6 git-init - Create an empty git repository or reinitialize an existing one
11 'git init' [-q | --quiet] [--bare] [--template=<template_directory>] [--shared[=<permissions>]] [directory]
22 Only print error and warning messages, all other output will be suppressed.
26 Create a bare repository. If GIT_DIR environment is not set, it is set to the
27 current working directory.
29 --template=<template_directory>::
31 Specify the directory from which templates will be used. (See the "TEMPLATE
32 DIRECTORY" section below.)
34 --shared[=(false|true|umask|group|all|world|everybody|0xxx)]::
36 Specify that the git repository is to be shared amongst several users. This
37 allows users belonging to the same group to push into that
38 repository. When specified, the config variable "core.sharedRepository" is
39 set so that files and directories under `$GIT_DIR` are created with the
40 requested permissions. When not specified, git will use permissions reported
43 The option can have the following values, defaulting to 'group' if no value
46 - 'umask' (or 'false'): Use permissions reported by umask(2). The default,
47 when `--shared` is not specified.
49 - 'group' (or 'true'): Make the repository group-writable, (and g+sx, since
50 the git group may be not the primary group of all users).
51 This is used to loosen the permissions of an otherwise safe umask(2) value.
52 Note that the umask still applies to the other permission bits (e.g. if
53 umask is '0022', using 'group' will not remove read privileges from other
54 (non-group) users). See '0xxx' for how to exactly specify the repository
57 - 'all' (or 'world' or 'everybody'): Same as 'group', but make the repository
58 readable by all users.
60 - '0xxx': '0xxx' is an octal number and each file will have mode '0xxx'.
61 '0xxx' will override users' umask(2) value (and not only loosen permissions
62 as 'group' and 'all' does). '0640' will create a repository which is
63 group-readable, but not group-writable or accessible to others. '0660' will
64 create a repo that is readable and writable to the current user and group,
65 but inaccessible to others.
67 By default, the configuration flag receive.denyNonFastForwards is enabled
68 in shared repositories, so that you cannot force a non fast-forwarding push
71 If you name a (possibly non-existent) directory at the end of the command
72 line, the command is run inside the directory (possibly after creating it).
79 This command creates an empty git repository - basically a `.git` directory
80 with subdirectories for `objects`, `refs/heads`, `refs/tags`, and
82 An initial `HEAD` file that references the HEAD of the master branch
85 If the `$GIT_DIR` environment variable is set then it specifies a path
86 to use instead of `./.git` for the base of the repository.
88 If the object storage directory is specified via the `$GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY`
89 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created underneath -
90 otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects` directory is used.
92 Running 'git init' in an existing repository is safe. It will not overwrite
93 things that are already there. The primary reason for rerunning 'git init'
94 is to pick up newly added templates.
96 Note that 'git init' is the same as 'git init-db'. The command
97 was primarily meant to initialize the object database, but over
98 time it has become responsible for setting up the other aspects
99 of the repository, such as installing the default hooks and
100 setting the configuration variables. The old name is retained
101 for backward compatibility reasons.
106 The template directory contains files and directories that will be copied to
107 the `$GIT_DIR` after it is created.
109 The template directory used will (in order):
111 - The argument given with the `--template` option.
113 - The contents of the `$GIT_TEMPLATE_DIR` environment variable.
115 - The `init.templatedir` configuration variable.
117 - The default template directory: `/usr/share/git-core/templates`.
119 The default template directory includes some directory structure, some
120 suggested "exclude patterns", and copies of sample "hook" files.
121 The suggested patterns and hook files are all modifiable and extensible.
126 Start a new git repository for an existing code base::
129 $ cd /path/to/my/codebase
134 <1> prepare /path/to/my/codebase/.git directory
135 <2> add all existing file to the index
140 Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>
144 Documentation by David Greaves, Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
148 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite