'403 Forbidden' error message when pushing to a GitHub repository

Resolving GitHub ‘403 Forbidden’ Errors (HTTPS)

If you are trying to push code to a GitHub repository from a ruachost.com server and receiving a 403 Forbidden error, follow this guide to fix your authentication settings.

The Problem

When pushing changes using an HTTPS URL from your RuacHost terminal, you may see: error: The requested URL returned error: 403 Forbidden while accessing https://github.com/user/repo.git/info/refs

The Cause: GitHub no longer accepts your standard account password for Git operations. Additionally, some server environments on RuacHost require a specific URL format to trigger the authentication prompt correctly.

Method 1: The Modern HTTPS Fix (Recommended for Beginners)

To fix this, you must use a Personal Access Token (PAT) instead of your password.

Step 1: Generate your GitHub Token

1. Log in to GitHub and navigate to Settings → Developer Settings.
2. Select Personal Access Tokens → Tokens (classic).
3. Click Generate new token. Ensure you check the repo scope.
4. Copy the token. (You will not be able to see it again).

Step 2: Update the Remote URL on RuacHost

Log in to your RuacHost account via SSH, navigate to your project directory, and run:

# Verify your current remote URL
git config -l | grep url

# Update the URL to include your GitHub username
# Replace 'your-username' and 'your-repo' with your actual info
git remote set-url origin "https://your-username@github.com/your-username/your-repo.git"

Step 3: Push Using the Token

When you push your changes, Ruachost will prompt you for a password:

git push origin main

CRITICAL: When prompted for a Password, do NOT enter your GitHub login password. Instead, paste the Personal Access Token you generated in Step 1.

Method 2: The “Set and Forget” Fix (SSH)

SSH is often preferred for RuacHost servers because it avoids the need for tokens or passwords entirely.

Step	Action
1. Generate Key	Run ssh-keygen -t ed25519 on your RuacHost server.
2. Add to GitHub	Copy the content of ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub to your GitHub SSH Settings.
3. Change Remote	Update your origin: git remote set-url origin git@github.com:username/repo.git

Pro-Tip for Ruachost Users

If you are tired of pasting your token every time on RuacHost, you can tell Git to cache your credentials for a specific duration:

# This saves your token for 2 hours (7200 seconds)
git config --global credential.helper 'cache --timeout=7200'