diff mbox series

[v7,6/6] Reftable support for git-core

Message ID a622d8066c7fe27accc5101c3341c30bf706dae1.1582706986.git.gitgitgadget@gmail.com (mailing list archive)
State New, archived
Headers show
Series Reftable support git-core | expand

Commit Message

Linus Arver via GitGitGadget Feb. 26, 2020, 8:49 a.m. UTC
From: Han-Wen Nienhuys <hanwen@google.com>

For background, see the previous commit introducing the library.

TODO:

 * Resolve spots marked with XXX
 * Test strategy?

Example use: see t/t0031-reftable.sh

Signed-off-by: Han-Wen Nienhuys <hanwen@google.com>
Co-authored-by: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
---
 .../technical/repository-version.txt          |    7 +
 Makefile                                      |   24 +-
 builtin/clone.c                               |    4 +-
 builtin/init-db.c                             |   55 +-
 cache.h                                       |    4 +-
 refs.c                                        |   20 +-
 refs.h                                        |    3 +
 refs/refs-internal.h                          |    1 +
 refs/reftable-backend.c                       | 1015 +++++++++++++++++
 repository.c                                  |    2 +
 repository.h                                  |    3 +
 setup.c                                       |   12 +-
 t/t0031-reftable.sh                           |   31 +
 13 files changed, 1152 insertions(+), 29 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 refs/reftable-backend.c
 create mode 100755 t/t0031-reftable.sh

Comments

Junio C Hamano Feb. 26, 2020, 6:12 p.m. UTC | #1
"Han-Wen Nienhuys via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com> writes:

> diff --git a/t/t0031-reftable.sh b/t/t0031-reftable.sh
> new file mode 100755
> index 00000000000..d35211c9db2
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/t/t0031-reftable.sh
> @@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
> +#!/bin/sh
> +#
> +# Copyright (c) 2020 Google LLC
> +#
> +
> +test_description='reftable basics'
> +
> +. ./test-lib.sh
> +
> +test_expect_success 'basic operation of reftable storage' '
> +        git init --ref-storage=reftable repo &&

Test script bodies are supposed to be indented with HT, not 8 SPs.

> +        cd repo &&

You are not supposed to chdir around inside tests, unless you do so
in a subshell.  i.e.

	test_expect_success 'basic operation' '
		git init --ref-storage=reftable repo &&
		(
			cd repo &&
			...
		)
	'

This is because the next test somebody else will add after this one
*will* start from inside that repo (but if and only if this step
gets run---and there are ways to skip steps).

> +        echo "hello" > world.txt &&

A shell redirection operator should immediately be followed by the
filename without SP in between, i.e.

	echo hello >world.txt &&

> +        git add world.txt &&
> +        git commit -m "first post" &&
> +        printf "HEAD\nrefs/heads/master\n" > want &&

There is an easier-to-read helper.  Also, by convention, the file
that holds the expected state is called "expect", while the file
that records the actual state observed is called "actual".

	test_write_lines HEAD refs/heads/master >expect &&

> +        git show-ref | cut -f2 -d" " > got &&

Is the order of "show-ref" output guaranteed in some way?  Otherwise
we may need to make sure that we sort it to keep it stable.

Without --show-head, HEAD should not appear in "git show-ref"
output, but the expected output has HEAD, which is puzzling.

We will not notice if a "git" command that placed on the left hand
side of a pipeline segfaults after showing its output.  

People often split a pipeline like this into separate command for
that reason (but there is probably a better way in this case, as we
see soon).

> +        test_cmp got want &&

Taking the above comments together, perhaps

	test_write_lines refs/heads/master >expect &&
	git for-each-ref --sort=refname >actual &&
	test_cmp expect actual &&

> +        for count in $(test_seq 1 10); do
> +                echo "hello" >> world.txt
> +                git commit -m "number ${count}" world.txt
> +        done &&

Style: write "do" on its own line, aligned with "for" on the
previous line.  Same for "if/then/else/fi" "while/do/done" etc.  

    An easy way to remember is that you never use any semicolon in
    your shell script, except for the double-semicolon you use to
    delimit your case arms.

When any of these steps fail, you do not notice it, unless the
failure happens to occur to "git commit" during the last round.  I
think you can use "return 1" to signal the failure to the test
framework, like so.

	for count in $(test_seq 1 10)
	do
		echo hello >>world.txt &&
		git commit -m "number $count} world.txt ||
		return 1
	done &&

> +        git gc &&
> +        nfiles=$(ls -1 .git/reftable | wc -l | tr -d "[ \t]" ) &&
> +        test "${nfiles}" = "2" &&

No need to pipe "wc -l" output to "tr" to strip spaces.  Just stop
double-quoting it on the using side, and even better is to use
test_line_count.  Perhaps

	ls -1 .git/reftable >files &&
	test_line_count = 2 files

> +        git reflog refs/heads/master > output &&
> +        grep "commit (initial): first post" output &&
> +        grep "commit: number 10" output

Do we give guarantees that we keep all the reflog entries?  Would it
help to count the number of lines in the output file here?

> +'
> +
> +test_done
Han-Wen Nienhuys Feb. 26, 2020, 6:59 p.m. UTC | #2
On Wed, Feb 26, 2020 at 7:13 PM Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:
> > diff --git a/t/t0031-reftable.sh b/t/t0031-reftable.sh
> > new file mode 100755
> > index 00000000000..d35211c9db2
> > --- /dev/null
> > +++ b/t/t0031-reftable.sh

Thanks for your careful review. Should we not start with the C code,
though? I've written the reftable library to my best ability, but it
hasn't been peer reviewed yet.

> > +test_expect_success 'basic operation of reftable storage' '
> > +        git init --ref-storage=reftable repo &&
>
> Test script bodies are supposed to be indented with HT, not 8 SPs.

Done

> > +        cd repo &&
>
> You are not supposed to chdir around inside tests, unless you do so
> in a subshell.  i.e.
>
>         test_expect_success 'basic operation' '
>                 git init --ref-storage=reftable repo &&
>                 (
>                         cd repo &&

Done.

> > +        echo "hello" > world.txt &&
>
> A shell redirection operator should immediately be followed by the
> filename without SP in between, i.e.

Done.

>         echo hello >world.txt &&
>
> > +        git add world.txt &&
> > +        git commit -m "first post" &&
> > +        printf "HEAD\nrefs/heads/master\n" > want &&
>
> There is an easier-to-read helper.  Also, by convention, the file
> that holds the expected state is called "expect", while the file
> that records the actual state observed is called "actual".

Done

>         test_write_lines HEAD refs/heads/master >expect &&
>
> > +        git show-ref | cut -f2 -d" " > got &&
>
> Is the order of "show-ref" output guaranteed in some way?  Otherwise
> we may need to make sure that we sort it to keep it stable.

The ref iteration result is lexicographically ordered.

> Without --show-head, HEAD should not appear in "git show-ref"
> output, but the expected output has HEAD, which is puzzling.

The HEAD symref is stored in reftable too, and to the reftable code
it's just another ref. How should we refactor this? Shouldn't the
files ref backend produce "HEAD" and then it's up to the show-ref
builtin to filter it out?

> We will not notice if a "git" command that placed on the left hand
> side of a pipeline segfaults after showing its output.
>
> People often split a pipeline like this into separate command for
> that reason (but there is probably a better way in this case, as we
> see soon).
>
> > +        test_cmp got want &&
>
> Taking the above comments together, perhaps
>
>         test_write_lines refs/heads/master >expect &&
>         git for-each-ref --sort=refname >actual &&
>         test_cmp expect actual &&
>
> > +        for count in $(test_seq 1 10); do
> > +                echo "hello" >> world.txt
> > +                git commit -m "number ${count}" world.txt
> > +        done &&
>
> Style: write "do" on its own line, aligned with "for" on the
> previous line.  Same for "if/then/else/fi" "while/do/done" etc.

Done.

>     An easy way to remember is that you never use any semicolon in
>     your shell script, except for the double-semicolon you use to
>     delimit your case arms.
>
> When any of these steps fail, you do not notice it, unless the
> failure happens to occur to "git commit" during the last round.  I
> think you can use "return 1" to signal the failure to the test
> framework, like so.
>
>         for count in $(test_seq 1 10)
>         do
>                 echo hello >>world.txt &&
>                 git commit -m "number $count} world.txt ||
>                 return 1
>         done &&

Done.

