HOME

I have explained the steps to install Git on Windows 10 in the last tutorial – How to install Git on Windows 10. This tutorial will explain the process to create a new Git Repository.

Git offers a better way of keeping track of changes by using the Git repository. A repository is a place that stores something like files, data, code, etc.

What is Git Repository?

A Git Repository stores file and keep track of the changes. A Git repository is a virtual storage of a project. It allows you to save versions of your code, which you can access when it is needed. That’s why all software project uses a version control system like Git. Git automatically will not start tracking changes to any file. We need to let git know where to track and what to track.

Let us understand how to use git init command.

Step 1 – Create an empty directory – GitTest.

Step 2 – Right-click and click on Git Bash Here.

Step 3 – Type a git command as “git status”.

As the new directory is not a git directory it showed a fatal message – fatal: not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git.

What is git status command?

The git status command displays the state of the working directory and the staging area. It lets you see which changes have been staged, which haven’t, and which files aren’t being tracked by Git. Status output does not show you any information regarding the committed project history.

Step 4 – Type git command – “git init”.

Here, you can see an empty git repository is created under C:/GitTest.

What is git init command?

git init is a one-time command which you use during the initial setup of a new repo. Executing this command will create a new .git subdirectory in your current working directory. This will also create a new main branch – master branch. Master or Main are default branch.

The “git init” command creates a new hidden folder named “.git” in the same directory where it was run.

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 (or to move the repository to another place if –separate-git-dir is given).

Congratulation!!! We have understood the use of git init command.