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>] [--shared[=<permissions>]] [directory] 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. --template=<template_directory>:: Specify the directory from which templates will be used. (See the "TEMPLATE DIRECTORY" section below.) --shared[={false|true|umask|group|all|world|everybody|0xxx}]:: 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 `$GIT_DIR` are created with the requested permissions. When not specified, git will use permissions reported by umask(2). The option can have the following values, defaulting to 'group' if no value is given: - 'umask' (or 'false'): Use permissions reported by umask(2). The default, when `--shared` is not specified. - 'group' (or 'true'): Make the repository group-writable, (and g+sx, since the git group may be not the primary group of all users). This is used to loosen the permissions of an otherwise safe umask(2) value. Note that the umask still applies to the other permission bits (e.g. if umask is '0022', using 'group' will not remove read privileges from other (non-group) users). See '0xxx' for how to exactly specify the repository permissions. - 'all' (or 'world' or 'everybody'): Same as 'group', but make the repository readable by all users. - '0xxx': '0xxx' is an octal number and each file will have mode '0xxx'. '0xxx' will override users' umask(2) value (and not only loosen permissions as 'group' and 'all' does). '0640' will create a repository which is group-readable, but not group-writable or accessible to others. '0660' will create a repo that is readable and writable to the current user and group, but inaccessible to others. By default, the configuration flag receive.denyNonFastForwards is enabled in shared repositories, so that you cannot force a non fast-forwarding push into it. If you name a (possibly non-existent) directory at the end of the command line, the command is run inside the directory (possibly after creating it). -- DESCRIPTION ----------- This command creates an empty git repository - basically a `.git` directory with subdirectories for `objects`, `refs/heads`, `refs/tags`, and template files. An initial `HEAD` file that references the HEAD of the master branch is also created. If the `$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. Note that 'git init' is the same as 'git init-db'. The command was primarily meant to initialize the object database, but over time it has become responsible for setting up the other aspects of the repository, such as installing the default hooks and setting the configuration variables. The old name is retained for backward compatibility reasons. TEMPLATE DIRECTORY ------------------ The template directory contains files and directories that will be copied to the `$GIT_DIR` after it is created. The template directory used will (in order): - The argument given with the `--template` option. - The contents of the `$GIT_TEMPLATE_DIR` environment variable. - The `init.templatedir` configuration variable. - The default template directory: `/usr/share/git-core/templates`. The default template directory includes some directory structure, some suggested "exclude patterns", and copies of sample "hook" files. The suggested patterns and hook files are all modifiable and extensible. EXAMPLES -------- Start a new git repository for an existing code base:: + ---------------- $ cd /path/to/my/codebase $ git init <1> $ git add . <2> ---------------- + <1> prepare /path/to/my/codebase/.git directory <2> add all existing file to the index Author ------ Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org> Documentation -------------- Documentation by David Greaves, Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>. GIT --- Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite