nanogit — Git Internals Implemented in Python

A minimal Git client built from scratch in Python using only the standard library. Implements core Git internals, object hashing, index parsing, tree and commit writing, and pack file pushing over HTTP Smart Protocol. Supports init, add, commit, diff, status, and push to GitHub.

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What it does

nanogit implements just enough of Git to:

• Initialize a local repository
• Stage files to the index
• Commit snapshots to the master branch
• Push commits to a real remote server (GitHub, Bitbucket, etc.)
• Show file status and diffs between the index and working copy

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How it works

Git's object model is built on three core object types stored in .git/objects/:

Object	Description
blob	A file's raw contents
tree	A snapshot of a directory (lists blobs and sub-trees)
commit	Points to a tree, a parent commit, author, and message

Each object is SHA-1 hashed, zlib-compressed, and written to .git/objects/ab/cdef....

nanogit implements:

• Object store — hashing, reading, and writing blobs, trees, and commits
• Index parsing — reading and writing the binary .git/index file
• Pack files — encoding and sending missing objects over HTTP Smart Protocol
• pkt-line format — Git's length-prefixed packet format for server communication

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Requirements

• Python 3.5+
• No external dependencies — standard library only

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Installation

git clone https://github.com/ShauryaaSharma/nanogit-Git-Internals-Implemented-in-Python.git
cd nanogit-Git-Internals-Implemented-in-Python

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Usage

Initialize a repo

python nanogit.py init myrepo
cd myrepo

Stage files

python nanogit.py add file.py

Check status

python nanogit.py status

View diff

python nanogit.py diff

Commit

python nanogit.py commit -m "Your commit message"

Push to GitHub

python nanogit.py push https://github.com/username/repo.git

You will be prompted for your GitHub username and password (or personal access token).

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Commands

Command	Description
init <repo>	Initialize a new repository
add <paths>	Add files to the index
status	Show changed, new, and deleted files
diff	Show diff between index and working copy
commit -m <msg>	Commit current index to master
cat-file <mode> <hash>	Inspect a Git object
ls-files	List files in the index
hash-object <path>	Hash and optionally store a file
push <url>	Push master branch to remote

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Project Structure

nanogit/
├── nanogit.py       # Full implementation
├── LICENSE.txt    # MIT License
└── README.md

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License

MIT License — see LICENSE.txt for details.