---
stage: Create
group: Source Code
info: "To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments"
type: reference, api
---

# Repository files API **(FREE)**

**CRUD for repository files**

**Create, read, update, and delete repository files using this API**

The different scopes available using [personal access tokens](../user/profile/personal_access_tokens.md) are depicted
in the following table.

| Scope | Description |
| ----- | ----------- |
| `read_repository` | Allows read-access to the repository files. |
| `api` | Allows read-write access to the repository files. |

> `read_repository` scope was [introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/-/merge_requests/23534) in GitLab 11.6.

## Get file from repository

Allows you to receive information about file in repository like name, size,
content. Note that file content is Base64 encoded. This endpoint can be accessed
without authentication if the repository is publicly accessible.

```plaintext
GET /projects/:id/repository/files/:file_path
```

```shell
curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/13083/repository/files/app%2Fmodels%2Fkey%2Erb?ref=master"
```

Example response:

```json
{
  "file_name": "key.rb",
  "file_path": "app/models/key.rb",
  "size": 1476,
  "encoding": "base64",
  "content": "IyA9PSBTY2hlbWEgSW5mb3...",
  "content_sha256": "4c294617b60715c1d218e61164a3abd4808a4284cbc30e6728a01ad9aada4481",
  "ref": "master",
  "blob_id": "79f7bbd25901e8334750839545a9bd021f0e4c83",
  "commit_id": "d5a3ff139356ce33e37e73add446f16869741b50",
  "last_commit_id": "570e7b2abdd848b95f2f578043fc23bd6f6fd24d"
}
```

Parameters:

- `file_path` (required) - URL encoded full path to new file. Ex. lib%2Fclass%2Erb
- `ref` (required) - The name of branch, tag or commit

NOTE:
`blob_id` is the blob SHA, see [repositories - Get a blob from repository](repositories.md#get-a-blob-from-repository)

In addition to the `GET` method, you can also use `HEAD` to get just file metadata.

```plaintext
HEAD /projects/:id/repository/files/:file_path
```

```shell
curl --head --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/13083/repository/files/app%2Fmodels%2Fkey%2Erb?ref=master"
```

Example response:

```plaintext
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
...
X-Gitlab-Blob-Id: 79f7bbd25901e8334750839545a9bd021f0e4c83
X-Gitlab-Commit-Id: d5a3ff139356ce33e37e73add446f16869741b50
X-Gitlab-Content-Sha256: 4c294617b60715c1d218e61164a3abd4808a4284cbc30e6728a01ad9aada4481
X-Gitlab-Encoding: base64
X-Gitlab-File-Name: key.rb
X-Gitlab-File-Path: app/models/key.rb
X-Gitlab-Last-Commit-Id: 570e7b2abdd848b95f2f578043fc23bd6f6fd24d
X-Gitlab-Ref: master
X-Gitlab-Size: 1476
...
```

## Get file blame from repository

Allows you to receive blame information. Each blame range contains lines and corresponding commit information.

```plaintext
GET /projects/:id/repository/files/:file_path/blame
```

```shell
curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/13083/repository/files/path%2Fto%2Ffile.rb/blame?ref=master"
```

Example response:

```json
[
  {
    "commit": {
      "id": "d42409d56517157c48bf3bd97d3f75974dde19fb",
      "message": "Add feature\n\nalso fix bug\n",
      "parent_ids": [
        "cc6e14f9328fa6d7b5a0d3c30dc2002a3f2a3822"
      ],
      "authored_date": "2015-12-18T08:12:22.000Z",
      "author_name": "John Doe",
      "author_email": "john.doe@example.com",
      "committed_date": "2015-12-18T08:12:22.000Z",
      "committer_name": "John Doe",
      "committer_email": "john.doe@example.com"
    },
    "lines": [
      "require 'fileutils'",
      "require 'open3'",
      ""
    ]
  },
  ...
]
```

Parameters:

- `file_path` (required) - URL encoded full path to new file. Ex. lib%2Fclass%2Erb
- `ref` (required) - The name of branch, tag or commit

NOTE:
`HEAD` method return just file metadata as in [Get file from repository](repository_files.md#get-file-from-repository).

```shell
curl --head --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/13083/repository/files/path%2Fto%2Ffile.rb/blame?ref=master"
```

Example response:

```plaintext
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
...
X-Gitlab-Blob-Id: 79f7bbd25901e8334750839545a9bd021f0e4c83
X-Gitlab-Commit-Id: d5a3ff139356ce33e37e73add446f16869741b50
X-Gitlab-Content-Sha256: 4c294617b60715c1d218e61164a3abd4808a4284cbc30e6728a01ad9aada4481
X-Gitlab-Encoding: base64
X-Gitlab-File-Name: file.rb
X-Gitlab-File-Path: path/to/file.rb
X-Gitlab-Last-Commit-Id: 570e7b2abdd848b95f2f578043fc23bd6f6fd24d
X-Gitlab-Ref: master
X-Gitlab-Size: 1476
...
```

## Get raw file from repository

```plaintext
GET /projects/:id/repository/files/:file_path/raw
```

```shell
curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/13083/repository/files/app%2Fmodels%2Fkey%2Erb/raw?ref=master"
```

Parameters:

- `file_path` (required) - URL encoded full path to new file, such as lib%2Fclass%2Erb.
- `ref` (optional) - The name of branch, tag or commit. Default is the `HEAD` of the project.

NOTE:
Like [Get file from repository](repository_files.md#get-file-from-repository) you can use `HEAD` to get just file metadata.

## Create new file in repository

This allows you to create a single file. For creating multiple files with a single request see the [commits API](commits.md#create-a-commit-with-multiple-files-and-actions).

```plaintext
POST /projects/:id/repository/files/:file_path
```

```shell
curl --request POST --header 'PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>' \
     --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
     --data '{"branch": "master", "author_email": "author@example.com", "author_name": "Firstname Lastname", \
               "content": "some content", "commit_message": "create a new file"}' \
     "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/13083/repository/files/app%2Fproject%2Erb"
```

Example response:

```json
{
  "file_path": "app/project.rb",
  "branch": "master"
}
```

Parameters:

- `file_path` (required) - URL encoded full path to new file. Ex. lib%2Fclass%2Erb
- `branch` (required) - Name of the branch
- `start_branch` (optional) - Name of the branch to start the new commit from
- `encoding` (optional) - Change encoding to `base64`. Default is `text`.
- `author_email` (optional) - Specify the commit author's email address
- `author_name` (optional) - Specify the commit author's name
- `content` (required) - File content
- `commit_message` (required) - Commit message

## Update existing file in repository

This allows you to update a single file. For updating multiple files with a single request see the [commits API](commits.md#create-a-commit-with-multiple-files-and-actions).

```plaintext
PUT /projects/:id/repository/files/:file_path
```

```shell
curl --request PUT --header 'PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>' \
     --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
     --data '{"branch": "master", "author_email": "author@example.com", "author_name": "Firstname Lastname", \
       "content": "some content", "commit_message": "update file"}' \
     "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/13083/repository/files/app%2Fproject%2Erb"
```

Example response:

```json
{
  "file_path": "app/project.rb",
  "branch": "master"
}
```

Parameters:

- `file_path` (required) - URL encoded full path to new file. Ex. lib%2Fclass%2Erb
- `branch` (required) - Name of the branch
- `start_branch` (optional) - Name of the branch to start the new commit from
- `encoding` (optional) - Change encoding to `base64`. Default is `text`.
- `author_email` (optional) - Specify the commit author's email address
- `author_name` (optional) - Specify the commit author's name
- `content` (required) - New file content
- `commit_message` (required) - Commit message
- `last_commit_id` (optional) - Last known file commit ID

If the commit fails for any reason we return a 400 error with a non-specific
error message. Possible causes for a failed commit include:

- the `file_path` contained `/../` (attempted directory traversal);
- the new file contents were identical to the current file contents. That is, the
  user tried to make an empty commit;
- the branch was updated by a Git push while the file edit was in progress.

GitLab Shell has a boolean return code, preventing GitLab from specifying the error.

## Delete existing file in repository

This allows you to delete a single file. For deleting multiple files with a single request, see the [commits API](commits.md#create-a-commit-with-multiple-files-and-actions).

```plaintext
DELETE /projects/:id/repository/files/:file_path
```

```shell
curl --request DELETE --header 'PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>' \
     --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
     --data '{"branch": "master", "author_email": "author@example.com", "author_name": "Firstname Lastname", \
       "commit_message": "delete file"}' \
     "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/13083/repository/files/app%2Fproject%2Erb"
```

Parameters:

- `file_path` (required) - URL encoded full path to new file. Ex. lib%2Fclass%2Erb
- `branch` (required) - Name of the branch
- `start_branch` (optional) - Name of the branch to start the new commit from
- `author_email` (optional) - Specify the commit author's email address
- `author_name` (optional) - Specify the commit author's name
- `commit_message` (required) - Commit message
- `last_commit_id` (optional) - Last known file commit ID