>         ls -1 .git/reftable >files &&
>         test_line_count = 2 files
>

Done.

> > +        git reflog refs/heads/master > output &&
> > +        grep "commit (initial): first post" output &&
> > +        grep "commit: number 10" output
>
> Do we give guarantees that we keep all the reflog entries?  Would it
> help to count the number of lines in the output file here?

The reflog entries are only removed if someone calls into the ref
backend to expire them. Does that happen automatically?
Junio C Hamano Feb. 26, 2020, 7:59 p.m. UTC | #3
Han-Wen Nienhuys <hanwen@google.com> writes:

> On Wed, Feb 26, 2020 at 7:13 PM Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:
>> > diff --git a/t/t0031-reftable.sh b/t/t0031-reftable.sh
>> > new file mode 100755
>> > index 00000000000..d35211c9db2
>> > --- /dev/null
>> > +++ b/t/t0031-reftable.sh
>
> Thanks for your careful review. Should we not start with the C code,
> though? I've written the reftable library to my best ability, but it
> hasn't been peer reviewed yet.

My intention was to let others, especially those from outside
Google, to comment before I do ;-)

>>         test_write_lines HEAD refs/heads/master >expect &&
>>
>> > +        git show-ref | cut -f2 -d" " > got &&
>>
>> Is the order of "show-ref" output guaranteed in some way?  Otherwise
>> we may need to make sure that we sort it to keep it stable.
>
> The ref iteration result is lexicographically ordered.
>
>> Without --show-head, HEAD should not appear in "git show-ref"
>> output, but the expected output has HEAD, which is puzzling.
>
> The HEAD symref is stored in reftable too, and to the reftable code
> it's just another ref. How should we refactor this? Shouldn't the
> files ref backend produce "HEAD" and then it's up to the show-ref
> builtin to filter it out?

After looking at show-ref.c, the answer is obvious, I would think.
for_each_ref() MUST NOT include HEAD in its enumeration, and that is
why the caller of for_each_ref() makes a separate call to head_ref()
when it wants to talk about HEAD.  As a backend-agnostic abstraction
layer, behaviour of functions like for_each_ref() should not change
depending on what ref backend is in use.

> The reflog entries are only removed if someone calls into the ref
> backend to expire them. Does that happen automatically?

"gc auto" may kick in in theory but not likely in these tests, so it
would be safe and sensible to know and check the expected number of
reflog entries in this test, I guess.

Thanks.
Junio C Hamano Feb. 26, 2020, 9:31 p.m. UTC | #4
"Han-Wen Nienhuys via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com> writes:

>  int init_db(const char *git_dir, const char *real_git_dir,
> -	    const char *template_dir, unsigned int flags)
> +	    const char *template_dir, const char *ref_storage_format,
> +	    unsigned int flags)
>  {

This change, and Brian's SHA-256 work, obviously will introduce a
conflict as the other side wants to add an extra parameter to choose
from different hash algorhtims.

I wonder if we should rather add a single pointer to a struct that
can hold various initialization options as an extra parameter.  That
way, each topic can add and manage its own new member in the struct.

>  static int create_default_files(const char *template_path,
> -				const char *original_git_dir)
> +				const char *original_git_dir,
> +				const char *ref_storage_format, int flags)

Pretty much the same story here, too.  The other side aims to be
more generic and passes a "struct repository_format *" as an extra
parameter.  I think the repository-format structure needs to have
what ref backend is in use, so instead of passing only the string
like this patch, we can use the appropriate member from the struct?

Please try to apply this series to 'master', and try to merge the
result with the tip of 'pu', to see if there are other areas that a
better coordination between you and Brian would help moving these
two topics together and work well with each other.

I am not sure how quickly Brian's SHA-256 work solidifies enough to
build on top of, but if it is a good option to build on top of the
topic, that may save some work from this topic, too, as the
mechanism to choose something (i.e. hash algorithm for Brian's
topic, ref backend for this topic) fundamental to the repository at
runtime and at initialization time needs similar supporting
infrastructure, such as changes in "[12/24] setup: allow
check_repository_format to read repository format", and "[13/24]
builtin/init-db: allow specifying hash algorithm on command line"
of that series.

Thanks.
Han-Wen Nienhuys Feb. 27, 2020, 4:01 p.m. UTC | #5
On Wed, Feb 26, 2020 at 10:31 PM Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:
> This change, and Brian's SHA-256 work, obviously will introduce a
> conflict as the other side wants to add an extra parameter to choose
> from different hash algorhtims.
>
> I wonder if we should rather add a single pointer to a struct that
> can hold various initialization options as an extra parameter.  That
> way, each topic can add and manage its own new member in the struct.
>
> >  static int create_default_files(const char *template_path,
> > -                             const char *original_git_dir)
> > +                             const char *original_git_dir,
> > +                             const char *ref_storage_format, int flags)
>
> Pretty much the same story here, too.  The other side aims to be
> more generic and passes a "struct repository_format *" as an extra
> parameter.

Sounds great to me. Could we submit a patch that changes this into
master already so Brian and can work on the same basis?

> I am not sure how quickly Brian's SHA-256 work solidifies enough to
> build on top of, but if it is a good option to build on top of the
> topic, that may save some work from this topic, too, as the
> mechanism to choose something (i.e. hash algorithm for Brian's
> topic, ref backend for this topic) fundamental to the repository at
> runtime and at initialization time needs similar supporting
> infrastructure, such as changes in "[12/24] setup: allow
> check_repository_format to read repository format", and "[13/24]
> builtin/init-db: allow specifying hash algorithm on command line"
> of that series.

Can I pull this series as a git branch somewhere?
Han-Wen Nienhuys Feb. 27, 2020, 4:03 p.m. UTC | #6
On Wed, Feb 26, 2020 at 8:59 PM Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:
> >> Without --show-head, HEAD should not appear in "git show-ref"
> >> output, but the expected output has HEAD, which is puzzling.
> >
> > The HEAD symref is stored in reftable too, and to the reftable code
> > it's just another ref. How should we refactor this? Shouldn't the
> > files ref backend produce "HEAD" and then it's up to the show-ref
> > builtin to filter it out?
>
> After looking at show-ref.c, the answer is obvious, I would think.
> for_each_ref() MUST NOT include HEAD in its enumeration, and that is
> why the caller of for_each_ref() makes a separate call to head_ref()
> when it wants to talk about HEAD.  As a backend-agnostic abstraction
> layer, behaviour of functions like for_each_ref() should not change
> depending on what ref backend is in use.

So, the ref backend should manage the HEAD ref, but iteration should
not produce the HEAD ref.

Are there other refs that behave like this, or is this the only special case?
Junio C Hamano Feb. 27, 2020, 4:23 p.m. UTC | #7
Han-Wen Nienhuys <hanwen@google.com> writes:

> So, the ref backend should manage the HEAD ref, but iteration should
> not produce the HEAD ref.

Yeah, as there is a dedicated API function head_ref().

Things like ORIG_HEAD and MERGE_HEAD have always been curiosity
outside the official API, but IIRC read_ref() and friends are
prepared to read them [*1*], so the vocabulary may be unbounded [*2*].

These won't be listed in for_each_ref() iteration, either (think of
for_each_ref() as a filtered "ls -R .git/refs/" output).

Thanks.


[Footnotes]

*1* I do not offhand know if these *_HEAD pseudo-refs are written
via the refs API---it probably is the safest to arrange the ref
backends in such a way that they always go to the files backend,
even if HEAD and refs/* are managed by a backend different from the
files one.

*2* I vaguely recall that back when ref-backend infrastructure was
introduced, we had discussion on declaring that "^[A-Z_]*HEAD$"
directly under $GIT_DIR/ are these special refs (and nothing else
directly under $GIT_DIR/ is).  I do not recall what happend to the
discussion, though other folks may.
Junio C Hamano Feb. 27, 2020, 4:26 p.m. UTC | #8
Han-Wen Nienhuys <hanwen@google.com> writes:

> Sounds great to me. Could we submit a patch that changes this into
> master already so Brian and can work on the same basis?

Heh, "into master already" is never be the way things work around
here.  But if these two topics can agree the best way forward, it
can be proposed, polished and then merged to 'master', just like any
other topic.  And the two topics both can build on top of that
topic.

