I Turned an S3 Bucket Into a Git Remote—No Server Required

Description and use

git3 enables serverless Git hosting on S3, preserving full Git semantics, supporting all common Git operations, and leveraging AWS credentials for secure access. It reduces operational overhead while keeping local repositories fully functional.

Problem

Developers need a simple, serverless Git remote that uses existing AWS infrastructure, avoiding extra services, security overhead, and custom account systems.

Outcome

git3 enables serverless Git hosting on S3, preserving full Git semantics, supporting all common Git operations, and leveraging AWS credentials for secure access. It reduces operational overhead while keeping local repositories fully functional.

Workflow

• Install git3 via one‑liner script
• Configure AWS credentials (default, profile, or env vars)
• Clone a repository: git clone s3://my-bucket/repos/example
• Add remote and push first branch: git remote add origin s3://my-bucket/repos/example && git push -u origin HEAD:refs/heads/main
• Use normal Git commands (fetch, pull, push, delete, force, atomic, submodule)
• Run maintenance commands: git s3 doctor, git s3 fsck, git s3 gc, git s3 set-head