How to completely clear git repository, without deleting it

Question

How can I remove all files and folders that I'm storing on git repo, but keep the repository? Is there some command for restarting git repo? I've found many examples on this, but I've made even bigger mess. The repository is linked. So if someone is willing to explain it to me step by step I would be very thankful.

Answer 1

if you only have a local git repository

if you want to erase your whole history and start over again:

cd <repo>
rm -rf .git
git init

and start committing again.

If you want to remove both files and history:

cd <repo>
rm -rf *
git init

and start adding files and committing...

if you are linked with a remote repository if you want to start over again, but don't really mind some old history remaining; there is a quick way:

git pull
git rm -r *
git commit
git push

now your repository is empty again, you'll only have some old history remaining. if you also want to clean up all your history; that takes a little more work (and note that this will cause trouble for anyone else linked to that same remote repository):

git checkout <first commit hash>
git rm -r *
touch README
git add README
git commit --amend
git push -f

note that I create a empty README file for the first commit, since a commit cannot be empty.

Answer 2

If you are talking about an existing remote repo (and not just a local repo, which is trivial to do), you can:

• clone it
• delete all remote branches: git push origin --delete <branchName> (see "Delete a Git branch both locally and remotely")

• make a new orphan master branch (see "How can I completely empty the master branch in Git?")

  git branch -D master
  git checkout --orphan master
  

• make at least one commit and push it.