A repository, usually shortened to repo, is a project's home in a version control system. It holds the current files of a website or app together with the complete record of how they got there: every change, who made it and when. If you own the repository, you own the code and its history.
What is inside a Git repository
From the outside a repo looks like an ordinary folder of files. The difference is a hidden .git directory at its root, where Git keeps every commit, every branch and the settings that say where shared copies live. Delete that hidden folder and you have plain files with no history.
Most repositories also include a README file explaining what the project is and how to run it, a .gitignore file listing what should never be tracked, and for web projects a package.json that lists the libraries the code depends on.
Local and remote copies
Each developer has a local repository on their computer. A remote repository is the shared copy on a server, typically on GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket. Developers push their commits to the remote and pull everyone else's down. Remote repos can be public, readable by anyone, or private, limited to people you invite.
An example from a real handover
A florist pays an agency to build an online shop. At the end of the project the agency sends a zip file of the site. A year later, a new developer has no idea which version is live, what was changed after launch or why certain decisions were made. Had the agency handed over a private repository in the florist's own GitHub account, the new developer would see the full history, the README and every change up to the present.
When a repository matters to you
Any site with custom code should sit in a repository you control. Ask for it in your contract. Hosting platforms such as Vercel and Netlify publish directly from a repository, so it also becomes the source of truth for what is live. If you use a hosted builder with no code access, there is no repo to worry about, though some builders, We.Inc among them, can export the code to a GitHub repository.
Repository mistakes to avoid
- Repo owned by a developer's personal account. Transfer it to an account or organization your business controls.
- Public by default. Check visibility before pushing anything that includes configuration or customer data.
- No README. A few lines on how to install and run the project save hours for whoever comes next.
- Storing large media in the repo. Hundreds of megabytes of videos slow every clone; keep them in file storage or a CDN.
Related terms
- Git: the most common system for managing repositories.
- GitHub: a popular host for remote repositories.
- Commit: the individual entries in a repo's history.
- Version control: the practice repositories exist to support.