Are public repositories possible with Enterprise accounts?

[mike-pagan-nci]

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We are considering using Enterprise accounts to manage our scripts and things, and when we fired up a trial of Enterprise, we were surprised that we couldn't create public repositories. It is very possible that we're missing the option to turn that on since we're new to GitHub.

Is this possible?
If it is not, what is your recommendation on how to organize a company's script repositories? (self-hosting Git isn't an option)

[karanupd12]

On GitHub, Enterprise accounts cannot create public repositories by default when using GitHub Enterprise Cloud. This is intentional because Enterprise accounts are designed to give organizations full control over code visibility, typically favoring private repositories to maintain security and compliance. There is no global toggle that allows public repositories for Enterprise organizations unless you explicitly configure them at the organizational level.

If you need public repositories under an Enterprise account, you have two main options:

1. Enable public repositories per organization/team:
   Go to your Enterprise account → Settings → Policies → Repository creation.
   Allow public repositories creation for the organization or selected teams.
   Note: Admins must explicitly approve public repository creation.

2. Alternative organizational structure for scripts:
   a) Separate public GitHub organization: Keep internal (private) scripts in your Enterprise account and host public/shared scripts in a separate GitHub organization under standard (free or Pro) accounts.
   b) Monorepo approach: Use private repositories for internal scripts and tag them with documentation for internal access, or mirror public parts in a separate public repository if needed.
   c) Internal documentation & package registry: For reusable scripts, you can leverage GitHub Packages or Actions to distribute scripts internally without exposing the repo publicly.

[jasoncobra3]

Hi..!

By default, GitHub Enterprise Cloud organizations can create public repositories , but the ability depends on the organization settings and the policies set by the Enterprise admin.

• If you don’t see the option to create a public repo, it usually means the Enterprise owner has disabled it.
• An Enterprise admin can enable/disable “Allow members to create public repositories” in the organization/enterprise settings.

If your company doesn’t want public repos, but you still need to share code internally:

• Use private repos inside the Enterprise org.
• For scripts that need to be public (like open source), a common setup is:
  • Keep the main company work inside Enterprise private repos.
  • Create a separate public-facing organization on GitHub.com for open-source/public repos.

So, yes it’s possible , just depends on how your Enterprise policies are configured.

[djtecha]

These options don't exist if you use SSO for your users. Which is a shame because we might want a few public repos available that only admins can create.

[FrandyAquino]

On GitHub Enterprise, the ability to create public repositories depends on the settings your enterprise administrators have configured. By default, many enterprise accounts have public repositories turned off for security and compliance reasons, but this can usually be changed by an enterprise or organization owner in the visibility policies. If your company wants to keep scripts accessible internally but still share some projects publicly, a common approach is to maintain most code in private repositories under the enterprise account while using a separate GitHub organization (outside of Enterprise) for open-source or public-facing work. This way, your internal scripts remain secure and controlled, while anything meant to be shared more broadly can live in a dedicated public space without mixing concerns.

[mike-pagan-nci]

I think our problem is we're using IdP users:

"With Enterprise Managed Users, you can control the user accounts of your enterprise members through your identity provider (IdP). See About Enterprise Managed Users.

Managed user accounts can contribute only to private and internal repositories within their enterprise and their own private repositories. On GitHub.com, they have read-only access to the wider GitHub community. These visibility and access restrictions apply to all requests, including API requests."

source: https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-cloud@latest/admin/managing-iam/understanding-iam-for-enterprises/abilities-and-restrictions-of-managed-user-accounts

[rossdargan]

@mike-pagan-nci did you manage to figure this out? I can't find a way to enable a public repository which is crazy!

[mike-pagan-nci]

I found that if we enabled SSO with our Entra tenant you cannot create public repositories with enterprise licenses.

We decided that additional cost wasn't worth it for SSO, so switched to the next license down.

[Navyansh999]

Yes, public repositories are possible with a GitHub Enterprise account, but it depends on how your Enterprise is configured. If you're using GitHub Enterprise Cloud, public repos are supported, but the option can be restricted by your organization or enterprise settings, so an admin may need to enable public visibility. If you're using GitHub Enterprise Server (self-hosted), repositories can be public within your instance, but they won’t be publicly visible on GitHub.com unless your server is exposed to the internet. For most companies, a common and clean approach is to keep internal scripts private in one organization and manage open-source or shareable projects in a separate public organization.

[rossdargan]

I'm an enterprise admin and I can't find the setting to enable it at all, can you give me some pointers?

[rossdargan]

I've had confirmation. You cant have a public repository if you use single sign on in an enteprise.