>> I am not sure how quickly Brian's SHA-256 work solidifies enough to
>> build on top of, but if it is a good option to build on top of the
>> topic, that may save some work from this topic, too, as the
>> mechanism to choose something (i.e. hash algorithm for Brian's
>> topic, ref backend for this topic) fundamental to the repository at
>> runtime and at initialization time needs similar supporting
>> infrastructure, such as changes in "[12/24] setup: allow
>> check_repository_format to read repository format", and "[13/24]
>> builtin/init-db: allow specifying hash algorithm on command line"
>> of that series.
>
> Can I pull this series as a git branch somewhere?

There is a single merge somewhere on "git log --first-parent master..pu"
that merges bc/sha-256- something (I assume you know how to obtain
'pu').

Thanks.
Han-Wen Nienhuys Feb. 27, 2020, 5:56 p.m. UTC | #9
On Thu, Feb 27, 2020 at 5:23 PM Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:
>
> Han-Wen Nienhuys <hanwen@google.com> writes:
>
> > So, the ref backend should manage the HEAD ref, but iteration should
> > not produce the HEAD ref.
>
> Yeah, as there is a dedicated API function head_ref().
>
> Things like ORIG_HEAD and MERGE_HEAD have always been curiosity
> outside the official API, but IIRC read_ref() and friends are
> prepared to read them [*1*], so the vocabulary may be unbounded [*2*].
>
> These won't be listed in for_each_ref() iteration, either (think of
> for_each_ref() as a filtered "ls -R .git/refs/" output).


currently the code says

 int refs_for_each_ref(struct ref_store *refs, each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data)
 {
   return do_for_each_ref(refs, "", fn, 0, 0, cb_data);
 }

but it looks like this should do

   return do_for_each_ref(refs, "refs/", fn, 0, 0, cb_data);

instead.
diff mbox series

Patch

diff --git a/Documentation/technical/repository-version.txt b/Documentation/technical/repository-version.txt
index 7844ef30ffd..72576235833 100644
--- a/Documentation/technical/repository-version.txt
+++ b/Documentation/technical/repository-version.txt
@@ -100,3 +100,10 @@  If set, by default "git config" reads from both "config" and
 multiple working directory mode, "config" file is shared while
 "config.worktree" is per-working directory (i.e., it's in
 GIT_COMMON_DIR/worktrees/<id>/config.worktree)
+
+==== `refStorage`
+
+Specifies the file format for the ref database. Values are `files`
+(for the traditional packed + loose ref format) and `reftable` for the
+binary reftable format. See https://github.com/google/reftable for
+more information.
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 6134104ae65..706bb0a9814 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -814,6 +814,7 @@  TEST_SHELL_PATH = $(SHELL_PATH)
 LIB_FILE = libgit.a
 XDIFF_LIB = xdiff/lib.a
 VCSSVN_LIB = vcs-svn/lib.a
+REFTABLE_LIB = reftable/libreftable.a
 
 GENERATED_H += command-list.h
 
@@ -959,6 +960,7 @@  LIB_OBJS += rebase-interactive.o
 LIB_OBJS += reflog-walk.o
 LIB_OBJS += refs.o
 LIB_OBJS += refs/files-backend.o
+LIB_OBJS += refs/reftable-backend.o
 LIB_OBJS += refs/iterator.o
 LIB_OBJS += refs/packed-backend.o
 LIB_OBJS += refs/ref-cache.o
@@ -1163,7 +1165,7 @@  THIRD_PARTY_SOURCES += compat/regex/%
 THIRD_PARTY_SOURCES += sha1collisiondetection/%
 THIRD_PARTY_SOURCES += sha1dc/%
 
-GITLIBS = common-main.o $(LIB_FILE) $(XDIFF_LIB)
+GITLIBS = common-main.o $(LIB_FILE) $(XDIFF_LIB) $(REFTABLE_LIB)
 EXTLIBS =
 
 GIT_USER_AGENT = git/$(GIT_VERSION)
@@ -2347,11 +2349,28 @@  VCSSVN_OBJS += vcs-svn/fast_export.o
 VCSSVN_OBJS += vcs-svn/svndiff.o
 VCSSVN_OBJS += vcs-svn/svndump.o
 
+REFTABLE_OBJS += reftable/basics.o
+REFTABLE_OBJS += reftable/block.o
+REFTABLE_OBJS += reftable/bytes.o
+REFTABLE_OBJS += reftable/file.o
+REFTABLE_OBJS += reftable/iter.o
+REFTABLE_OBJS += reftable/merged.o
+REFTABLE_OBJS += reftable/pq.o
+REFTABLE_OBJS += reftable/reader.o
+REFTABLE_OBJS += reftable/record.o
+REFTABLE_OBJS += reftable/slice.o
+REFTABLE_OBJS += reftable/stack.o
+REFTABLE_OBJS += reftable/tree.o
+REFTABLE_OBJS += reftable/writer.o
+REFTABLE_OBJS += reftable/zlib-compat.o
+
+
 TEST_OBJS := $(patsubst %$X,%.o,$(TEST_PROGRAMS)) $(patsubst %,t/helper/%,$(TEST_BUILTINS_OBJS))
 OBJECTS := $(LIB_OBJS) $(BUILTIN_OBJS) $(PROGRAM_OBJS) $(TEST_OBJS) \
 	$(XDIFF_OBJS) \
 	$(VCSSVN_OBJS) \
 	$(FUZZ_OBJS) \
+	$(REFTABLE_OBJS) \
 	common-main.o \
 	git.o
 ifndef NO_CURL
@@ -2488,6 +2507,9 @@  $(XDIFF_LIB): $(XDIFF_OBJS)
 $(VCSSVN_LIB): $(VCSSVN_OBJS)
 	$(QUIET_AR)$(RM) $@ && $(AR) $(ARFLAGS) $@ $^
 
+$(REFTABLE_LIB): $(REFTABLE_OBJS)
+	$(QUIET_AR)$(RM) $@ && $(AR) $(ARFLAGS) $@ $^
+
 export DEFAULT_EDITOR DEFAULT_PAGER
 
 Documentation/GIT-EXCLUDED-PROGRAMS: FORCE
diff --git a/builtin/clone.c b/builtin/clone.c
index 4f6150c55c3..4bcea0c18da 100644
--- a/builtin/clone.c
+++ b/builtin/clone.c
@@ -1097,7 +1097,9 @@  int cmd_clone(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		}
 	}
 
-	init_db(git_dir, real_git_dir, option_template, INIT_DB_QUIET);
+	init_db(git_dir, real_git_dir, option_template,
+		DEFAULT_REF_STORAGE, /* XXX */
+		INIT_DB_QUIET);
 
 	if (real_git_dir)
 		git_dir = real_git_dir;
diff --git a/builtin/init-db.c b/builtin/init-db.c
index 45bdea05890..d51a99ed77e 100644
--- a/builtin/init-db.c
+++ b/builtin/init-db.c
@@ -177,7 +177,8 @@  static int needs_work_tree_config(const char *git_dir, const char *work_tree)
 }
 
 static int create_default_files(const char *template_path,
-				const char *original_git_dir)
+				const char *original_git_dir,
+				const char *ref_storage_format, int flags)
 {
 	struct stat st1;
 	struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
@@ -213,6 +214,7 @@  static int create_default_files(const char *template_path,
 	is_bare_repository_cfg = init_is_bare_repository;
 	if (init_shared_repository != -1)
 		set_shared_repository(init_shared_repository);
+	the_repository->ref_storage_format = xstrdup(ref_storage_format);
 
