Synchronizing with the Gentoo Portage ebuild repository using emerge --sync can be slow when utilizing the rsync protocol. However, an effective solution exists that can greatly improve the synchronization speed: Configuring emerge --sync to synchronize using Git instead.

In this article, we will explore how to set up emerge to synchronize from the official Gentoo ebuild Git repository and save valuable time during the synchronizing process.

Step 1: Install Git using the following command:

sudo emerge -a dev-vcs/gitCode language: plaintext (plaintext)

Step 2: Remove any file from the directory /etc/portage/repos.conf/ that configures the emerge command to use rsync.

Step 3: Create the file /etc/portage/repos.conf/gentoo.conf containing:

[DEFAULT]
main-repo = gentoo

[gentoo]

# The sync-depth=1 option speeds up initial pull by fetching 
# only the latest Git commit and its immediate ancestors, 
# reducing the amount of downloaded Git history.
sync-depth = 1

sync-type = git
auto-sync = yes
location = /var/db/repos/gentoo
sync-git-verify-commit-signature = yes
sync-openpgp-key-path = /usr/share/openpgp-keys/gentoo-release.asc
sync-uri = https://github.com/gentoo-mirror/gentoo.gitCode language: plaintext (plaintext)

Step 4: Finally, run the following command to synchronize with the Gentoo ebuild repository using Git:

sudo emerge --sync

The initial download of the entire Git repository will cause the first emerge --sync command to take some time. However, subsequent synchronizations will be significantly quicker, taking only a few seconds.

Using Git can be a great way to speed up synchronization with the Gentoo ebuild repository. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can clone the Portage repository to your local machine and keep it up-to-date with the latest changes using Git. This can save you a lot of time when syncing your local repository.