=app/src,app/config,docs

Generates rsync args:

--include=app/ --include=app/src/*** --include=app/config/*** --include=docs/*** --exclude=*

RSYNC_INCLUDE=src,config
RSYNC_EXCLUDE=src/test,*.log,*.tmp
RSYNC_PROTECT=config/.env

The system follows rsync's rule ordering requirements:

1. Include rules are processed first (directory traversal + content inclusion)
2. Exclude rules are processed next
3. Protect rules are processed last
4. When includes are specified, an automatic --exclude=* is added at the end

services:
  git-livereload:
    build:
      context: ./git-livereload
    image: git-livereload:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    volumes:
      - ./my-project:/repos/mount/blueprint
    environment:
      GIT_USERNAME: myuser
      GIT_PASSWORD: mypassword

services:
  git-livereload:
    build:
      context: ./git-livereload
    image: git-livereload:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    volumes:
      - ./my-project:/repos/mount/blueprint
    environment:
      GIT_USERNAME: myuser
      GIT_PASSWORD: mypassword
      # Only include 'kustomize' directory
      RSYNC_INCLUDE: kustomize
      # Exclude protected subdirectory
      RSYNC_EXCLUDE: kustomize/protected
      # Protect environment files
      RSYNC_PROTECT: .env,config.local.yaml

/repos/
├── mount/blueprint/     # Mounted source directory (read-only)
├── serve/blueprint/     # Working git repository
└── git/blueprint.git/   # Bare git repository

Once running, you can clone the repository:

git clone http://myuser:mypassword@localhost:8080/blueprint.git

The include functionality implements rsync's complex rule requirements:

1. Directory Traversal: For path app/src, generates --include=app/ to allow traversal
2. Content Inclusion: Adds --include=app/src/*** to include all contents
3. Default Exclusion: Automatically adds --exclude=* when includes are specified
4. Duplicate Prevention: Avoids duplicate directory traversal rules

Example transformation:

RSYNC_INCLUDE=app/src,docs

Becomes:

rsync --include=app/ --include=app/src/*** --include=docs/*** --exclude=*

• Include only source directories: RSYNC_INCLUDE=src,docs
• Exclude build artifacts: RSYNC_EXCLUDE=build,dist,node_modules

• Include only configs: RSYNC_INCLUDE=kustomize,config
• Exclude sensitive data: RSYNC_EXCLUDE=kustomize/secrets
• Protect local overrides: RSYNC_PROTECT=.env.local

• Include specific app modules: RSYNC_INCLUDE=apps/frontend,apps/api
• Exclude test directories: RSYNC_EXCLUDE=*/test,*/tests

Check container logs to see the actual rsync commands being executed:

docker-compose logs git-livereload

Use rsync directly to test your patterns:

rsync -av --include=kustomize/*** --exclude=* /source/ /dest/

1. Empty sync: Check that include patterns are correct and directories exist
2. Unexpected files: Verify exclude patterns and rule ordering
3. Permission errors: Ensure proper file permissions in mounted volumes

The system runs three main processes:

• nginx: HTTP server for git repository access
• fcgiwrap: CGI wrapper for git-http-backend
• sync.sh: Continuous file synchronization and git operations

File changes trigger rsync operations that respect the configured include/exclude patterns, followed by automatic git commits and pushes to the bare repository.