How to Copy a Folder from a Specific Git Commit to a Local Directory using Git Archive and Tar

Here is a tutorial that explains how to copy a folder from a specific commit in a Git repository to a local directory using the git archive and tar commands:

1. Navigate to the parent directory of the destination directory:

   cd /path/to/parent/directory

2. Create the destination directory where you want to copy the files:

   mkdir destination_directory

3. Check out the desired commit:

   git checkout <commit_hash>

Replace <commit_hash> with the hash of the commit that contains the folder you want to copy. You can find the commit hash using git log.

4. Use the git archive command to create a tar archive of the desired folder:

   git archive <commit_hash> <folder_path> | tar -x -C destination_directory

Replace <commit_hash> with the hash of the commit that contains the folder you want to copy. Replace <folder_path> with the path to the folder you want to copy, relative to the root of the Git repository. The git archive command creates a tar archive of the specified folder in the specified commit.

The tar -x -C destination_directory command extracts the contents of the tar archive to the destination_directory.

5. Optionally, move the files from the extracted directory to the desired location:

   mv destination_directory/<folder_name> /path/to/new/location

Replace <folder_name> with the name of the extracted directory. Replace /path/to/new/location with the path to the desired location for the copied files.

6. Check out the original branch or commit:

   git checkout <original_branch_or_commit>

Replace <original_branch_or_commit> with the name or hash of the original branch or commit.

7. (Optional) Remove the temporary destination directory:

   rm -r destination_directory

This step is only necessary if you do not plan to use the destination directory for anything else.

That's it! Following these steps will allow you to copy a folder from a specific commit in a Git repository to a local directory using the git archive and tar commands.