Your first repository

Git is installed and configured, so it's time to create your first repository with git init. A repository is the thing Git actually tracks, and it's simpler than the word makes it sound.

What is a Git repository?

A repository (or repo) is just a folder that Git is watching. It's an ordinary directory with your project files inside, plus a little extra bookkeeping that lets Git record the history of those files.

That's the whole idea. You don't move your project somewhere special. You take a folder you already have - or a new empty one - and tell Git to start tracking it.

Create a repository with git init

Let's make a fresh folder and turn it into a repository. In your terminal (or Git Bash on Windows):

mkdir my-project
cd my-project
git init

Line by line:

• mkdir my-project creates a new folder called my-project.
• cd my-project moves you inside it.
• git init tells Git to start tracking this folder.

You'll see a message like:

Initialized empty Git repository in /path/to/my-project/.git/

Because you set init.defaultBranch earlier, your repository starts on the main branch. That's it - the folder is now a repository.

Running git init a second time in the same folder does no harm, by the way. Git just reports it reinitialized the existing repository and leaves your history alone. So if you're ever unsure whether a folder is already a repo, the safe move is to check for the .git folder rather than guess.

What is the hidden .git folder?

When you ran git init, Git created a hidden folder named .git inside your project. This is where Git stores everything: your commits, your history, your settings for this repo. On most systems it's hidden, but you can list it:

ls -a

.  ..  .git

A few important points about .git:

• It's the repository. Delete this folder and the folder goes back to being an ordinary directory with no history. Your files stay, but Git forgets everything.
• You don't edit it by hand. Git manages what's inside. You'll never open these files yourself - you interact with them through git commands.
• There's one per repository. Each project you git init gets its own .git folder and its own separate history.

Ran git init in the wrong folder?

Be careful where you run git init. If you run it in your home folder or on your whole Desktop by accident, Git will try to track everything in there.

If you ever realize you initialized a repo in the wrong place, you can undo it by deleting the .git folder:

rm -rf .git

This removes only Git's tracking. Your actual files are untouched. Then cd into the correct folder and run git init there.

FAQ

Do I need internet to create a repository?

No. git init works entirely on your computer. Git is distributed, so your repository and its full history live locally. You only need internet later, when you share the project online.

I ran git init but nothing seems to have happened. Is that normal?

Yes. Aside from the confirmation message and the hidden .git folder, nothing about your files changes. The repository exists; you just haven't saved any snapshots into it yet. That's the next chapter.

Can I turn an existing project into a repository?

Absolutely. Just cd into that project's folder and run git init. Git starts tracking the files that are already there.