 	/*
 	 * We would have created the above under user's umask -- under
@@ -222,6 +224,15 @@  static int create_default_files(const char *template_path,
 		adjust_shared_perm(get_git_dir());
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * Check to see if .git/HEAD exists; this must happen before
+	 * initializing the ref db, because we want to see if there is an
+	 * existing HEAD.
+	 */
+	path = git_path_buf(&buf, "HEAD");
+	reinit = (!access(path, R_OK) ||
+		  readlink(path, junk, sizeof(junk) - 1) != -1);
+
 	/*
 	 * We need to create a "refs" dir in any case so that older
 	 * versions of git can tell that this is a repository.
@@ -234,17 +245,21 @@  static int create_default_files(const char *template_path,
 	 * Create the default symlink from ".git/HEAD" to the "master"
 	 * branch, if it does not exist yet.
 	 */
-	path = git_path_buf(&buf, "HEAD");
-	reinit = (!access(path, R_OK)
-		  || readlink(path, junk, sizeof(junk)-1) != -1);
 	if (!reinit) {
 		if (create_symref("HEAD", "refs/heads/master", NULL) < 0)
 			exit(1);
+	} else {
+		/*
+		 * XXX should check whether our ref backend matches the
+		 * original one; if not, either die() or convert
+		 */
 	}
 
 	/* This forces creation of new config file */
-	xsnprintf(repo_version_string, sizeof(repo_version_string),
-		  "%d", GIT_REPO_VERSION);
+	xsnprintf(repo_version_string, sizeof(repo_version_string), "%d",
+		  !strcmp(ref_storage_format, "reftable") ?
+			  GIT_REPO_VERSION_READ :
+			  GIT_REPO_VERSION);
 	git_config_set("core.repositoryformatversion", repo_version_string);
 
 	/* Check filemode trustability */
@@ -339,7 +354,8 @@  static void separate_git_dir(const char *git_dir, const char *git_link)
 }
 
 int init_db(const char *git_dir, const char *real_git_dir,
-	    const char *template_dir, unsigned int flags)
+	    const char *template_dir, const char *ref_storage_format,
+	    unsigned int flags)
 {
 	int reinit;
 	int exist_ok = flags & INIT_DB_EXIST_OK;
@@ -378,7 +394,8 @@  int init_db(const char *git_dir, const char *real_git_dir,
 	 */
 	check_repository_format();
 
-	reinit = create_default_files(template_dir, original_git_dir);
+	reinit = create_default_files(template_dir, original_git_dir,
+				      ref_storage_format, flags);
 
 	create_object_directory();
 
@@ -403,6 +420,8 @@  int init_db(const char *git_dir, const char *real_git_dir,
 		git_config_set("receive.denyNonFastforwards", "true");
 	}
 
+	git_config_set("extensions.refStorage", ref_storage_format);
+
 	if (!(flags & INIT_DB_QUIET)) {
 		int len = strlen(git_dir);
 
@@ -476,20 +495,24 @@  static const char *const init_db_usage[] = {
 int cmd_init_db(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 {
 	const char *git_dir;
+	const char *ref_storage_format = DEFAULT_REF_STORAGE;
 	const char *real_git_dir = NULL;
 	const char *work_tree;
 	const char *template_dir = NULL;
 	unsigned int flags = 0;
 	const struct option init_db_options[] = {
-		OPT_STRING(0, "template", &template_dir, N_("template-directory"),
-				N_("directory from which templates will be used")),
+		OPT_STRING(0, "template", &template_dir,
+			   N_("template-directory"),
+			   N_("directory from which templates will be used")),
 		OPT_SET_INT(0, "bare", &is_bare_repository_cfg,
-				N_("create a bare repository"), 1),
+			    N_("create a bare repository"), 1),
 		{ OPTION_CALLBACK, 0, "shared", &init_shared_repository,
-			N_("permissions"),
-			N_("specify that the git repository is to be shared amongst several users"),
-			PARSE_OPT_OPTARG | PARSE_OPT_NONEG, shared_callback, 0},
+		  N_("permissions"),
+		  N_("specify that the git repository is to be shared amongst several users"),
+		  PARSE_OPT_OPTARG | PARSE_OPT_NONEG, shared_callback, 0 },
 		OPT_BIT('q', "quiet", &flags, N_("be quiet"), INIT_DB_QUIET),
+		OPT_STRING(0, "ref-storage", &ref_storage_format, N_("backend"),
+			   N_("the ref storage format to use")),
 		OPT_STRING(0, "separate-git-dir", &real_git_dir, N_("gitdir"),
 			   N_("separate git dir from working tree")),
 		OPT_END()
@@ -591,9 +614,11 @@  int cmd_init_db(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	}
 
 	UNLEAK(real_git_dir);
+	UNLEAK(ref_storage_format);
 	UNLEAK(git_dir);
 	UNLEAK(work_tree);
 
 	flags |= INIT_DB_EXIST_OK;
-	return init_db(git_dir, real_git_dir, template_dir, flags);
+	return init_db(git_dir, real_git_dir, template_dir, ref_storage_format,
+		       flags);
 }
diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index 37c899b53f7..4d905e2d565 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -627,7 +627,8 @@  int path_inside_repo(const char *prefix, const char *path);
 #define INIT_DB_EXIST_OK 0x0002
 
 int init_db(const char *git_dir, const char *real_git_dir,
-	    const char *template_dir, unsigned int flags);
+	    const char *template_dir, const char *ref_storage_format,
+	    unsigned int flags);
 
 void sanitize_stdfds(void);
 int daemonize(void);
@@ -1041,6 +1042,7 @@  struct repository_format {
 	int is_bare;
 	int hash_algo;
 	char *work_tree;
+	char *ref_storage;
 	struct string_list unknown_extensions;
 };
 
diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index 1ab0bb54d3d..6530219762f 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ 
 /*
  * List of all available backends
  */
-static struct ref_storage_be *refs_backends = &refs_be_files;
+static struct ref_storage_be *refs_backends = &refs_be_reftable;
 
 static struct ref_storage_be *find_ref_storage_backend(const char *name)
 {
@@ -1836,13 +1836,13 @@  static struct ref_store *lookup_ref_store_map(struct hashmap *map,
  * Create, record, and return a ref_store instance for the specified
  * gitdir.
  */
-static struct ref_store *ref_store_init(const char *gitdir,
+static struct ref_store *ref_store_init(const char *gitdir, const char *be_name,
 					unsigned int flags)
 {
-	const char *be_name = "files";
-	struct ref_storage_be *be = find_ref_storage_backend(be_name);
+	struct ref_storage_be *be;
 	struct ref_store *refs;
 
+	be = find_ref_storage_backend(be_name);
 	if (!be)
 		BUG("reference backend %s is unknown", be_name);
 
@@ -1858,7 +1858,10 @@  struct ref_store *get_main_ref_store(struct repository *r)
 	if (!r->gitdir)
 		BUG("attempting to get main_ref_store outside of repository");
 
-	r->refs = ref_store_init(r->gitdir, REF_STORE_ALL_CAPS);
+	r->refs = ref_store_init(r->gitdir,
+				 r->ref_storage_format ? r->ref_storage_format :
+							 DEFAULT_REF_STORAGE,
+				 REF_STORE_ALL_CAPS);
 	return r->refs;
 }
 
@@ -1913,7 +1916,7 @@  struct ref_store *get_submodule_ref_store(const char *submodule)
 		goto done;
 
 	/* assume that add_submodule_odb() has been called */
-	refs = ref_store_init(submodule_sb.buf,
+	refs = ref_store_init(submodule_sb.buf, DEFAULT_REF_STORAGE, /* XXX */
 			      REF_STORE_READ | REF_STORE_ODB);
 	register_ref_store_map(&submodule_ref_stores, "submodule",
 			       refs, submodule);
@@ -1927,6 +1930,7 @@  struct ref_store *get_submodule_ref_store(const char *submodule)
 
 struct ref_store *get_worktree_ref_store(const struct worktree *wt)
 {
+	const char *format = DEFAULT_REF_STORAGE; /* XXX */
 	struct ref_store *refs;
 	const char *id;
 
@@ -1940,9 +1944,9 @@  struct ref_store *get_worktree_ref_store(const struct worktree *wt)
 
 	if (wt->id)
 		refs = ref_store_init(git_common_path("worktrees/%s", wt->id),
-				      REF_STORE_ALL_CAPS);
+				      format, REF_STORE_ALL_CAPS);
 	else
-		refs = ref_store_init(get_git_common_dir(),
+		refs = ref_store_init(get_git_common_dir(), format,
 				      REF_STORE_ALL_CAPS);
 
 	if (refs)
diff --git a/refs.h b/refs.h
index 87c9ec921b9..2b5985ad593 100644
--- a/refs.h
+++ b/refs.h
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@  struct string_list;
 struct string_list_item;
 struct worktree;
 
