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 `$GIT_DIR/objects` 31directory is used. 32 33Running 'git init' in an existing repository is safe. It will not 34overwrite things that are already there. The primary reason for 35rerunning 'git init' is to pick up newly added templates (or to move 36the repository to another place if --separate-git-dir is given). 37 38OPTIONS 39------- 40 41-q:: 42--quiet:: 43 44Only print error and warning messages; all other output will be suppressed. 45 46--bare:: 47 48Create a bare repository. If `GIT_DIR` environment is not set, it is set to the 49current working directory. 50 51--template=<template_directory>:: 52 53Specify the directory from which templates will be used. (See the "TEMPLATE 54DIRECTORY" section below.) 55 56--separate-git-dir=<git dir>:: 57 58Instead of initializing the repository as a directory to either `$GIT_DIR` or 59`./.git/`, create a text file there containing the path to the actual 60repository. This file acts as filesystem-agnostic Git symbolic link to the 61repository. 62+ 63If this is reinitialization, the repository will be moved to the specified path. 64 65--shared[=(false|true|umask|group|all|world|everybody|0xxx)]:: 66 67Specify that the Git repository is to be shared amongst several users. This 68allows users belonging to the same group to push into that 69repository. When specified, the config variable "core.sharedRepository" is 70set so that files and directories under `$GIT_DIR` are created with the 71requested permissions. When not specified, Git will use permissions reported 72by umask(2). 73+ 74The option can have the following values, defaulting to 'group' if no value 75is given: 76+ 77-- 78'umask' (or 'false'):: 79 80Use permissions reported by umask(2). The default, when `--shared` is not 81specified. 82 83'group' (or 'true'):: 84 85Make the repository group-writable, (and g+sx, since the git group may be not 86the primary group of all users). This is used to loosen the permissions of an 87otherwise safe umask(2) value. Note that the umask still applies to the other 88permission bits (e.g. if umask is '0022', using 'group' will not remove read 89privileges from other (non-group) users). See '0xxx' for how to exactly specify 90the repository permissions. 91 92'all' (or 'world' or 'everybody'):: 93 94Same as 'group', but make the repository readable by all users. 95 96'0xxx':: 97 98'0xxx' is an octal number and each file will have mode '0xxx'. '0xxx' will 99override users' umask(2) value (and not only loosen permissions as 'group' and 100'all' does). '0640' will create a repository which is group-readable, but not 101group-writable or accessible to others. '0660' will create a repo that is 102readable and writable to the current user and group, but inaccessible to others. 103-- 104 105By default, the configuration flag `receive.denyNonFastForwards` is enabled 106in shared repositories, so that you cannot force a non fast-forwarding push 107into it. 108 109If you provide a 'directory', the command is run inside it. If this directory 110does not exist, it will be created. 111 112TEMPLATE DIRECTORY 113------------------ 114 115Files and directories in the template directory whose name do not start with a 116dot will be copied to the `$GIT_DIR` after it is created. 117 118The template directory will be one of the following (in order): 119 120 - the argument given with the `--template` option; 121 122 - the contents of the `$GIT_TEMPLATE_DIR` environment variable; 123 124 - the `init.templateDir` configuration variable; or 125 126 - the default template directory: `/usr/share/git-core/templates`. 127 128The default template directory includes some directory structure, suggested 129"exclude patterns" (see linkgit:gitignore[5]), and sample hook files. 130 131The sample hooks are all disabled by default. To enable one of the 132sample hooks rename it by removing its `.sample` suffix. 133 134See linkgit:githooks[5] for more general info on hook execution. 135 136EXAMPLES 137-------- 138 139Start a new Git repository for an existing code base:: 140+ 141---------------- 142$ cd /path/to/my/codebase 143$ git init <1> 144$ git add . <2> 145$ git commit <3> 146---------------- 147+ 148<1> Create a /path/to/my/codebase/.git directory. 149<2> Add all existing files to the index. 150<3> Record the pristine state as the first commit in the history. 151 152GIT 153--- 154Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite