WebGit allows old machines on a local network to interact with Git repositories through a simple HTML-based web interface. The server clones repositories to a shared network drive so that legacy systems can access the working files directly. Git operations — committing, branching, pushing, and pulling — are performed through the web UI since these machines cannot run Git themselves.

┌──────────────┐        ┌──────────────┐
│  Win 3.11 /  │  HTTP  │              │    ┌────────────────┐
│  Win 98 PC   ├───────►│   WebGit     ├───►│  Git remote    │
│  (browser)   │        │   server     │    └────────────────┘
└──────┬───────┘        └──────┬───────┘
       │                       │
       │    ┌──────────────┐   │
       └───►│ Network drive│◄──┘
            │ (work trees) │
            └──────────────┘

Features

Clone repositories — clone a remote repository; the working tree is placed on the shared network drive and the .git directory is stored separately.
Create commits — stage files and create commits from the web interface.
Push and pull — sync with remote repositories.
Branch management — check out existing branches or create new ones.
Retro-compatible UI — pure HTML with table-based layout. No JavaScript or CSS, so it works in period-appropriate browsers.
Telnet interface — planned interface for FreeDOS users without a graphical web browser.

Tech Stack

Java 25
Spring Boot 4.0
Thymeleaf (server-side HTML templating)
Gradle

Configuration

Configure the following properties in application.properties (or via environment variables / command-line arguments):

Property	Description
`webgit.worktree-path`	Path to the shared network drive where working trees are stored (the files your retro machines will access).
`webgit.git-dir-path`	Path where `.git` directories are stored (can be a local disk on the server).
`webgit.username`	Username for push/pull authentication (e.g. a dedicated Gitea account).
`webgit.password`	Password or access token for push/pull authentication.

Credentials can be supplied via environment variables (WEBGIT_USERNAME, WEBGIT_PASSWORD) to avoid storing them in config files.

Example:

webgit.worktree-path=/mnt/shared/repos
webgit.git-dir-path=/var/lib/webgit/git

Building

./gradlew build

Running

./gradlew bootRun

Then open http://<server>:8080 in any web browser.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0. See LICENSE.txt for details.