+/* XXX where should this be? */
+#define DEFAULT_REF_STORAGE "files"
+
 /*
  * Resolve a reference, recursively following symbolic refererences.
  *
diff --git a/refs/refs-internal.h b/refs/refs-internal.h
index 3490aac3a40..cafe5b97376 100644
--- a/refs/refs-internal.h
+++ b/refs/refs-internal.h
@@ -661,6 +661,7 @@  struct ref_storage_be {
 };
 
 extern struct ref_storage_be refs_be_files;
+extern struct ref_storage_be refs_be_reftable;
 extern struct ref_storage_be refs_be_packed;
 
 /*
diff --git a/refs/reftable-backend.c b/refs/reftable-backend.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4279c06010c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/refs/reftable-backend.c
@@ -0,0 +1,1015 @@ 
+#include "../cache.h"
+#include "../config.h"
+#include "../refs.h"
+#include "refs-internal.h"
+#include "../iterator.h"
+#include "../lockfile.h"
+#include "../chdir-notify.h"
+
+#include "../reftable/reftable.h"
+
+extern struct ref_storage_be refs_be_reftable;
+
+struct reftable_ref_store {
+	struct ref_store base;
+	unsigned int store_flags;
+
+	int err;
+	char *reftable_dir;
+	char *table_list_file;
+	struct stack *stack;
+};
+
+static void clear_log_record(struct log_record *log)
+{
+	log->old_hash = NULL;
+	log->new_hash = NULL;
+	log->message = NULL;
+	log->ref_name = NULL;
+	log_record_clear(log);
+}
+
+static void fill_log_record(struct log_record *log)
+{
+	const char *info = git_committer_info(0);
+	struct ident_split split = {};
+	int result = split_ident_line(&split, info, strlen(info));
+	int sign = 1;
+	assert(0 == result);
+
+	log_record_clear(log);
+	log->name =
+		xstrndup(split.name_begin, split.name_end - split.name_begin);
+	log->email =
+		xstrndup(split.mail_begin, split.mail_end - split.mail_begin);
+	log->time = atol(split.date_begin);
+	if (*split.tz_begin == '-') {
+		sign = -1;
+		split.tz_begin++;
+	}
+	if (*split.tz_begin == '+') {
+		sign = 1;
+		split.tz_begin++;
+	}
+
+	log->tz_offset = sign * atoi(split.tz_begin);
+}
+
+static struct ref_store *reftable_ref_store_create(const char *path,
+						   unsigned int store_flags)
+{
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs = xcalloc(1, sizeof(*refs));
+	struct ref_store *ref_store = (struct ref_store *)refs;
+	struct write_options cfg = {
+		.block_size = 4096,
+		.hash_id = the_hash_algo->format_id,
+	};
+	struct strbuf sb = STRBUF_INIT;
+
+	base_ref_store_init(ref_store, &refs_be_reftable);
+	refs->store_flags = store_flags;
+
+	strbuf_addf(&sb, "%s/reftable", path);
+	refs->reftable_dir = xstrdup(sb.buf);
+	strbuf_reset(&sb);
+
+	strbuf_addf(&sb, "%s/reftable/tables.list", path);
+	refs->table_list_file = xstrdup(sb.buf);
+	strbuf_reset(&sb);
+
+	strbuf_addf(&sb, "%s/refs", path);
+	safe_create_dir(sb.buf, 1);
+	strbuf_reset(&sb);
+
+	strbuf_addf(&sb, "%s/HEAD", path);
+	write_file(sb.buf, "ref: refs/.invalid");
+	strbuf_reset(&sb);
+
+	strbuf_addf(&sb, "%s/refs/heads", path);
+	write_file(sb.buf, "this repository uses the reftable format");
+
+	refs->err = new_stack(&refs->stack, refs->reftable_dir,
+			      refs->table_list_file, cfg);
+	strbuf_release(&sb);
+	return ref_store;
+}
+
+static int reftable_init_db(struct ref_store *ref_store, struct strbuf *err)
+{
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs =
+		(struct reftable_ref_store *)ref_store;
+	FILE *file;
+	safe_create_dir(refs->reftable_dir, 1);
+
+	file = fopen(refs->table_list_file, "a");
+	if (file == NULL) {
+		return -1;
+	}
+	fclose(file);
+	return 0;
+}
+
+struct reftable_iterator {
+	struct ref_iterator base;
+	struct iterator iter;
+	struct ref_record ref;
+	struct object_id oid;
+	struct ref_store *ref_store;
+	unsigned int flags;
+	int err;
+	char *prefix;
+};
+
+static int reftable_ref_iterator_advance(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator)
+{
+	struct reftable_iterator *ri = (struct reftable_iterator *)ref_iterator;
+	while (ri->err == 0) {
+		ri->err = iterator_next_ref(ri->iter, &ri->ref);
+		if (ri->err) {
+			break;
+		}
+
+		ri->base.refname = ri->ref.ref_name;
+		if (ri->prefix != NULL &&
+		    strncmp(ri->prefix, ri->ref.ref_name, strlen(ri->prefix))) {
+			ri->err = 1;
+			break;
+		}
+		if (ri->flags & DO_FOR_EACH_PER_WORKTREE_ONLY &&
+		    ref_type(ri->base.refname) != REF_TYPE_PER_WORKTREE)
+			continue;
+
+		ri->base.flags = 0;
+		if (ri->ref.value != NULL) {
+			hashcpy(ri->oid.hash, ri->ref.value);
+		} else if (ri->ref.target != NULL) {
+			int out_flags = 0;
+			const char *resolved = refs_resolve_ref_unsafe(
+				ri->ref_store, ri->ref.ref_name,
+				RESOLVE_REF_READING, &ri->oid, &out_flags);
+			ri->base.flags = out_flags;
+			if (resolved == NULL &&
+			    !(ri->flags & DO_FOR_EACH_INCLUDE_BROKEN) &&
+			    (ri->base.flags & REF_ISBROKEN)) {
+				continue;
+			}
+		}
+
+		ri->base.oid = &ri->oid;
+		if (!(ri->flags & DO_FOR_EACH_INCLUDE_BROKEN) &&
+		    !ref_resolves_to_object(ri->base.refname, ri->base.oid,
+					    ri->base.flags)) {
+			continue;
+		}
+
+		break;
+	}
+
+	if (ri->err > 0) {
+		return ITER_DONE;
+	}
+	if (ri->err < 0) {
+		return ITER_ERROR;
+	}
+
+	return ITER_OK;
+}
+
+static int reftable_ref_iterator_peel(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator,
+				      struct object_id *peeled)
+{
+	struct reftable_iterator *ri = (struct reftable_iterator *)ref_iterator;
+	if (ri->ref.target_value != NULL) {
+		hashcpy(peeled->hash, ri->ref.target_value);
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	return -1;
+}
+
+static int reftable_ref_iterator_abort(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator)
+{
+	struct reftable_iterator *ri = (struct reftable_iterator *)ref_iterator;
+	ref_record_clear(&ri->ref);
+	iterator_destroy(&ri->iter);
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static struct ref_iterator_vtable reftable_ref_iterator_vtable = {
+	reftable_ref_iterator_advance, reftable_ref_iterator_peel,
+	reftable_ref_iterator_abort
+};
+
+static struct ref_iterator *
+reftable_ref_iterator_begin(struct ref_store *ref_store, const char *prefix,
+			    unsigned int flags)
+{
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs =
+		(struct reftable_ref_store *)ref_store;
+	struct reftable_iterator *ri = xcalloc(1, sizeof(*ri));
+	struct merged_table *mt = NULL;
+
+	if (refs->err < 0) {
+		ri->err = refs->err;
+	} else {
+		mt = stack_merged_table(refs->stack);
+		ri->err = merged_table_seek_ref(mt, &ri->iter, prefix);
+	}
+
+	base_ref_iterator_init(&ri->base, &reftable_ref_iterator_vtable, 1);
+	ri->base.oid = &ri->oid;
+	ri->flags = flags;
+	ri->ref_store = ref_store;
+	return &ri->base;
+}
+
+static int reftable_transaction_prepare(struct ref_store *ref_store,
+					struct ref_transaction *transaction,
+					struct strbuf *err)
+{
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static int reftable_transaction_abort(struct ref_store *ref_store,
+				      struct ref_transaction *transaction,
+				      struct strbuf *err)
+{
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs =
+		(struct reftable_ref_store *)ref_store;
