git-init(1) Git Manual git-init(1)
NAME
git-init - Create an empty Git repository or reinitialize an existing
one
SYNOPSIS
git init [-q | --quiet] [--bare] [--template=<template-directory>]
[--separate-git-dir <git-dir>] [--object-format=<format>]
[--ref-format=<format>]
[-b <branch-name> | --initial-branch=<branch-name>]
[--shared[=<permissions>]] [<directory>]
DESCRIPTION
This command creates an empty Git repository - basically a .git
directory with subdirectories for objects, refs/heads, refs/tags, and
template files. An initial branch without any commits will be created
(see the --initial-branch option below for its name).
If the $GIT_DIR environment variable is set then it specifies a path to
use instead of ./.git for the base of the repository.
If the object storage directory is specified via the
$GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY environment variable then the sha1 directories
are created underneath; otherwise, the default $GIT_DIR/objects
directory is used.
Running git init in an existing repository is safe. It will not
overwrite things that are already there. The primary reason for
rerunning git init is to pick up newly added templates (or to move the
repository to another place if --separate-git-dir is given).
OPTIONS
-q, --quiet
Only print error and warning messages; all other output will be
suppressed.
--bare
Create a bare repository. If GIT_DIR environment is not set, it is
set to the current working directory.
--object-format=<format>
Specify the given object format (hash algorithm) for the
repository. The valid values are sha1 and (if enabled) sha256.
sha1 is the default.
Note: At present, there is no interoperability between SHA-256
repositories and SHA-1 repositories.
Historically, we warned that SHA-256 repositories may later need
backward incompatible changes when we introduce such interoperability
features. Today, we only expect compatible changes. Furthermore, if
such changes prove to be necessary, it can be expected that SHA-256
repositories created with today's Git will be usable by future versions
of Git without data loss.
--ref-format=<format>
Specify the given ref storage format for the repository. The valid
values are:
o files for loose files with packed-refs. This is the default.
--template=<template-directory>
Specify the directory from which templates will be used. (See the
"TEMPLATE DIRECTORY" section below.)
--separate-git-dir=<git-dir>
Instead of initializing the repository as a directory to either
$GIT_DIR or ./.git/, create a text file there containing the path
to the actual repository. This file acts as a filesystem-agnostic
Git symbolic link to the repository.
If this is a reinitialization, the repository will be moved to the
specified path.
-b <branch-name>, --initial-branch=<branch-name>
Use the specified name for the initial branch in the newly created
repository. If not specified, fall back to the default name
(currently master, but this is subject to change in the future; the
name can be customized via the init.defaultBranch configuration
variable).
--shared[=(false|true|umask|group|all|world|everybody|<perm>)]
Specify that the Git repository is to be shared amongst several
users. This allows users belonging to the same group to push into
that repository. When specified, the config variable
"core.sharedRepository" is set so that files and directories under
$GIT_DIR are created with the requested permissions. When not
specified, Git will use permissions reported by umask(2).
The option can have the following values, defaulting to group if no
value is given:
umask (or false)
Use permissions reported by umask(2). The default, when
--shared is not specified.
group (or true)
Make the repository group-writable, (and g+sx, since the git
group may not be the primary group of all users). This is used
to loosen the permissions of an otherwise safe umask(2) value.
Note that the umask still applies to the other permission bits
(e.g. if umask is 0022, using group will not remove read
privileges from other (non-group) users). See 0xxx for how to
exactly specify the repository permissions.
all (or world or everybody)
Same as group, but make the repository readable by all users.
<perm>
<perm> is a 3-digit octal number prefixed with `0` and each
file will have mode <perm>. <perm> will override users'
umask(2) value (and not only loosen permissions as group and
all do). 0640 will create a repository which is
group-readable, but not group-writable or accessible to others.
0660 will create a repo that is readable and writable to the
current user and group, but inaccessible to others (directories
and executable files get their x bit from the r bit for
corresponding classes of users).
By default, the configuration flag receive.denyNonFastForwards is
enabled in shared repositories, so that you cannot force a non
fast-forwarding push into it.
If you provide a directory, the command is run inside it. If this
directory does not exist, it will be created.
TEMPLATE DIRECTORY
Files and directories in the template directory whose name do not start
with a dot will be copied to the $GIT_DIR after it is created.
The template directory will be one of the following (in order):
o the argument given with the --template option;
o the contents of the $GIT_TEMPLATE_DIR environment variable;
o the init.templateDir configuration variable; or
o the default template directory: /usr/share/git-core/templates.
The default template directory includes some directory structure,
suggested "exclude patterns" (see gitignore(5)), and sample hook files.
The sample hooks are all disabled by default. To enable one of the
sample hooks rename it by removing its .sample suffix.
See githooks(5) for more general info on hook execution.
EXAMPLES
Start a new Git repository for an existing code base
$ cd /path/to/my/codebase
$ git init (1)
$ git add . (2)
$ git commit (3)
1. Create a
/path/to/my/codebase/.git
directory.
2. Add all existing files to
the index.
3. Record the pristine state
as the first commit in the
history.
CONFIGURATION
Everything below this line in this section is selectively included from
the git-config(1) documentation. The content is the same as what's
found there:
init.templateDir
Specify the directory from which templates will be copied. (See the
"TEMPLATE DIRECTORY" section of git-init(1).)
init.defaultBranch
Allows overriding the default branch name e.g. when initializing a
new repository.
GIT
Part of the git(1) suite
Git 2.44.0 2024-02-22 git-init(1)
git 2.44.0 - Generated Sat Feb 24 14:59:29 CST 2024