Inside Git: How It Works and the Role of the .git Folder

1. Why We Needed Git

I asked Piyush sir,
“Sir, why do we actually need Git?”

He said:

“As we saw in the pendrive vs version control example, manual sharing creates problems. Many version control systems exist, but Git is the most widely used one.

The real beginner question is:
Where does Git store everything?
How does it track changes?”

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2. The Moment Git Comes Alive (git init)

I asked Hitesh sir how Git starts tracking.

He explained:

“When we run git init, nothing changes visually.
But Git creates a hidden .git folder.

This folder is the brain of Git.
From this moment, Git starts managing your project.”

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3. What Is the .git Folder

As a beginner, I asked Piyush sir:
What is inside .git?

He replied with an analogy:

“Just like you get a report card after 6 months in Master’ji,
.git is Git’s report card system.

It stores everything:
history, commits, branches, and changes.”

If .git is deleted:

• Your files remain

• Git tracking is lost

• Collaboration breaks

Analogy:

• Project → What you build

• .git → Your report card

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4. Why Git Uses a Hidden Folder

I asked Hitesh sir why .git is hidden.

He said:

“To protect it from accidental edits.
Tracking stays safe.

You don’t touch .git. Git does.”

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5. Git Does Not Track Files — It Tracks Screen-shot(Snapshots)

I asked Piyush sir if Git tracks files continuously.

He corrected me:

“Git notices file changes,
but it records them only when you commit.”

Example:

• Files change → Git sees it

• Commit → Git takes a snapshot

Git doesn’t track line-by-line.
It tracks commit-by-commit.

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6. Git Objects

• • Blob → File content

    • Tree → Folder structure

    • Commit → Snapshot + message + pointer

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7. What Happens Internally During git add

I asked Hitesh sir what happens internally.

He explained:

• Git is already initialized

• git add:

  • Creates blob objects

  • Stores them in .git

  • Moves changes to the staging area

No commit yet.
Changes are prepared, not saved.

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8. What Happens Internally During git commit

When we run git commit:

• Git creates a snapshot

• A commit object is saved

• History is updated

Now Git officially tracks this version.

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9. How Git Uses Hashes

• Every object has a unique hash

• Change content → hash changes

• This ensures integrity

“Change the content → identity changes.”

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10. Final Thoughts

• Git is not magic

• Git is a smart snapshot (screenshot) system

• .git is where everything lives

If you understand this,
you don’t need to memorize commands.