+	(void)refs;
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static int reftable_check_old_oid(struct ref_store *refs, const char *refname,
+				  struct object_id *want_oid)
+{
+	struct object_id out_oid = {};
+	int out_flags = 0;
+	const char *resolved = refs_resolve_ref_unsafe(
+		refs, refname, RESOLVE_REF_READING, &out_oid, &out_flags);
+	if (is_null_oid(want_oid) != (resolved == NULL)) {
+		return LOCK_ERROR;
+	}
+
+	if (resolved != NULL && !oideq(&out_oid, want_oid)) {
+		return LOCK_ERROR;
+	}
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static int ref_update_cmp(const void *a, const void *b)
+{
+	return strcmp(((struct ref_update *)a)->refname,
+		      ((struct ref_update *)b)->refname);
+}
+
+static int write_transaction_table(struct writer *writer, void *arg)
+{
+	struct ref_transaction *transaction = (struct ref_transaction *)arg;
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs =
+		(struct reftable_ref_store *)transaction->ref_store;
+	uint64_t ts = stack_next_update_index(refs->stack);
+	int err = 0;
+	struct log_record *logs = calloc(transaction->nr, sizeof(*logs));
+	struct ref_update **sorted =
+		malloc(transaction->nr * sizeof(struct ref_update *));
+	COPY_ARRAY(sorted, transaction->updates, transaction->nr);
+	QSORT(sorted, transaction->nr, ref_update_cmp);
+	writer_set_limits(writer, ts, ts);
+
+	for (int i = 0; i < transaction->nr; i++) {
+		struct ref_update *u = sorted[i];
+		if (u->flags & REF_HAVE_OLD) {
+			err = reftable_check_old_oid(transaction->ref_store,
+						     u->refname, &u->old_oid);
+			if (err < 0) {
+				goto exit;
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	for (int i = 0; i < transaction->nr; i++) {
+		struct ref_update *u = sorted[i];
+		struct log_record *log = &logs[i];
+		fill_log_record(log);
+		log->ref_name = (char *)u->refname;
+		log->old_hash = u->old_oid.hash;
+		log->new_hash = u->new_oid.hash;
+		log->update_index = ts;
+		log->message = u->msg;
+
+		if (u->flags & REF_HAVE_NEW) {
+			struct object_id out_oid = {};
+			int out_flags = 0;
+			/* Memory owned by refs_resolve_ref_unsafe, no need to
+			 * free(). */
+			const char *resolved = refs_resolve_ref_unsafe(
+				transaction->ref_store, u->refname, 0, &out_oid,
+				&out_flags);
+			struct ref_record ref = {};
+			ref.ref_name =
+				(char *)(resolved ? resolved : u->refname);
+			log->ref_name = ref.ref_name;
+			ref.value = u->new_oid.hash;
+			ref.update_index = ts;
+			err = writer_add_ref(writer, &ref);
+			if (err < 0) {
+				goto exit;
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	for (int i = 0; i < transaction->nr; i++) {
+		err = writer_add_log(writer, &logs[i]);
+		clear_log_record(&logs[i]);
+		if (err < 0) {
+			goto exit;
+		}
+	}
+
+exit:
+	free(logs);
+	free(sorted);
+	return err;
+}
+
+static int reftable_transaction_commit(struct ref_store *ref_store,
+				       struct ref_transaction *transaction,
+				       struct strbuf *errmsg)
+{
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs =
+		(struct reftable_ref_store *)ref_store;
+	int err = 0;
+	if (refs->err < 0) {
+		return refs->err;
+	}
+
+	err = stack_add(refs->stack, &write_transaction_table, transaction);
+	if (err < 0) {
+		strbuf_addf(errmsg, "reftable: transaction failure %s",
+			    error_str(err));
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static int reftable_transaction_finish(struct ref_store *ref_store,
+				       struct ref_transaction *transaction,
+				       struct strbuf *err)
+{
+	return reftable_transaction_commit(ref_store, transaction, err);
+}
+
+struct write_delete_refs_arg {
+	struct stack *stack;
+	struct string_list *refnames;
+	const char *logmsg;
+	unsigned int flags;
+};
+
+static int write_delete_refs_table(struct writer *writer, void *argv)
+{
+	struct write_delete_refs_arg *arg =
+		(struct write_delete_refs_arg *)argv;
+	uint64_t ts = stack_next_update_index(arg->stack);
+	int err = 0;
+
+	writer_set_limits(writer, ts, ts);
+	for (int i = 0; i < arg->refnames->nr; i++) {
+		struct ref_record ref = {
+			.ref_name = (char *)arg->refnames->items[i].string,
+			.update_index = ts,
+		};
+		err = writer_add_ref(writer, &ref);
+		if (err < 0) {
+			return err;
+		}
+	}
+
+	for (int i = 0; i < arg->refnames->nr; i++) {
+		struct log_record log = {};
+		struct ref_record current = {};
+		fill_log_record(&log);
+		log.message = xstrdup(arg->logmsg);
+		log.new_hash = NULL;
+		log.old_hash = NULL;
+		log.update_index = ts;
+		log.ref_name = (char *)arg->refnames->items[i].string;
+
+		if (stack_read_ref(arg->stack, log.ref_name, &current) == 0) {
+			log.old_hash = current.value;
+		}
+		err = writer_add_log(writer, &log);
+		log.old_hash = NULL;
+		ref_record_clear(&current);
+
+		clear_log_record(&log);
+		if (err < 0) {
+			return err;
+		}
+	}
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static int reftable_delete_refs(struct ref_store *ref_store, const char *msg,
+				struct string_list *refnames,
+				unsigned int flags)
+{
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs =
+		(struct reftable_ref_store *)ref_store;
+	struct write_delete_refs_arg arg = {
+		.stack = refs->stack,
+		.refnames = refnames,
+		.logmsg = msg,
+		.flags = flags,
+	};
+	if (refs->err < 0) {
+		return refs->err;
+	}
+
+	return stack_add(refs->stack, &write_delete_refs_table, &arg);
+}
+
+static int reftable_pack_refs(struct ref_store *ref_store, unsigned int flags)
+{
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs =
+		(struct reftable_ref_store *)ref_store;
+	if (refs->err < 0) {
+		return refs->err;
+	}
+	return stack_compact_all(refs->stack, NULL);
+}
+
+struct write_create_symref_arg {
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs;
+	const char *refname;
+	const char *target;
+	const char *logmsg;
+};
+
+static int write_create_symref_table(struct writer *writer, void *arg)
+{
+	struct write_create_symref_arg *create =
+		(struct write_create_symref_arg *)arg;
+	uint64_t ts = stack_next_update_index(create->refs->stack);
+	int err = 0;
+
+	struct ref_record ref = {
+		.ref_name = (char *)create->refname,
+		.target = (char *)create->target,
+		.update_index = ts,
+	};
+	writer_set_limits(writer, ts, ts);
+	err = writer_add_ref(writer, &ref);
+	if (err < 0) {
+		return err;
+	}
+
+	{
+		struct log_record log = {};
+		struct object_id new_oid = {};
+		struct object_id old_oid = {};
+		struct ref_record current = {};
+		stack_read_ref(create->refs->stack, create->refname, &current);
+
+		fill_log_record(&log);
+		log.ref_name = current.ref_name;
+		if (refs_resolve_ref_unsafe(
+			    (struct ref_store *)create->refs, create->refname,
+			    RESOLVE_REF_READING, &old_oid, NULL) != NULL) {
+			log.old_hash = old_oid.hash;
+		}
+
+		if (refs_resolve_ref_unsafe((struct ref_store *)create->refs,
+					    create->target, RESOLVE_REF_READING,
+					    &new_oid, NULL) != NULL) {
+			log.new_hash = new_oid.hash;
+		}
+
+		if (log.old_hash != NULL || log.new_hash != NULL) {
+			writer_add_log(writer, &log);
+		}
+		log.ref_name = NULL;
