SHA-256 Support

[dezren39]

Hi! A year ago it was mentioned that SHA-256 support was on the roadmap:

https://github.community/t/support-for-sha-256-hashes/157493

I was hoping to get an update on this and a timeline. Could we get a beta this year?

[lubo]

I'd appreciate a response from the staff as well. Also, GitLab's been working on this. See 🕵 Support for SHA256 repositories (&794).

[batazor]

so, GitLab did it - https://about.gitlab.com/blog/2023/08/28/sha256-support-in-gitaly/

P.S. Not all the way through, but almost

[eloj]

Doesn't seem to be working yet.

Pushing to github.com:eloj/testsha256repo.git
fatal: protocol error: unexpected capabilities^{}

I'm sure someone will get right on it, after they're done with all the copilot stuff maybe.

[shivangswain]

Guess we're still waiting on this, huh?

[lexi-the-cute]

I would also love SHA-256 support!

For those wanting to experiment with SHA-256 locally, you have to initialize a new repo cause at the time of writing, you cannot mix hash types within the same repo.

The command to initialize a new repo as SHA-256 is:

git init --object-format=sha256

[Nurmagoz]

https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-now-supports-sha256-repositories/

Gitlab announced an experimental way of trying it.

Any update from github side?

[wiktor-k]

Ack, and it works well in my experience. Codeberg supports SHA-256 repos, too so it leaves only GitHub lagging on this important feature...

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[eloj]

Git 3.0 aims to change the default hash to SHA-256:

* Flipping the default hash function to SHA-256 at Git 3.0 boundary is planned.

https://github.com/git/git/blob/721c9e5ce7c6fa4e1a33490f5e5a81eeee814021/Documentation/RelNotes/2.51.0.adoc?plain=1#L111

Enable SHA-256 by default in breaking changes mode

Our document on breaking changes indicates that we intend to default to
SHA-256 in Git 3.0.  Since most people choose the default option, this
is an important security upgrade to our defaults.

git/git@c79bb70

[MonterraByte]

Can't wait for Git 3.0 to release before GitHub adds support for SHA-256 repos, causing everyone to change their Git config back to SHA-1 so they can push to GitHub, and then forgetting to switch back to SHA-256 once GitHub finally gets around to it...

[cinit]

Hello year 2026. Is there any update?

[halamix2]

Nope, pushing a sha256 repo doesn't work, import from other git sha256 repo (e.g. from codeberg) repo ends with the following email:

Hi halamix2!

The import to https://github.com/halamix2/test2 failed. The following error occurred: A critical error occurred in the Delete broken refs step of the git migration..


If you have any questions, please contact us at https://github.com/contact.

--
Your friends at GitHub

[halamix2]

See also https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/154056

[vlakoff]

I’m adding my voice here because this issue has now become a real ecosystem‑level blocker.
For reference, the official Git documentation on the transition is here: https://git-scm.com/docs/hash-function-transition

Git has supported SHA‑256 since version 2.29 (released in October 2020).
That’s more than five years of official support in the Git tool itself.

According to the Git project’s own roadmap, SHA‑256 is planned to become the default hash algorithm in Git 3.0, and the Git 2.51 release notes explicitly confirm this. In other words, the Git maintainers consider SHA‑256 mature enough that it will soon be the standard for all new repositories.

Meanwhile, some of GitHub’s competitors have already moved:

• GitLab announced SHA‑256 repository support in 2023 and later added UI‑level project creation support in 2024 (both still experimental).
• Codeberg supports SHA‑256 repositories through Forgejo, and users report it works reliably since Forgejo 7.0 (2024).

At this point, GitHub is by far the primary blocker preventing SHA‑256 adoption across the Git ecosystem.
Every other major component—Git itself, hosting alternatives, local tooling—already supports or is ready for SHA‑256. GitHub’s lack of support forces users to stay on SHA‑1, even though the Git project has been preparing the transition for years.

It would be extremely helpful to have any update from GitHub staff: even a rough timeline, or confirmation that SHA‑256 support is actively being worked on. The community has been waiting since 2020, and the rest of the ecosystem is moving forward without GitHub.

[vlakoff]

• Also worth noting, the upcoming SmartGit 26.1 has added support for Git 3.0.

  From changelog-26.1.txt:

  # SmartGit 26.1.011 (2026-03-02)
  (...)
  - Git:
    - Git 3.0 compatibility: SHA-256 support
    - Git 3.0 compatibility: reftable support
    - Repository validation: optimized internal checks
  

• Gitea is another forge that has added support for SHA-256.

  Their PR #23894 may be of interest for insight into the technical implementation.

  (There is the exception of the GoGit tool: go-git/go-git#706 — edit: initial SHA‑256 support has begun landing, available in the v6.0.0‑alpha.1 prerelease.)

• Some forges that still do not support SHA‑256 include:

  • Bitbucket (BCLOUD-23729), which is another major platform lagging behind GitHub in this area
  • JGit (eclipse-jgit/jgit#73), used for instance by Gerrit

[kamikaze]

what a shame