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Question

Automating developer onboarding (SSH keys, Git repos) instead of cloning user machines

  • April 24, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 12 views

JoseVi

Hi everyone,

 

I’m new here, so if this has already been asked before, please go easy on me 😅

 

Here’s the situation: I have a client who wants to prevent their developers from losing time every time they switch to a new machine (setting up their development environment, SSH keys, cloning repositories, etc.).

 

Right now, their servicedesk team spends almost an entire morning preparing each device… but here’s the catch: instead of rebuilding the environment cleanly, they’re cloning everything from the user’s old machine.

 

Personally, I don’t agree with this approach. I believe it’s better to go for a clean and automated process: regenerate SSH keys, clone repositories from Git, and configure the environment from scratch.

 

So my question is:
Is there any common approach or script within the community to handle this kind of scenario?
For example, something that, using the user’s credentials, can generate SSH keys, clone repositories, and apply typical developer configurations.

 

Any guidance, shared experiences, or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance!

2 replies

amy312james
  • New Contributor
  • April 24, 2026

A common solution is to use configuration management tools (like Ansible, Puppet, or Chef) or dotfile managers (like chezmoi or yadm) to automate developer environment setup. Instead of cloning old machines, you script the process: generate SSH keys, pull repos from Git, and apply standard configs. This way, every new device can be provisioned cleanly and consistently in minutes rather than hours.


thebrucecarter
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Kind of along the lines of “infrastructure as code”...