Importance of Initial Empty Git Commit

In professional software engineering, repository history is more than a log of changes -- it is documentation of how a project evolves. One best practice that contributes to a clean, structured history is starting with an initial empty commit.

Rationale

An empty commit at the beginning of a repository establishes a baseline state before any source code or configuration is introduced. This approach provides:

A clear project origin: The commit marks the official start of the repository’s timeline.
Separation of concerns: The first functional commit can focus exclusively on code or assets, without mixing repository setup.
Consistency in collaboration: Teams benefit from a well-defined “root” commit, simplifying rebasing and merging strategies.
Pipeline validation: Continuous integration systems can be tested and verified against the empty commit before introducing actual code.

Implementation

Creating an initial empty commit is straightforward:


git init
git commit --allow-empty -m "chore: initial empty commit"

Comparison

Without Empty Commit	With Empty Commit
First commit mixes setup steps with project code.	First commit contains only project code; setup is clearly separated.
No obvious "root" commit to rebase against.	Defined baseline commit simplifies rebasing and history management.
CI/CD pipelines must wait until code is added to be validated.	Pipelines can be tested against the empty commit before code introduction.
Repository history is slightly less structured.	Repository history is clean, predictable, and easier to reason about.

Visualizing the Difference


Without Empty Commit:

*	a1b2c3	Initial commit (code + setup)
*	d4e5f6	Feature A
*	g7h8i9	Feature B

With Empty Commit:

*	z0y1x2	chore: initial empty commit
*	a1b2c3	Add project code
*	d4e5f6	Feature A
*	g7h8i9	Feature B

Branching and Rebasing

Having a root commit makes branching and rebasing cleaner, since all work can be traced back to a neutral starting point:


Without Empty Commit:

feature
  |
  *	f3f4f5	Feature branch work
  |
  *	a1b2c3	Initial commit (code + setup)

NOTE: Rebasing feature onto main mixes changes with setup.


With Empty Commit:

feature
  |
  *	f3f4f5	Feature branch work
  |
  *	a1b2c3	Add project code
  |
  *	z0y1x2	chore: initial empty commit

NOTE: Rebasing feature onto main is straightforward -- everything 
cleanly builds on top of the empty root commit.

Best Practices

Always start new repositories with an --allow-empty commit.
Use a clear and semantic message (e.g., chore: initial empty commit).
Keep the first functional commit dedicated purely to project code.
Validate CI/CD pipelines against the empty commit before introducing code.
Treat the empty commit as the "anchor point" for all branches and rebases.

This simple discipline establishes a maintainable, professional foundation for any software project. The initial empty commit is not just a placeholder -- it is a deliberate design choice for cleaner history and smoother collaboration.