Tracking Empty Directories with Git

Understanding Git and Empty Directories

Git, a widely-used distributed version control system, fundamentally tracks content. This means it’s designed to manage changes to files and their histories. A core principle is that Git doesn’t inherently track empty directories. This can be a source of confusion when you need to include a directory in your repository that currently has no files, perhaps for future organization or configuration.

Why Git Ignores Empty Directories

Git’s design decision to not track empty directories stems from efficiency and simplicity. Tracking directories without content would add unnecessary overhead to the repository and complicate the tracking process. The system focuses on changes to files – if a directory contains no files, there’s no “content” to track.

How to Include an Empty Directory in Your Repository

While Git doesn’t directly support tracking empty directories, there are several workarounds to achieve the desired outcome. The key is to introduce a file within the directory, effectively giving Git something to track. Here are the most common approaches:

1. The .gitkeep File

This is a widely used convention. Create an empty file named .gitkeep inside the directory you want to track.

touch directory_name/.gitkeep
git add directory_name/.gitkeep
git commit -m "Add empty directory with .gitkeep"

The .gitkeep file serves as a placeholder, signaling that the directory should be included in the repository. It’s a common practice, and many developers will recognize its purpose.

2. The .placeholder File

Similar to .gitkeep, you can use .placeholder as a placeholder file.

touch directory_name/.placeholder
git add directory_name/.placeholder
git commit -m "Add empty directory with .placeholder"

3. Using a README.md File

A descriptive README.md file within the directory is another excellent approach, especially if you anticipate adding files later. It documents the purpose of the directory and can contain instructions or notes.

touch directory_name/README.md
git add directory_name/README.md
git commit -m "Add empty directory with README.md"

4. The .gitkeep with .gitignore Approach (For Truly Empty Directories)

If you want to ensure the directory remains empty in the repository (meaning you don’t want any future untracked files appearing as "untracked"), you can combine .gitkeep with a .gitignore file.

1. Create .gitkeep (as described above).

2. Create a .gitignore file inside the same directory with the following content:

   *
   !.gitignore
   

   This tells Git to ignore all files in that directory except the .gitignore file itself, ensuring the directory stays essentially empty.

Important Considerations:

• File Naming: The name of the placeholder file (e.g., .gitkeep, .placeholder, README.md) is not critical. Git only cares that the directory contains a tracked file.
• Hidden Files: Files starting with a . (dot) are considered hidden files in Unix-like systems (Linux, macOS). This is a standard convention for configuration and metadata files.
• Purpose: Choose the placeholder file that best reflects the intent of the directory. README.md is useful if you plan to document the directory’s purpose, while .gitkeep is a general-purpose indicator that the directory should be present.