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:
o umask (or false): Use permissions reported by umask(2). The
default, when --shared is not specified.
o 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.
o all (or world or everybody): Same as group, but make the
repository readable by all users.
o 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):
o The argument given with the --template option.
o The contents of the $GIT_TEMPLATE_DIR environment variable.
o The init.templatedir configuration variable.
o 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[1]>
DOCUMENTATION
Documentation by David Greaves, Junio C Hamano and the git-list
<git@vger.kernel.org[2]>.
GIT
Part of the git(1) suite
NOTES
1. torvalds@osdl.org
mailto:torvalds@osdl.org
2. git@vger.kernel.org
mailto:git@vger.kernel.org