run git clone in Java getRuntime.exec() - use /bin/bash in linux - “no such file or directory” in error stream

Question

I am trying to execute git clone in Java using Java's Runtime.getRuntime().exec() in Linux and the interpreter is /bin/bash. However, I get "no such file or directory" in error stream. I searched the stackoverflow and found no answer can solve my problem. Here is my program in Test.java:

import java.io.*;
public class Test {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException, InterruptedException {
        String version = "10.1.1";
        String repo_url = "https://github.com/postcss/postcss-url";
        String directory = "./tmp";
        String cmd = "\"/usr/bin/git clone --branch " + version + " " + repo_url + " --depth=1 " + directory + "\"";
        // String cmd = "git -h";
        String interpreter = "/bin/bash";
        cmd = " -c "+ cmd;
        System.out.println(interpreter + cmd);
        Process process = Runtime.getRuntime().exec(new String[]{ interpreter, cmd });
        print(process.getInputStream());
        print(process.getErrorStream());
        process.waitFor();
        int exitStatus = process.exitValue();
        System.out.println("exit status: " + exitStatus);
        File[] files = new File(directory).listFiles();
        System.out.println("number of files in the directory: " + files.length);
    }

    public static void print(InputStream input) {
        new Thread(new Runnable() {
            @Override
            public void run() {
                BufferedReader bf = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(input));
                String line = null;
                try {
                    while ((line = bf.readLine()) != null) {
                        System.out.println(line);
                    }
                } catch (IOException e) {
                    System.out.println("IOException");
                }
            }
        }).start();
    }
}

./tmp is surely an empty directory. I use javac Test.java to compile the code and then run java Test. Besides, I tried sudo java Test and got the same result. I get output like this:

/bin/bash -c "/usr/bin/git clone --branch 10.1.1 https://github.com/postcss/postcss-url --depth=1 ./tmp"
exit status: 127
/bin/bash:  -c "/usr/bin/git clone --branch 10.1.1 https://github.com/postcss/postcss-url --depth=1 ./tmp": No such file or directory
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NullPointerException
        at Test.main(Test.java:18)

When I use "git -h" or "ls", it works just fine. But, this command /bin/bash -c "/usr/bin/git clone --branch 10.1.1 https://github.com/postcss/postcss-url --depth=1 ./tmp" works in shell but failed in Java. How can I solve this problem?

you mean Process process = Runtime.getRuntime().exec(new String[]{ interpreter,"-c", cmd });? I tried just now, but it failed with the same result above. — Rick.X
– Rick.X, Commented Dec 23, 2020 at 8:04

that other guy · Accepted Answer · 2020-12-23 08:08:59Z

1

You have to pass -c as a separate parameter, and you shouldn't add literal double quotes to the command:

new String[]{ "bash", "-c", "git clone ..." }

This is because spaces and quotes are shell syntax, and Runtime.exec doesn't invoke one to run the command (which happens to be a shell invocation, but that's unrelated)

answered Dec 23, 2020 at 8:08

that other guy

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1 Comment

Rick.X Over a year ago

so many thanks, I just remove the quotes and it finally works!

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