+		log.old_hash = NULL;
+		log.new_hash = NULL;
+		clear_log_record(&log);
+	}
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static int reftable_create_symref(struct ref_store *ref_store,
+				  const char *refname, const char *target,
+				  const char *logmsg)
+{
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs =
+		(struct reftable_ref_store *)ref_store;
+	struct write_create_symref_arg arg = { .refs = refs,
+					       .refname = refname,
+					       .target = target,
+					       .logmsg = logmsg };
+	if (refs->err < 0) {
+		return refs->err;
+	}
+	return stack_add(refs->stack, &write_create_symref_table, &arg);
+}
+
+struct write_rename_arg {
+	struct stack *stack;
+	const char *oldname;
+	const char *newname;
+	const char *logmsg;
+};
+
+static int write_rename_table(struct writer *writer, void *argv)
+{
+	struct write_rename_arg *arg = (struct write_rename_arg *)argv;
+	uint64_t ts = stack_next_update_index(arg->stack);
+	struct ref_record ref = {};
+	int err = stack_read_ref(arg->stack, arg->oldname, &ref);
+
+	if (err) {
+		goto exit;
+	}
+
+	/* XXX do ref renames overwrite the target? */
+	if (stack_read_ref(arg->stack, arg->newname, &ref) == 0) {
+		goto exit;
+	}
+
+	free(ref.ref_name);
+	ref.ref_name = strdup(arg->newname);
+	writer_set_limits(writer, ts, ts);
+	ref.update_index = ts;
+
+	{
+		struct ref_record todo[2] = {};
+		todo[0].ref_name = (char *)arg->oldname;
+		todo[0].update_index = ts;
+		/* leave todo[0] empty */
+		todo[1] = ref;
+		todo[1].update_index = ts;
+
+		err = writer_add_refs(writer, todo, 2);
+		if (err < 0) {
+			goto exit;
+		}
+	}
+
+	if (ref.value != NULL) {
+		struct log_record todo[2] = {};
+		fill_log_record(&todo[0]);
+		fill_log_record(&todo[1]);
+
+		todo[0].ref_name = (char *)arg->oldname;
+		todo[0].update_index = ts;
+		todo[0].message = (char *)arg->logmsg;
+		todo[0].old_hash = ref.value;
+		todo[0].new_hash = NULL;
+
+		todo[1].ref_name = (char *)arg->newname;
+		todo[1].update_index = ts;
+		todo[1].old_hash = NULL;
+		todo[1].new_hash = ref.value;
+		todo[1].message = (char *)arg->logmsg;
+
+		err = writer_add_logs(writer, todo, 2);
+
+		clear_log_record(&todo[0]);
+		clear_log_record(&todo[1]);
+
+		if (err < 0) {
+			goto exit;
+		}
+
+	} else {
+		/* XXX symrefs? */
+	}
+
+exit:
+	ref_record_clear(&ref);
+	return err;
+}
+
+static int reftable_rename_ref(struct ref_store *ref_store,
+			       const char *oldrefname, const char *newrefname,
+			       const char *logmsg)
+{
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs =
+		(struct reftable_ref_store *)ref_store;
+	struct write_rename_arg arg = {
+		.stack = refs->stack,
+		.oldname = oldrefname,
+		.newname = newrefname,
+		.logmsg = logmsg,
+	};
+	if (refs->err < 0) {
+		return refs->err;
+	}
+
+	return stack_add(refs->stack, &write_rename_table, &arg);
+}
+
+static int reftable_copy_ref(struct ref_store *ref_store,
+			     const char *oldrefname, const char *newrefname,
+			     const char *logmsg)
+{
+	BUG("reftable reference store does not support copying references");
+}
+
+struct reftable_reflog_ref_iterator {
+	struct ref_iterator base;
+	struct iterator iter;
+	struct log_record log;
+	struct object_id oid;
+	char *last_name;
+};
+
+static int
+reftable_reflog_ref_iterator_advance(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator)
+{
+	struct reftable_reflog_ref_iterator *ri =
+		(struct reftable_reflog_ref_iterator *)ref_iterator;
+
+	while (1) {
+		int err = iterator_next_log(ri->iter, &ri->log);
+		if (err > 0) {
+			return ITER_DONE;
+		}
+		if (err < 0) {
+			return ITER_ERROR;
+		}
+
+		ri->base.refname = ri->log.ref_name;
+		if (ri->last_name != NULL &&
+		    !strcmp(ri->log.ref_name, ri->last_name)) {
+			continue;
+		}
+
+		free(ri->last_name);
+		ri->last_name = xstrdup(ri->log.ref_name);
+		hashcpy(ri->oid.hash, ri->log.new_hash);
+		return ITER_OK;
+	}
+}
+
+static int reftable_reflog_ref_iterator_peel(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator,
+					     struct object_id *peeled)
+{
+	BUG("not supported.");
+	return -1;
+}
+
+static int reftable_reflog_ref_iterator_abort(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator)
+{
+	struct reftable_reflog_ref_iterator *ri =
+		(struct reftable_reflog_ref_iterator *)ref_iterator;
+	log_record_clear(&ri->log);
+	iterator_destroy(&ri->iter);
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static struct ref_iterator_vtable reftable_reflog_ref_iterator_vtable = {
+	reftable_reflog_ref_iterator_advance, reftable_reflog_ref_iterator_peel,
+	reftable_reflog_ref_iterator_abort
+};
+
+static struct ref_iterator *
+reftable_reflog_iterator_begin(struct ref_store *ref_store)
+{
+	struct reftable_reflog_ref_iterator *ri = xcalloc(sizeof(*ri), 1);
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs =
+		(struct reftable_ref_store *)ref_store;
+
+	struct merged_table *mt = stack_merged_table(refs->stack);
+	int err = merged_table_seek_log(mt, &ri->iter, "");
+	if (err < 0) {
+		free(ri);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
+	base_ref_iterator_init(&ri->base, &reftable_reflog_ref_iterator_vtable,
+			       1);
+	ri->base.oid = &ri->oid;
+
+	return (struct ref_iterator *)ri;
+}
+
+static int
+reftable_for_each_reflog_ent_newest_first(struct ref_store *ref_store,
+					  const char *refname,
+					  each_reflog_ent_fn fn, void *cb_data)
+{
+	struct iterator it = {};
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs =
+		(struct reftable_ref_store *)ref_store;
+	struct merged_table *mt = NULL;
+	int err = 0;
+	struct log_record log = {};
+
+	if (refs->err < 0) {
+		return refs->err;
+	}
+
+	mt = stack_merged_table(refs->stack);
+	err = merged_table_seek_log(mt, &it, refname);
+	while (err == 0) {
+		err = iterator_next_log(it, &log);
+		if (err != 0) {
+			break;
+		}
+
+		if (strcmp(log.ref_name, refname)) {
+			break;
+		}
+
+		{
+			struct object_id old_oid = {};
+			struct object_id new_oid = {};
+			const char *full_committer = "";
+
+			hashcpy(old_oid.hash, log.old_hash);
+			hashcpy(new_oid.hash, log.new_hash);
+
+			full_committer = fmt_ident(log.name, log.email,
+						   WANT_COMMITTER_IDENT,
+						   /*date*/ NULL,
+						   IDENT_NO_DATE);
+			if (fn(&old_oid, &new_oid, full_committer, log.time,
+			       log.tz_offset, log.message, cb_data)) {
+				err = -1;
+				break;
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	log_record_clear(&log);
+	iterator_destroy(&it);
+	if (err > 0) {
+		err = 0;
+	}
+	return err;
+}
+
+static int
+reftable_for_each_reflog_ent_oldest_first(struct ref_store *ref_store,
+					  const char *refname,
+					  each_reflog_ent_fn fn, void *cb_data)
+{
+	struct iterator it = {};
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs =
+		(struct reftable_ref_store *)ref_store;
+	struct merged_table *mt = NULL;
+	struct log_record *logs = NULL;
+	int cap = 0;
+	int len = 0;
+	int err = 0;
+
+	if (refs->err < 0) {
+		return refs->err;
+	}
+	mt = stack_merged_table(refs->stack);
+	err = merged_table_seek_log(mt, &it, refname);
+
+	while (err == 0) {
