# How Git Works Internally

In this article we will dive into how actually Git works and how it magically remembers all the versions of our code files. Well before moving on we need to know one simple idea that “Git is a memory box of your project”. It remembers each and every version of your code. so you can:

* go back in time
    
* track what changed
    
* and work safely without fear
    

Everything git knows lives in one place.

---

## What is the .git folder

When you run:

```coffeescript
git init
```

Git creates a hidden folder called `.git`

You can think of .git folder as Git’s brain.

* Your files = body
    
* `.git` folder = brain
    
* No brain → no memory → no Git
    

So if you delete `.git` folder

❌ No history  
❌ No commits  
❌ No branches

It just becomes a normal folder again. That is how powerful `.git` folder is.

## What does Git store in its brain?

Git stores **snapshots**.

📸 A snapshot =

> “How all files looked at one moment”

Not instructions.  
Not diffs.  
**Pictures of your project.**

---

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1768484168327/4a79b030-d962-48df-a92d-3cbe17481c86.webp align="center")

## Git’s building blocks

Git uses only **3 main blocks**:

### 1️⃣ File content (Blob)

* The **text inside a file**
    
* Git doesn’t care about file names here
    

---

### 2️⃣ Folder list (Tree)

* Knows:
    
    * file names
        
    * which content belongs to which file
        

---

### 3️⃣ Snapshot (Commit)

A commit says:

* Which files existed
    
* What was inside them
    
* A message like: *“Add login feature”*
    

## What REALLY happens during `git add`

You run:

```coffeescript
git add file.js
```

Git does this:

1. Reads the file content
    
2. Saves it safely in `.git`
    
3. Adds it to the **staging checklist**
    

That’s it.

❗ `git add` does NOT save history  
❗ It only prepares

## What REALLY happens during `git commit`

Now Git takes the photo 📸

When you run:

```coffeescript
git commit -m "message"
```

Git:

1. Looks at the staging checklist
    
2. Takes a **snapshot**
    
3. Stores it forever
    
4. Moves the timeline forward
    

🎉 That snapshot is your commit.

## 🔐 What are Git hashes? (No math, promise)

Git gives **everything a unique ID**.

Like:

* Aadhaar number
    
* Fingerprint 🖐️
    

If the content changes:  
➡️ the ID changes

This means:

* No fake history
    
* No silent changes
    
* 100% trust
    

## Git — Simple Summary

* **Git is a memory system** for your code. It remembers every version of your project.
    
* The `.git` folder is Git’s brain. All history, commits, and branches live there.
    
* Git saves **snapshots**, not just changes.
    
* Your files live in the **working directory**.
    
* The **staging area** is a checklist of what will go into the next snapshot.
    
* `git add` = choose files for the snapshot.
    
* `git commit` = take the snapshot and save it forever.
    
* Git uses **hashes (unique IDs)** to make sure nothing is changed or corrupted.  
    \-- **Mental model:** edit → select → snapshot → remember forever.