Garbage collection with git gc - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is the purpose of the git gc command?

git gc stands for garbage collection. It cleans up unnecessary files and optimizes the local repository to save space and improve performance.

intermediate

Which files does git gc typically remove or compress?

It removes unreachable objects (like old commits no longer referenced) and compresses loose objects into pack files to reduce disk space.

intermediate

When does Git automatically run garbage collection?

Git runs garbage collection automatically after a certain number of changes or when the repository reaches a size threshold.

beginner

How can you force Git to run garbage collection manually?

By running the command git gc in your repository folder.

beginner

What is a pack file in Git?

A pack file is a compressed collection of Git objects that saves space and speeds up repository operations.

What does git gc do?

A Creates a new commit

B Deletes all branches

C Cleans up and optimizes the repository

D Clones a repository

git gc cleans up unnecessary files and optimizes the repository.

Which of these is NOT a result of running git gc?

A Deleting the entire repository

B Removing unreachable objects

C Compressing loose objects

D Creating pack files

git gc does not delete the entire repository.

When does Git automatically run garbage collection?

A After every commit

B When you push to remote

C Only when you run <code>git gc</code> manually

D When repository size or changes reach a threshold

Git runs garbage collection automatically when certain thresholds are met.

What is a pack file in Git?

A A backup of your repository

B A compressed file storing multiple Git objects

C A branch name

D A commit message

A pack file compresses multiple Git objects to save space.

How do you manually trigger garbage collection in Git?

A git gc

B git prune

C git clean

D git reset

Use git gc to manually run garbage collection.

Explain what happens when you run git gc in your repository.

Think about cleaning and organizing your repository files.

Describe when and why Git runs garbage collection automatically.

Git helps keep your repo tidy behind the scenes.