# Git Deployment

> Subcommands new as of 0.12.0

```
git:initialize <app>                     # Initialize a git repository for an app
git:report [<app>] [<flag>]              # Displays a git report for one or more apps
git:set <app> <key> (<value>)            # Set or clear a git property for an app
```

Git-based deployment has been the traditional method of deploying applications in Dokku. As of v0.12.0, Dokku introduces a few ways to customize the experience of deploying via `git push`. A Git-based deployment currently supports building applications via both [Buildpack](/docs/deployment/methods/buildpacks.md) and [Dockerfile](/docs/deployment/methods/dockerfiles.md). 

## Usage

### Initializing an application

When an application is created via `git push`, Dokku will create the proper `pre-receive` hook in order to execute the build pipeline. In certain cases - such as when fronting deploys with the [`git-http-backend`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-http-backend) - this may not be correctly created. As an alternative, the `git:initialize` command can be used to trigger this creation:

```shell
# on the Dokku host

# overrides any existing pre-receive hook
dokku git:initialize node-js-app
```

In order for the above command to succeed, the application *must* already exist. 

> Warning: If the `pre-receive` hook was customized in any way, this will overwrite that hook with the current defaults for Dokku.

### Changing the deploy branch

By default, Dokku will deploy code pushed to the `master` branch. In order to quickly deploy a different local branch, the following Git command can be used:

```shell
# on the local machine

# where `SOME_BRANCH_NAME` is the name of the branch
git push dokku SOME_BRANCH_NAME:master
```

In `0.12.0`, the correct way to change the deploy branch is to use the `git:set` Dokku command.

```shell
# on the Dokku host

# override for all applications
dokku git:set --global deploy-branch SOME_BRANCH_NAME

# override for a specific app
# where `SOME_BRANCH_NAME` is the name of the branch
dokku git:set node-js-app deploy-branch SOME_BRANCH_NAME
```

Pushing multiple branches can also be supported by creating a [receive-branch](/docs/development/plugin-triggers.md#receive-branch) plugin trigger in a custom plugin.

### Configuring the `GIT_REV` environment variable

> New as of 0.12.0

Application deployments will include a special `GIT_REV` environment variable containing the current deployment sha being deployed. For rebuilds, this SHA will remain the same.

To configure the name of the `GIT_REV` environment variable, run the `git:set` command as follows:

```shell
# on the Dokku host

# override for a specific app
dokku git:set node-js-app rev-env-var DOKKU_GIT_REV
```

This behavior can be disabled entirely on a per-app basis by setting the `rev-env-var` value to an empty string:

```shell
# on the Dokku host

# override for a specific app
dokku git:set node-js-app rev-env-var ""
```

### Keeping the `.git` directory

By default, Dokku will remove the contents of the `.git` before triggering a build for a given app. This is generally a safe default as shipping the entire source code history of your app in the deployed image artifact is unnecessary as it increases bloat and potentially can leak information if there are any security issues with your app code.

To enable the `.git` directory, run the `git:set` command as follows:

```shell
# on the Dokku host

# keep the .git directory during builds
dokku git:set node-js-app keep-git-dir true
```

The default behavior is to delete this directory and it's contents. To revert to the default behavior, the `keep-git-dir` value can be set to either an empty string or `false`.

```shell
# on the Dokku host

# delete the .git directory during builds (default)
dokku git:set node-js-app keep-git-dir false

# delete the .git directory during builds (default)
dokku git:set node-js-app keep-git-dir ""
```