My attempt at producing the ultimate guide to creating Git commits that I wish I had when I was a less experienced developer.

Git Commit Creation

This is an article in which I explore the details and thinking that goes into how you should create git commits, and why. I like to think of it as the article I wish existed when I was just starting out over 20 years ago.

I wanted to cover all the things that you should think about at a high level. That way it at least could work as an entry point to deeper exploration of the particular areas if the reader isn’t completely sold or they want to just gain a deeper understanding. While at the same time trying to provide enough details to show why and how these choices are valuable. This is always a tricky balance.

Anyways, I would love any feedback on thoughts on how this could be improved.

Thanks

  • drewdeponte@programming.devOP
    0·
    5 days ago

    Actually, having more commits is negligible because of the way that Git stores the snapshots behind the scenes. Specifically, it uses a content addressable key value store. So the storage is bound to the file changes irrespective of the commits.

    The commits simply hold the sha of each of the files. Technically, it is a bit more complicated than that. But from an understanding of size implications and what it is bound to that mental model should get you there. It also does additional smart things in packing this key value store to store things more efficiently that also help.

    If you want to start understanding more about the internals of kid and how it actually stores stuff. The Pro Git book has a Git Internals section, https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Git-Internals-Plumbing-and-Porcelain which is a great place to start.