What are tracked files and untracked files in the context of Git?

Question

I\'m new to Git. I wish to know what are tracked and untracked files? I read \"Pro Git\", but still couldn\'t quite understand.

Can someone explain to

Answer 1

From a purely technical perspective: A tracked file is simply a file that exists in the Git index. To say it's a file "under version control" is misleading, because this suggests that it's a file that made it into the repo--and that's not necessary for a file to be tracked.

When you init a new Git repo, the index is empty and all files in your working directory are untracked. A file gets tracked when it's added to the index--at which point a SHA-1 hash is created for it and an object entry is placed into the .Git\Objects folder. From that moment on, Git is able to compare the contents/name of the same file in the working directory in order to track changes, renames, and deletes. As long as the file exists in the index, it is tracked.