# git-init

## 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:
    
               •   **files** for loose files with packed-refs. This is the
                   default.
    
               •   **reftable** for the reftable format. This format is
                   experimental and its internals are subject to change.
    
           **--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 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** , **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.
    


## 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):
    
           •   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.
    


## 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.
    
           **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.
    


## GIT



           Part of the git(1) suite
    


* * *