Steps to Push an Empty Commit

Step 1: Create an Empty Commit

To create an empty commit, use the git commit command with the –allow-empty flag. This flag tells Git to create a commit even if there are no changes in the working directory.

git commit --allow-empty -m "This is an empty commit"

Replace “This is an empty commit” with your desired commit message.

Step 2: Verify the Empty Commit

After creating the empty commit, you can verify it by checking the commit history. Use the git log command to see the latest commits.

git log -1

The -1 option limits the output to the most recent commit. You should see your empty commit listed there.

Step 3: Push the Empty Commit

Once the empty commit is created, push it to the remote repository using the git push command.

git push origin <branch>

Replace <branch> with the name of the branch you want to push to, such as main or develop.

Example

Let’s go through a practical example where you need to trigger a CI/CD pipeline by pushing an empty commit to the main branch.

Step 1: Navigate to Your Repository:

cd /path/to/your/repository

Step 2: Create an Empty Commit:

git commit --allow-empty -m "Trigger CI/CD pipeline"

Push the Empty Commit to the Main Branch:

git push origin main

In Git, commits are snapshots of your repository at specific points in time, typically containing changes to the files. However, there are instances when you might need to create and push an empty commit, one that doesn’t introduce any changes to the codebase. This article explains why you might need an empty commit and how to create and push one in Git.