Ever needed the same codebase in a brand-new repo without dragging along all the old wiring? Think: new brand/country, new org, or a clean slate with fresh tooling (Vault, CI/CD, Sonar, Artifact Registry, Helm/Terraform) — but preserve full history. That’s where --mirror shines.

Why --mirror?

• Copies all refs (branches, tags, notes, remote-tracking) — not just the default branch.
• git push --mirror makes the target exactly match your local mirror (adds/updates and deletes refs).
• Perfect for one-shot duplication or setting up a read-only backup.

Quick recipe (from GitHub docs) ✅

Tip: git clone --mirror is an alternative to --bare that also sets mirror fetch/push config automatically.

Practical use cases 💡

• Brand/Country forks without breaking company automation Spin up a new app with your platform’s generator (Vault/CI/CD/Sonar/etc.), then --mirror the code so you keep history but don’t inherit old integrations.
• Org-to-Org migrations (e.g., GitLab ➜ GitHub or between GitHub orgs) while keeping all branches/tags.
• Disaster-recovery backups Push a scheduled --mirror to a secondary remote (GitHub mirror, CodeCommit, GitLab, Bitbucket).
• Vendor handoffs / Legal splits Deliver complete history without exposing your original repo internals.
• Freeze a baseline before diverging product lines (e.g., client-specific customization).

Gotchas & pro tips ⚠️

• Target must be empty (or at least you should expect --mirror to overwrite refs).
• Issues/PRs/Wiki/Releases metadata aren’t Git objects ➜ they won’t mirror. Use platform import tools/APIs if you need them.
• Git LFS? Do an LFS pass too:
• Secrets & CI settings live in the platform, not the repo → reconfigure in the new project.
• Submodules: update submodule URLs/remotes as needed.

Takeaways 🎯

• --mirror = full-fidelity ref duplication (branches, tags, refs) — ideal for clean relocations and backups.
• Use it when you want history intact but fresh platform wiring.
• Be mindful: it overwrites the target’s refs and doesn’t bring over platform metadata (issues/PRs/secrets).
• For LFS and CI, plan extra steps.

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