git-init - Man Page

• Initialize a new local repository: git init
• Initialize a repository with the specified name for the initial branch: git init [-b|--initial-branch] branch_name
• Initialize a repository using SHA256 for object hashes (requires Git version 2.29+): git init --object-format sha256
• Initialize a barebones repository, suitable for use as a remote over SSH: git init --bare

tldr.sh

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>]

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)​.

-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:

files

for loose files with packed-refs​. This is the default​.

reftable

for the reftable format​.

--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 <branch-name> for the initial branch in the newly created repository​. If not specified, fall back to the default name (currently master, but this will change to main when Git 3​.0 is released)​. The default 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, false

Use permissions reported by umask(2)​. The default, when --shared is not specified​.

group, 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, world, 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​.

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):

• the argument given with the --template option;
• the contents of the $GIT_TEMPLATE_DIR environment variable;
• the init​.templateDir configuration variable; or
• 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​.

Start a new Git repository for an existing code base

$ cd /path/to/my/codebase
$ git init      (1)
$ git add ​.     (2)
$ git commit    (3)

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​.

init​.defaultBranch

Allows overriding the default branch name e​.g​. when initializing a new repository​.

init​.defaultObjectFormat

Allows overriding the default object format for new repositories​. See --object-format= in git-init(1)​. Both the command line option and the GIT_DEFAULT_HASH environment variable take precedence over this config​.

init​.defaultRefFormat

Allows overriding the default ref storage format for new repositories​. See --ref-format= in git-init(1)​. Both the command line option and the GIT_DEFAULT_REF_FORMAT environment variable take precedence over this config​.

init​.defaultSubmodulePathConfig

A boolean that specifies if git init and git clone should automatically set extensions​.submodulePathConfig to true​. This allows all new repositories to automatically use the submodule path extension​. Defaults to false when unset​.

Part of the git(1) suite