git-count

Print the total number of commits

$ git count

$ git count --all

git-count [--commits | --authors | --lines | --branches | --tags | --files | --all] [--since=] [--until=] [--branch=]

--commits
    Counts the total number of commits in the specified scope (e.g., branch or date range).

--authors
    Counts the number of unique authors (contributors) in the repository or specified scope.

--lines
    Counts the total lines of code (LOC) for tracked files in the repository or specified scope. This often excludes binary files.

--branches
    Counts the number of local branches in the repository.

--tags
    Counts the number of tags in the repository.

--files
    Counts the total number of tracked files in the repository.

--since=
    Filters counts to include only activity (e.g., commits, lines) after the specified date. Date formats vary by implementation but often include 'YYYY-MM-DD', 'N.days.ago'.

--until=
    Filters counts to include only activity (e.g., commits, lines) before the specified date.

--branch=
    Specifies a particular branch to analyze instead of the current branch or all branches.

--all
    Displays all available quantitative metrics (e.g., commits, authors, lines, branches, tags, files).

The git-count command is typically a user-defined script or alias, not a standard part of the core Git distribution. Its primary purpose is to provide various quantitative insights into a Git repository. Common uses include counting the total number of commits, individual lines of code (LOC) across the repository, active contributors, or specific object types like branches or tags.

While not universally present, implementations often leverage core Git commands such as git log, git rev-list, git shortlog, or git ls-files combined with shell utilities like wc and awk to extract and process the desired metrics. It serves as a convenient tool for project managers, developers, or anyone needing quick statistics on repository activity and growth.

The git-count command is not part of the standard Git distribution and must be separately installed or created as a custom script or alias. Its exact functionality, options, and output will vary significantly depending on its specific implementation. Users should consult the source code or documentation of their particular git-count script for accurate usage details. Counting lines of code (LOC) can be complex and might not accurately reflect active code if it includes generated files or excludes certain file types.

Custom git-count scripts often combine multiple Git commands. For example, counting commits might use git rev-list --count HEAD, unique authors might use git shortlog -s -n --all | wc -l, and lines of code might involve git ls-files -z | xargs -0 git cat-file blob | wc -l or more sophisticated tools for accurate LOC measurement. The exact logic depends on the script's creator.

Used for quick project health checks, tracking repository growth over time, generating statistics for project reports, and sometimes integrated into continuous integration pipelines to monitor code contributions and activity.

As git-count is typically a custom script, it does not have a formal history like core Git commands. Its development is decentralized, arising from individual developers' and teams' needs to quickly gain repository insights. The concept emerged naturally alongside Git's increasing adoption, as users sought to automate reporting on project metrics. Various open-source implementations exist across GitHub and other platforms, showcasing different approaches to achieving similar counting functionalities. Its usage is prevalent in scenarios requiring quick repository audits, project health checks, or CI/CD pipelines to track growth.

git(1), git-log(1), git-shortlog(1), git-rev-list(1), git-ls-files(1), wc(1)