How do I make a complete copy of a Git repository including its metadata (PRs, issues, etc.)

Question

I am starting to use LFS to track *.dat files in my repository. Unfortunately, there has been several *.dat files already tracked by Git in my whole history. I searched online and saw that I would need to clean the history and overwrite the whole repository on the server with the cleaned one.

Before I do that, I would like to have a complete copy of my existing repository, including all the metadata (especially Pull Requests), so that if I accidentally caused any permanent damages, I could start over from where it was.

A mere "clone --mirror" seems not enough. It keeps all the Git history, but not the metadata. I was wondering if BitBucket provides any functionalities for copying the metadata as well, or if there are any suggested practices in my situation.

Lei Shi · Answer

Hi Brant,

Thank you so much for your answer!

I guess this feature is indeed a great addition to the current BitBucket services. I am looking forward to it.

For now, I think I'll just proceed with care.

Thank you very much!

Lei

Brant Schroeder · Answer

Lei,

At this time this cannot be done.  There is a feature request here BSERV-4586 that you can vote for.  In the mean time you will need to perform a backup and restore to accomplish what you are trying to do.

Information on backup and restoring bitbucket can be found here.

Brant