niu-git
Native Windows Git, no MSYS: the real git-for-windows C sources built with MSVC —
no bundled bash, no bundled perl, no bundled OpenSSL; TLS goes through schannel and the
Windows certificate store. The git on PATH is git itself, git --version
starts in about 14 ms, and the scripted parts (hooks, bisect, mergetool) run on niubash's
sh.
Why niu-git
Nearly everyone on Windows has a git on PATH that "boots an MSYS2 runtime before doing work": calling from cmd / PowerShell hops through the cmd\git.exe launcher, calling from Git Bash pays an extra fork — so every git status pays tax for a POSIX world you don't need. niu-git's stance is plain: the git binary is a C program, so build it natively as one; git's scripted parts are shell, so hand them to a real shell.
中文原文 · Chinese original（4 张卡片全文）
- 快是结构性的，不是调优——Git Bash 的 git 跑在 MSYS2 运行时里，每次调用都付一遍 POSIX 运行时初始化；niu-git 的 usr\bin\git.exe 就是 git 本体：一次 CreateProcess，无 MSYS DLL、进程树里无 bash 无 perl。
- 无 MSYS、无 OpenSSL、无捆绑脚本运行时——MSVC + CMake 构建 git-for-windows 真实 C 源码；TLS 只走 schannel；zlib / iconv 静态链接；shell 脚本部分由 PATH 上的 niubash sh 承担。
- 参数保真：引号纪律与消息字面字节——commit -m 载荷、D:\dir\ 路径规格、CJK 与多行消息逐字节存活；差分套件 49/49 钉死；消息载荷永不改写。
- 边界诚实：不带的说清楚——perl 命令（send-email、svn、cvs*）不提供而不是运行时才失败；git-gui / gitk 不随发；git grep -P 没有——用 WinuxCmd 的 grep -P。
Core features
Real git C sources, natively built with MSVC; ~14 ms startup; schannel TLS with credential helpers untouched; a clean division of labor with niubash's sh; an upstream test baseline on record; and it arrives together with niubash. Full six-point list (Chinese):
中文原文 · Chinese original（六条特性全文）
- 真 git C 源码，MSVC 原生构建——上游 git-for-windows 的 C 源码 + 仓内三枚补丁（#1 schannel 容忍 stale http.sslBackend；#2 POSIX 形路径参数 + 消息守卫；#3 system prefix 自定位），源码永不入仓，CI 拉上游 tarball 打补丁。
- ~14 ms 启动——wpm flat 布局实测 git --version 13.7 ms 均值；v2.55.0.5 起根入口 launcher 退役，无包装 hop。
- schannel TLS 与凭据不越权——TLS 走 Windows 证书库；自配的任何凭据 helper 照常生效；系统 gitconfig 刻意不设默认 helper；自带 172 KB 的 wincred 小助手。
- 与 niubash sh 的分工——hooks、git bisect、git mergetool、git filter-branch、git submodule、git request-pull 跑在 niubash 提供的 sh 上。
- 上游测试基线在案——curated subset 2861 ok / 14 例 # TODO known breakage / 0 硬失败；t0001-init 102/103。
- 随 niubash 一起到货——niubash 1.4.0 的 Windows 发行包经 wpm 预装 niu-git（ARM64 同样预装）。
Install & quick start
Windows: the niubash release package already preloads niu-git (the bundle list lives in niubash's scripts/release/preinstall.json; niu-git and gawk are windows-x64 assets, the ARM64 leg ships only ripgrep and fd per the preinstall.json notes). Verify:
git --versionMigrating from a MinGit shim install (the flat layout needs WinuxCmd/wpm 1.1.9+):
wpm update winuxcmd
wpm install niugit --force
One-line first-run check: git --version should print a version string of the
2.56.0.windows.2.niugit shape — upstream suffix and the niu-git distro marker both
present. niubash users can skip this: the Windows package already ships niu-git (x64 and ARM64).
