How Can I Remove All History (commits and etc.) of Huge GIT Repo?

Step 1: Create a New, Empty Repository

Create a brand new, empty Git repository to serve as the foundation for your new, history-free repository. You can do this using the following command:

git init my_new_repo

This will create a new directory called my_new_repo with an empty Git repository.

Step 2: Add the Original Repository as a Remote

Add the original repository as a remote to your new, empty repository. Use the following command:

git remote add original https://github.com/your-username/original-repo.git

Replace https://github.com/your-username/original-repo.git with the URL of your original repository.

Step 3: Fetch the Original Repository’s Data

Fetch the original repository’s data using the following command:

git fetch original

This will download all the data from the original repository, including branches, tags, and commits.

Step 4: Create a New Branch and Checkout

Create a new branch in your new repository using the following command:

git branch --orphan tmp

This will create a new branch called tmp that has no parent commits.

Checkout the new branch:

git checkout tmp

Step 5: Add the Original Repository’s Files

Add all the files from the original repository to your new repository using the following command:

git add .

This will stage all the files in your working directory, which are now the files from the original repository.

Step 6: Commit the Changes

Commit the changes using the following command:

git commit -m "Initial commit"

This will create a new commit that includes all the files from the original repository.

Step 7: Push the New Repository

Push the new repository to a remote location, such as GitHub or GitLab:

git remote add origin https://github.com/your-username/new-repo.git
git push -u origin master

Replace https://github.com/your-username/new-repo.git with the URL of your new repository.

Step 8: Remove the Original Repository’s Remote

Remove the original repository’s remote using the following command:

git remote rm original

This will remove the connection to the original repository.

And That’s It!

Congratulations! You’ve successfully removed all history from your huge Git repository. You now have a brand new, clean repository with no unnecessary commits, branches, or tags.

Tips and Variations

If you want to preserve some of the original repository’s history, you can use git filter-branch to rewrite the commit history. This command allows you to remove specific commits, rewrite commit messages, or even change the author information.

git filter-branch -d /dev/null --env-filter '
    if [ "$GIT_COMMITTER_NAME" = "Old Author" ]; then
        GIT_COMMITTER_NAME="New Author";
        GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL="[email protected]";
    fi
' HEAD

This example demonstrates how to rewrite the commit history to change the author information for commits made by “Old Author” to “New Author”.

Another approach is to use git rebase to squash all commits into a single commit. This can be useful if you want to preserve some of the original repository’s history but still reduce the number of commits.

git rebase -i --root
squash 
... ( repeat for each commit )

This will allow you to interactively rebase the commits, squashing them into a single commit.

Conclusion

Removing all history from a huge Git repository can be a daunting task, but with the right steps and techniques, it’s definitely possible. Remember to backup your repository, notify your team (if applicable), and be aware of the implications of removing all history. By following this guide, you’ll be able to remove all commits, branches, and tags from your repository, giving you a fresh start.

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