How to Create a Bare Repository in Git: Simple Steps

Use the command git init --bare to create a bare repository in Git. This type of repository has no working files and is used mainly for sharing code between users.

Syntax

The basic syntax to create a bare repository is:

• git init --bare [repository-name].git

Here, --bare tells Git to create a repository without a working directory, and [repository-name].git is the folder name for the bare repo.

bash

git init --bare myproject.git

Example

This example shows how to create a bare repository named project.git and then clone it to work on files.

bash

mkdir project.git
cd project.git
git init --bare

cd ..
git clone project.git project-working
cd project-working
echo "Hello Git" > README.md
git add README.md
git commit -m "Add README"
git push origin main

Output

Initialized empty Git repository in /path/project.git/
Cloning into 'project-working'...
[main (root-commit) 1a2b3c4] Add README
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)
To project.git
   0000000..1a2b3c4  main -> main

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when creating bare repositories include:

• Forgetting the --bare flag, which creates a normal repository with a working directory instead of a bare one.
• Using a bare repository as a working directory, which is not possible because it has no checked-out files.
• Not naming the bare repository folder with a .git suffix, which is a common convention to identify bare repos.

bash

git init myrepo
# This creates a non-bare repo

# Correct way:
git init --bare myrepo.git

Quick Reference

Summary tips for bare repositories:

• Use git init --bare to create a bare repo.
• Bare repos are for sharing and do not have working files.
• Name bare repos with a .git suffix for clarity.
• Clone bare repos to work on files locally.

Key Takeaways

Create a bare repository using git init --bare to share code without a working directory.

Bare repositories do not contain checked-out files and are used as central repositories.

Always name bare repositories with a .git suffix to follow conventions.

Clone bare repositories to get a working copy for editing and committing files.

Avoid using bare repositories as working directories since they lack files to edit directly.