1git-init(1) 2=========== 3 4NAME 5---- 6git-init - Create an empty Git repository or reinitialize an existing one 7 8 9SYNOPSIS 10-------- 11[verse] 12'git init' [-q | --quiet] [--bare] [--template=<template_directory>] 13 [--separate-git-dir <git dir>] 14 [--shared[=<permissions>]] [directory] 15 16 17DESCRIPTION 18----------- 19 20This command creates an empty Git repository - basically a `.git` 21directory with subdirectories for `objects`, `refs/heads`, 22`refs/tags`, and template files. An initial `HEAD` file that 23references the HEAD of the master branch is also created. 24 25If the `$GIT_DIR` environment variable is set then it specifies a path 26to use instead of `./.git` for the base of the repository. 27 28If the object storage directory is specified via the 29`$GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY` environment variable then the sha1 directories 30are created underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects` 31directory is used. 32 33Running 'git init' in an existing repository is safe. It will not 34overwrite things that are already there. The primary reason for 35rerunning 'git init' is to pick up newly added templates (or to move 36the repository to another place if --separate-git-dir is given). 37 38OPTIONS 39------- 40 41-- 42 43-q:: 44--quiet:: 45 46Only print error and warning messages; all other output will be suppressed. 47 48--bare:: 49 50Create a bare repository. If GIT_DIR environment is not set, it is set to the 51current working directory. 52 53--template=<template_directory>:: 54 55Specify the directory from which templates will be used. (See the "TEMPLATE 56DIRECTORY" section below.) 57 58--separate-git-dir=<git dir>:: 59 60Instead of initializing the repository where it is supposed to be, 61place a filesytem-agnostic Git symbolic link there, pointing to the 62specified path, and initialize a Git repository at the path. The 63result is Git repository can be separated from working tree. If this 64is reinitialization, the repository will be moved to the specified 65path. 66 67--shared[=(false|true|umask|group|all|world|everybody|0xxx)]:: 68 69Specify that the Git repository is to be shared amongst several users. This 70allows users belonging to the same group to push into that 71repository. When specified, the config variable "core.sharedRepository" is 72set so that files and directories under `$GIT_DIR` are created with the 73requested permissions. When not specified, Git will use permissions reported 74by umask(2). 75+ 76The option can have the following values, defaulting to 'group' if no value 77is given: 78+ 79-- 80'umask' (or 'false'):: 81 82Use permissions reported by umask(2). The default, when `--shared` is not 83specified. 84 85'group' (or 'true'):: 86 87Make the repository group-writable, (and g+sx, since the git group may be not 88the primary group of all users). This is used to loosen the permissions of an 89otherwise safe umask(2) value. Note that the umask still applies to the other 90permission bits (e.g. if umask is '0022', using 'group' will not remove read 91privileges from other (non-group) users). See '0xxx' for how to exactly specify 92the repository permissions. 93 94'all' (or 'world' or 'everybody'):: 95 96Same as 'group', but make the repository readable by all users. 97 98'0xxx':: 99 100'0xxx' is an octal number and each file will have mode '0xxx'. '0xxx' will 101override users' umask(2) value (and not only loosen permissions as 'group' and 102'all' does). '0640' will create a repository which is group-readable, but not 103group-writable or accessible to others. '0660' will create a repo that is 104readable and writable to the current user and group, but inaccessible to others. 105-- 106 107By default, the configuration flag `receive.denyNonFastForwards` is enabled 108in shared repositories, so that you cannot force a non fast-forwarding push 109into it. 110 111If you name a (possibly non-existent) directory at the end of the command 112line, the command is run inside the directory (possibly after creating it). 113 114-- 115 116TEMPLATE DIRECTORY 117------------------ 118 119The template directory contains files and directories that will be copied to 120the `$GIT_DIR` after it is created. 121 122The template directory will be one of the following (in order): 123 124 - the argument given with the `--template` option; 125 126 - the contents of the `$GIT_TEMPLATE_DIR` environment variable; 127 128 - the `init.templatedir` configuration variable; or 129 130 - the default template directory: `/usr/share/git-core/templates`. 131 132The default template directory includes some directory structure, some 133suggested "exclude patterns", and copies of sample "hook" files. 134The suggested patterns and hook files are all modifiable and extensible. 135 136EXAMPLES 137-------- 138 139Start a new Git repository for an existing code base:: 140+ 141---------------- 142$ cd /path/to/my/codebase 143$ git init <1> 144$ git add . <2> 145---------------- 146+ 147<1> Create a /path/to/my/codebase/.git directory. 148<2> Add all existing files to the index. 149 150GIT 151--- 152Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite