How to Commit Empty Directories in Git Using .gitkeep

Version control systems like Git are essential tools for software developers, allowing teams to collaborate efficiently while maintaining a comprehensive history of their project’s changes. One lesser-known, yet incredibly useful, feature of Git is the .gitkeep file. In this article, we’ll explore the purpose of .gitkeep files, how to create and use them, and when they come in handy.

What is a .gitkeep file?

Contrary to what you might think, .gitkeep is not an official Git feature. Rather, it’s a convention adopted by developers to work around Git’s default behavior of not tracking empty directories. Since Git only tracks files, not directories, empty directories will not be included in your repository. The .gitkeep file serves as a placeholder, allowing developers to force Git to track and maintain otherwise empty directories.

Why use .gitkeep files?

There are several scenarios in which using .gitkeep files can be beneficial:

1. Preserving a directory structure: In some projects, maintaining the directory structure is important, even if certain directories don’t contain any files yet. By adding a .gitkeep file, you ensure that the empty directories are tracked and preserved by Git.
2. Placeholder for future files: Sometimes, a directory may be empty at the moment but is expected to contain files in the future. Using a .gitkeep file makes it clear to other developers that the empty directory is intentional and not an oversight.
3. Ensuring required directories exist: Some applications or frameworks require certain directories to exist for proper functioning. Adding a .gitkeep file to these directories ensures they are present in the repository and available for deployment.

Creating a .gitkeep file

Creating a .gitkeep file is simple. Just follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the empty directory you want to track in your Git repository.
2. Create a new file named “.gitkeep” (without the quotes).
3. Add, commit, and push the .gitkeep file to your repository.

Example:

$ cd my_project/empty_directory
$ touch .gitkeep
$ git add .gitkeep
$ git commit -m "Add .gitkeep to track empty_directory"
$ git push origin main

Removing a .gitkeep file

If you no longer need to track an empty directory, you can remove the .gitkeep file:

1. Navigate to the directory containing the .gitkeep file.
2. Remove the .gitkeep file.
3. Commit and push the changes to your repository.

Example:

$ cd my_project/empty_directory
$ git rm .gitkeep
$ git commit -m "Remove .gitkeep from empty_directory"
$ git push origin main

Conclusion

The .gitkeep file is a handy convention that allows developers to maintain empty directories in their Git repositories. Though not an official Git feature, it has become a widely adopted best practice. By understanding and using .gitkeep files, you can better organize your projects and ensure that your team’s work remains consistent across development environments.