pre-push hook in Git - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What is the output of this pre-push hook script?

Given this simple pre-push hook script, what will be the output when you try to push?

Git

#!/bin/sh

echo "Running pre-push checks..."
exit 1

A Push is blocked with message: pre-push hook failed

B Push is blocked with message: Running pre-push checks...

C Push succeeds silently with no output

D Push succeeds but prints Running pre-push checks...

💡 Hint

Remember that exit 1 in a hook stops the push.

The script prints the message and exits with status 1, which blocks the push and shows the message.

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

What is the main purpose of a pre-push hook in Git?

Choose the best description of what a pre-push hook does.

A It runs before pushing to validate or block the push

B It automatically merges branches before pushing

C It runs after the push completes to notify the user

D It deletes remote branches after pushing

💡 Hint

Think about when the hook runs relative to the push action.

A pre-push hook runs before the push to check conditions and can block the push if needed.

❓ Troubleshoot

advanced

Why does this pre-push hook not block the push?

This pre-push hook script is supposed to block pushes if tests fail, but pushes always succeed. Why?

Git

#!/bin/sh

./run_tests.sh
exit 0

A Git hooks cannot block pushes

B The run_tests.sh script is not executable

C The script always exits with 0, so push is never blocked

D The hook file is not named correctly

💡 Hint

Check the exit code of the hook script.

The hook script exits with 0 regardless of test results, so Git allows the push.

🔀 Workflow

advanced

In which directory should you place a pre-push hook script?

Where do you put a pre-push hook script so Git runs it automatically?

A .git/hooks/pre-push

B root directory of the project

C any directory named hooks anywhere

D .git/pre-push

💡 Hint

Git looks for hooks in a specific folder inside the .git directory.

Git runs hooks placed in the .git/hooks directory with the exact hook name.

✅ Best Practice

expert

What is the best way to share a pre-push hook with your team?

You want all team members to use the same pre-push hook. What is the best practice?

A Use a global Git hook configured on each developer's machine

B Ask each member to manually create the hook in their .git/hooks folder

C Put the hook script in the root directory and rely on Git to find it automatically

D Commit the hook script inside the repository and add a setup script to copy it to .git/hooks

💡 Hint

Git does not track .git/hooks folder contents.

Since .git/hooks is not versioned, committing the hook script and providing a setup script ensures consistent hooks.