# Pro Git by Scott Chacon and Ben Straub

8 Hacker News commenters recommended Pro Git by Scott Chacon and Ben Straub and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Explains how Git works under the hood, from internals to everyday use and running a server. One critic finds it dull.

## Why people recommend it

- Explains Git internals clearly (3 comments): "All of it makes sense and is decently intuitive once you know how internals work." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47487004)) "It provides a great mental model of how git works under the hood." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48903054)) "it makes understanding what's going on so much easier" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47935684))
- Covers nearly everything you need (2 comments): "if you want to sit down and really learn the nuts and bolts" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49058167)) "will teach you most of what you'll need in a lifetime" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47138695))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Crafting Interpreters by Robert Nystrom](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crafting-interpreters.md): 60 recommend
- [Clean Code by Robert C. Martin](https://hackerapproved.com/p/clean-code.md): 31 recommend
- [The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas](https://hackerapproved.com/p/pragmatic-programmer.md): 28 recommend
- [How to Design Programs by Felleisen, Findler, Flatt and Krishnamurthi](https://hackerapproved.com/p/how-to-design-programs.md): 18 recommend
- [Mastering Emacs by Mickey Petersen](https://hackerapproved.com/p/mastering-emacs.md): 17 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1430216808?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9781430216803) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Pro Git by Scott Chacon and Ben Straub", https://hackerapproved.com/p/pro-git/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).