libgit2

Portable C library for Git core methods and repository management

A pure C implementation of Git core methods with a solid API, enabling developers to build Git functionality directly into applications across any programming language.

Overview

What is libgit2?

libgit2 is a portable, pure C implementation of Git core methods provided as a linkable library. It powers production applications including GitHub.com, Plastic SCM, and Azure DevOps, offering a stable foundation for integrating Git functionality into software across any platform.

Who Uses It

Developers building GUI clients, hosting providers, utilities, and applications that need programmatic Git access rely on libgit2. Because it's written in C, language bindings make it accessible to Ruby, .NET, Python, Node.js, Rust, and many other ecosystems.

Core Capabilities

The library provides over 175 API calls covering repository management, commit/tag/tree/blob operations, revision walking, index manipulation, reference management, config file handling, and more. It focuses on Git plumbing commands rather than replicating user-facing git tool commands. Optional dependencies extend functionality with optimized hash generation, HTTPS, SSH, and threading support.

libgit2 is licensed under GPLv2 with a special Linking Exception, allowing you to link it with any software without GPL obligations for your code.

Highlights

Over 175 API calls for repository management, object manipulation, and revision control

Cross-platform C90 implementation with bindings for Ruby, Python, Node.js, Rust, and more

Thread-safe and reentrant design for concurrent operations

Permissive GPLv2 license with Linking Exception for proprietary software integration

Pros

Battle-tested in production at GitHub.com, Plastic SCM, and Azure DevOps
Portable C implementation works across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android
Minimal required dependencies with optional extensions for performance
Active maintenance tracking upstream Git changes and compatibility

Considerations

API may change to accommodate upstream Git evolution
May lag behind recent Git behavior changes in some areas
Focuses on plumbing commands, not high-level user-facing git operations
Requires understanding of Git internals for effective use

Managed products teams compare with

When teams consider libgit2, these hosted platforms usually appear on the same shortlist.

AWS CodeCommit

Managed source control service for hosting private Git repositories securely in AWS

Azure Repos

Cloud-hosted set of version control tools (Git and TFVC) for managing source code with Azure DevOps

Bitbucket

Web-based Git repository hosting service for source code version control and team collaboration (by Atlassian)

Looking for a hosted option? These are the services engineering teams benchmark against before choosing open source.

Fit guide

Great for

Building Git-powered GUI clients and developer tools
Integrating repository management into hosting platforms and forges
Creating language-specific Git bindings for ecosystems without native support
Applications requiring programmatic access to Git repositories in C or via bindings

Not ideal when

Projects needing a complete replacement for the git command-line tool
Applications requiring only high-level git porcelain commands
Use cases demanding guaranteed API stability across all versions
Teams unable to track and adapt to upstream Git specification changes

How teams use it

Git Hosting Platform

Power repository browsing, diff generation, and merge operations for a web-based forge like GitHub or GitLab

Desktop Git Client

Build a native GUI application with commit history visualization, branch management, and staging area control

CI/CD Pipeline Tool

Programmatically clone repositories, checkout specific commits, and analyze change history for automated builds

Code Analysis Utility

Walk revision history to extract metrics, detect patterns, or generate reports across repository evolution

Tech snapshot

C95%

Perl1%

JavaScript1%

CMake1%

Shell1%

Python1%

Frequently asked questions

What programming languages can use libgit2?

libgit2 is written in C but has bindings for Ruby, .NET, Python, Node.js, Rust, and many other languages, making it accessible across most ecosystems.

Does libgit2 replace the git command-line tool?

No. libgit2 focuses on Git plumbing commands and core methods, not replicating user-facing porcelain commands. It's designed for programmatic integration, not as a git CLI replacement.

Is the API stable across versions?

While libgit2 aims for generic implementations, the API may change to accommodate upstream Git evolution. The project documents incompatibilities with the 'git change' label in the issue tracker.

What license does libgit2 use?

GPLv2 with a special Linking Exception. You can link libgit2 with any software (including proprietary) without GPL obligations for your code. Only changes to libgit2 itself remain under GPL.

What are the build requirements?

CMake, Python (for tests), and a C90-compatible compiler (Visual Studio on Windows, Xcode on macOS, or gcc/clang on Unix). The library has minimal required dependencies.

Project at a glance

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Repo age15 years old

Last commit2 days ago

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Last synced 11 hours ago