Client-side vs server-side hooks in Git - Practice Questions

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Difference between client-side and server-side Git hooks

Which statement correctly describes the main difference between client-side and server-side Git hooks?

A Client-side hooks run on the developer's machine before or after local Git actions; server-side hooks run on the remote repository server during push or receive events.

B Client-side hooks run only on the remote server to validate commits; server-side hooks run locally to check code style.

C Client-side hooks are used to enforce branch policies on the server; server-side hooks modify files on the developer's machine.

D Client-side hooks are triggered after pushing code to the server; server-side hooks run before committing locally.

💡 Hint

Think about where the hooks execute: on your computer or on the remote server.

Client-side hooks run on the developer's local machine to check or modify commits before they are made or pushed. Server-side hooks run on the remote repository server to enforce rules when code is pushed or received.

💻 Command Output

intermediate

Output of a client-side pre-commit hook script

Given this simple pre-commit hook script in .git/hooks/pre-commit that prevents commits with TODO comments:

#!/bin/sh
grep -q 'TODO' **/*.py && echo 'Commit blocked: TODO found' && exit 1 || exit 0

What will happen if you try to commit a Python file containing a TODO comment?

A The commit will succeed without any message.

B The commit will be blocked and the message 'Commit blocked: TODO found' will be shown.

C The script will cause a syntax error and the commit will fail silently.

D The commit will succeed but print 'Commit blocked: TODO found' as a warning.

💡 Hint

Consider what grep -q does and the exit codes in shell scripts.

The script searches for 'TODO' in Python files. If found, it prints the message and exits with code 1, blocking the commit. Otherwise, it exits 0 allowing the commit.

🔀 Workflow

advanced

Server-side hook to reject pushes to main branch

You want to prevent anyone from pushing directly to the main branch on the remote Git server. Which server-side hook should you configure and what should it do?

A Configure the <code>pre-push</code> hook on the client side to reject pushes to <code>main</code>.

B Configure the <code>post-receive</code> hook to delete the <code>main</code> branch after the push completes.

C Configure the <code>update</code> hook to allow all pushes except those to <code>refs/tags</code>.

D Configure the <code>pre-receive</code> hook to check if the pushed ref is <code>refs/heads/main</code> and reject the push with a message.

💡 Hint

Think about which server-side hook runs before accepting pushed commits.

The pre-receive hook runs on the server before accepting any pushed refs. It can reject pushes to specific branches like main by checking the ref names.

❓ Troubleshoot

advanced

Why is a client-side commit-msg hook not running?

You created a commit-msg hook script in .git/hooks/ to validate commit messages, but it does not run when you commit. What is the most likely reason?

A The hook script is named <code>commit-msg.sh</code> instead of <code>commit-msg</code>.

B The hook script is in the wrong directory; it should be in <code>.git/hooks/commit-msg/</code>.

C The hook script is not executable (missing execute permission).

D Git does not support <code>commit-msg</code> hooks.

💡 Hint

Check file permissions for scripts in .git/hooks.

Git requires hook scripts to have execute permissions to run. Without it, the hook is ignored silently.

✅ Best Practice

expert

Best practice for sharing Git hooks across a team

What is the best way to ensure all developers on a team use the same Git hooks without manually copying scripts into each local .git/hooks directory?

A Store hooks in a version-controlled directory in the repository and configure Git to use that directory with <code>core.hooksPath</code>.

B Add hook scripts to the <code>.git/hooks</code> directory and commit that directory to the repository.

C Send hook scripts by email to each developer to install manually.

D Use server-side hooks only and do not use client-side hooks.

💡 Hint

Think about how to version control hooks and configure Git to find them.

Git does not track .git/hooks in the repository. Storing hooks in a versioned directory and setting core.hooksPath lets all developers share hooks easily.