Deep dive: speed, the native toolchain and sh interplay
Speed comparison
Windows x64, warm cache, Python subprocess timing, 15 rounds, a small repo (measured 2026-10). The gap is structural: niu-git reaches the git binary in one CreateProcess; the Git Bash side pays MSYS2 runtime initialization per call (plus a fork inside the prompt).
| git on PATH | git --version | git status --porcelain |
|---|---|---|
| niu-git (flat layout) | 13.7 ms mean / 11.5 ms min | 22.6 ms mean / 17.4 ms min |
| Git for Windows mingw64\bin\git.exe | 51.3 ms mean | 30.6 ms mean |
| Git for Windows cmd\git.exe (the usual PATH entry) | 45.3 ms mean | 50.1 ms mean |
| time git … inside the Git Bash prompt | 73–103 ms real | — |
中文原文 · Chinese original（MSVC / schannel 与 sh 联动 两节全文）
MSVC / schannel：原生工具链到底——构建链是 MSVC + CMake（+ vcpkg），TLS 只编 schannel：证书与系统更新走 Windows 证书库，不携带 OpenSSL 及其随附 dll；zlib 与 iconv 静态链接。patch #1 容忍遗留的 http.sslBackend 配置——警告并回落，而不是拒绝启动。
与 niubash sh 联动——git 的脚本面不是被删掉，是被分工：hooks、git bisect、git mergetool、git filter-branch、git submodule、git request-pull 交给 PATH 上的 sh（即 niubash 的 sh shim）。perl 依赖的 send-email / svn / cvs* 诚实缺席；git grep -P 没有时用 WinuxCmd 的 grep -P。路径方言总账见 路径与 MSYS。
Measured numbers
| Metric | niu-git | Contrast | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| git --version | 13.7 ms mean / 11.5 ms min (~14 ms) | Git Bash 45–103 ms | niu-git README Speed table (measured 2026-10) |
| git status --porcelain | 22.6 ms mean / 17.4 ms min | GfW cmd\git.exe 50.1 ms mean | same table |
| Install size | bundle 29 MB / zip 33 MB | MinGit zip 37 MB | niu-git README Status section |
| Upstream t/ suites (curated subset) | 2861 ok / 0 hard failures | 14 # TODO known breakage entries | niu-git README Test section |
| Launcher quoting differential | 49/49 pass | — | niu-git PR #6 · test-launcher.py |
Release feed
| Version | Date | Summary |
|---|---|---|
v2.56.0.1 | — | Latest tag: upstream baseline advanced to git 2.56.0.windows.2; git --version carries the 2.56.0.windows.2.niugit distro marker (repo-meta, measured 2026-10-19; no releases page — the tag is the version). |
v2.55.0.5 | — | Dispatcher retired: patch #3 self-location maps the real mingw64/bin/git.exe straight onto usr\bin\git.exe — wpm flat measures 13.7 ms mean for git --version, 22.6 ms for git status; wpm/niugit.json is this version's index entry (sha256/size aligned with the local build). |
v2.55.0.windows.2 | — | Phase 0 PoC finalized: git-for-windows v2.55.0.windows.2 built with MSVC + CMake + vcpkg, zlib/iconv static, bundle 29 MB; init/add/commit/log/status, schannel https clone, and hooks via the PATH sh all verified. |
niu-git is outside changelogs.json's fetch scope (no releases page, no CHANGELOG — the tag is the version, per the FACTS.json products ruling); the table above summarizes the in-repo README, wpm/niugit.json and portal repo-meta tag measurements. Other repos' full feed: changelog.
Related links
On this site
- niubash product page — the other half of the sh interplay; the Windows package ships niu-git
- WinuxCmd product page — the provider of wpm and grep -P
- Paths & MSYS · Benchmarks (git startup ~14 ms vs 45–103 ms) · Changelog
Off site
- GitHub repo ↗ (a patch repo: sources never committed; CI pulls the upstream tarball and applies patches/)
- Tags (versions are tags) ↗
- Chinese edition of this page
FAQ
How is niu-git different from Git for Windows?
The same git-for-windows C sources built natively with MSVC: no MSYS layer, no OpenSSL (TLS via schannel + the Windows cert store), no bundled shell/perl — launcher quoting follows the Win32 documentation with zero heuristics.
Why is niu-git fast?
git starts in about 14 ms (Git Bash measures 45–103 ms) — no DLL loading or MSYS init chain, the process starts directly.
How do I install niu-git?
It is preinstalled with niubash (x64 / arm64): git --version works out of the box, and POSIX-shaped /d/... arguments are accepted.
How is niubash different from Git Bash / WSL?
niubash is a native Windows program written in Rust: no bundled MSYS emulation layer, no WSL VM. Git Bash heuristically rewrites path-looking arguments before spawn (the reason the MSYS_NO_PATHCONV incantation exists); niu passes argv through byte-for-byte. The installed family is ≈16 MB versus Git Bash's ~440 MB.
How is the performance?
One-shot execution (niu -c true) is 19.8 ms after dedicated optimization; niu-git starts in ~14 ms (Git Bash: 45–103 ms); command-substitution and subshell workloads run 13–62x faster than GNU bash. Every number ships with its measurement method and reproducible artifacts — see Benchmarks (/benchmarks/).