Inside Git: How It Works and the Role of the .git Folder

What is the .git folder — and why does it exist?

When you run:

git init

Git creates a hidden folder called .git.

Everything Git knows about your project’s history, branches, commits, and tracked files lives inside this folder. If you delete the .git directory, Git loses all version control information, and your project becomes a normal folder again.

The purpose of the .git folder is to allow Git to:

• Track the entire history of a project

• Store snapshots of files over time

• Manage branches, tags, and HEAD

• Ensure data integrity using cryptographic hashes

• Perform fast operations like branching, merging, and checkout

Inside the .git/ folder

The .git/objects folder is where Git stores everything permanently.