git init

Create a new repository in the current folder

What it does

git init turns an ordinary folder into a repository: it creates a hidden .git folder where git keeps the whole history and its settings. Your files stay as they are and do not go into history by themselves: stage them with git add and commit.

You run it once, when a project starts. If the project is already on GitHub or another server, you do not need git init: use git clone instead.

Syntax

git init
git init <folder>

Examples

• Create a new repository in the current folder

  git init

  • git — the program
  • init — create a repository (the .git folder)

Related commands

• git clone — Download a repository from a server with its whole history
• git add — Stage changes so they go into the next commit
• git remote — List and add remote repositories

Practise · All commands