+		struct log_record log = {};
+		err = iterator_next_log(it, &log);
+		if (err != 0) {
+			break;
+		}
+
+		if (strcmp(log.ref_name, refname)) {
+			break;
+		}
+
+		if (len == cap) {
+			cap = 2 * cap + 1;
+			logs = realloc(logs, cap * sizeof(*logs));
+		}
+
+		logs[len++] = log;
+	}
+
+	for (int i = len; i--;) {
+		struct log_record *log = &logs[i];
+		struct object_id old_oid = {};
+		struct object_id new_oid = {};
+		const char *full_committer = "";
+
+		hashcpy(old_oid.hash, log->old_hash);
+		hashcpy(new_oid.hash, log->new_hash);
+
+		full_committer = fmt_ident(log->name, log->email,
+					   WANT_COMMITTER_IDENT, NULL,
+					   IDENT_NO_DATE);
+		if (!fn(&old_oid, &new_oid, full_committer, log->time,
+			log->tz_offset, log->message, cb_data)) {
+			err = -1;
+			break;
+		}
+	}
+
+	for (int i = 0; i < len; i++) {
+		log_record_clear(&logs[i]);
+	}
+	free(logs);
+
+	iterator_destroy(&it);
+	if (err > 0) {
+		err = 0;
+	}
+	return err;
+}
+
+static int reftable_reflog_exists(struct ref_store *ref_store,
+				  const char *refname)
+{
+	/* always exists. */
+	return 1;
+}
+
+static int reftable_create_reflog(struct ref_store *ref_store,
+				  const char *refname, int force_create,
+				  struct strbuf *err)
+{
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static int reftable_delete_reflog(struct ref_store *ref_store,
+				  const char *refname)
+{
+	return 0;
+}
+
+struct reflog_expiry_arg {
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs;
+	struct log_record *tombstones;
+	int len;
+	int cap;
+};
+
+static void clear_log_tombstones(struct reflog_expiry_arg *arg)
+{
+	int i = 0;
+	for (; i < arg->len; i++) {
+		log_record_clear(&arg->tombstones[i]);
+	}
+
+	FREE_AND_NULL(arg->tombstones);
+}
+
+static void add_log_tombstone(struct reflog_expiry_arg *arg,
+			      const char *refname, uint64_t ts)
+{
+	struct log_record tombstone = {
+		.ref_name = xstrdup(refname),
+		.update_index = ts,
+	};
+	if (arg->len == arg->cap) {
+		arg->cap = 2 * arg->cap + 1;
+		arg->tombstones =
+			realloc(arg->tombstones, arg->cap * sizeof(tombstone));
+	}
+	arg->tombstones[arg->len++] = tombstone;
+}
+
+static int write_reflog_expiry_table(struct writer *writer, void *argv)
+{
+	struct reflog_expiry_arg *arg = (struct reflog_expiry_arg *)argv;
+	uint64_t ts = stack_next_update_index(arg->refs->stack);
+	int i = 0;
+	writer_set_limits(writer, ts, ts);
+	for (i = 0; i < arg->len; i++) {
+		int err = writer_add_log(writer, &arg->tombstones[i]);
+		if (err) {
+			return err;
+		}
+	}
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static int reftable_reflog_expire(struct ref_store *ref_store,
+				  const char *refname,
+				  const struct object_id *oid,
+				  unsigned int flags,
+				  reflog_expiry_prepare_fn prepare_fn,
+				  reflog_expiry_should_prune_fn should_prune_fn,
+				  reflog_expiry_cleanup_fn cleanup_fn,
+				  void *policy_cb_data)
+{
+	/*
+	  For log expiry, we write tombstones in place of the expired entries,
+	  This means that the entries are still retrievable by delving into the
+	  stack, and expiring entries paradoxically takes extra memory.
+
+	  This memory is only reclaimed when some operation issues a
+	  reftable_pack_refs(), which will compact the entire stack and get rid
+	  of deletion entries.
+
+	  It would be better if the refs backend supported an API that sets a
+	  criterion for all refs, passing the criterion to pack_refs().
+	*/
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs =
+		(struct reftable_ref_store *)ref_store;
+	struct merged_table *mt = NULL;
+	struct reflog_expiry_arg arg = {
+		.refs = refs,
+	};
+	struct log_record log = {};
+	struct iterator it = {};
+	int err = 0;
+	if (refs->err < 0) {
+		return refs->err;
+	}
+
+	mt = stack_merged_table(refs->stack);
+	err = merged_table_seek_log(mt, &it, refname);
+	if (err < 0) {
+		return err;
+	}
+
+	while (1) {
+		struct object_id ooid = {};
+		struct object_id noid = {};
+
+		int err = iterator_next_log(it, &log);
+		if (err < 0) {
+			return err;
+		}
+
+		if (err > 0 || strcmp(log.ref_name, refname)) {
+			break;
+		}
+		hashcpy(ooid.hash, log.old_hash);
+		hashcpy(noid.hash, log.new_hash);
+
+		if (should_prune_fn(&ooid, &noid, log.email,
+				    (timestamp_t)log.time, log.tz_offset,
+				    log.message, policy_cb_data)) {
+			add_log_tombstone(&arg, refname, log.update_index);
+		}
+	}
+	log_record_clear(&log);
+	iterator_destroy(&it);
+	err = stack_add(refs->stack, &write_reflog_expiry_table, &arg);
+	clear_log_tombstones(&arg);
+	return err;
+}
+
+static int reftable_read_raw_ref(struct ref_store *ref_store,
+				 const char *refname, struct object_id *oid,
+				 struct strbuf *referent, unsigned int *type)
+{
+	struct reftable_ref_store *refs =
+		(struct reftable_ref_store *)ref_store;
+	struct ref_record ref = {};
+	int err = 0;
+	if (refs->err < 0) {
+		return refs->err;
+	}
+
+	err = stack_read_ref(refs->stack, refname, &ref);
+	if (err) {
+		goto exit;
+	}
+	if (ref.target != NULL) {
+		/* XXX recurse? */
+		strbuf_reset(referent);
+		strbuf_addstr(referent, ref.target);
+		*type |= REF_ISSYMREF;
+	} else {
+		hashcpy(oid->hash, ref.value);
+	}
+exit:
+	ref_record_clear(&ref);
+	return err;
+}
+
+struct ref_storage_be refs_be_reftable = {
+	&refs_be_files,
+	"reftable",
+	reftable_ref_store_create,
+	reftable_init_db,
+	reftable_transaction_prepare,
+	reftable_transaction_finish,
+	reftable_transaction_abort,
+	reftable_transaction_commit,
+
+	reftable_pack_refs,
+	reftable_create_symref,
+	reftable_delete_refs,
+	reftable_rename_ref,
+	reftable_copy_ref,
+
+	reftable_ref_iterator_begin,
+	reftable_read_raw_ref,
+
+	reftable_reflog_iterator_begin,
+	reftable_for_each_reflog_ent_newest_first,
+	reftable_for_each_reflog_ent_oldest_first,
+	reftable_reflog_exists,
+	reftable_create_reflog,
+	reftable_delete_reflog,
+	reftable_reflog_expire
+};
diff --git a/repository.c b/repository.c
index a4174ddb062..ff0988dac84 100644
--- a/repository.c
+++ b/repository.c
@@ -174,6 +174,8 @@  int repo_init(struct repository *repo,
 	if (worktree)
 		repo_set_worktree(repo, worktree);
 
+	repo->ref_storage_format = xstrdup_or_null(format.ref_storage);
+
 	clear_repository_format(&format);
 	return 0;
 
diff --git a/repository.h b/repository.h
index 040057dea6f..198d4aa0907 100644
--- a/repository.h
+++ b/repository.h
@@ -70,6 +70,9 @@  struct repository {
 	/* The store in which the refs are held. */
 	struct ref_store *refs;
 
+	/* The format to use for the ref database. */
+	char *ref_storage_format;
+
 	/*
 	 * Contains path to often used file names.
 	 */
diff --git a/setup.c b/setup.c
index 4ea7a0b081b..81dcc23fc90 100644
--- a/setup.c
+++ b/setup.c
@@ -458,9 +458,11 @@  static int check_repo_format(const char *var, const char *value, void *vdata)
 			if (!value)
 				return config_error_nonbool(var);
 			data->partial_clone = xstrdup(value);
-		} else if (!strcmp(ext, "worktreeconfig"))
+		} else if (!strcmp(ext, "worktreeconfig")) {
 			data->worktree_config = git_config_bool(var, value);
-		else
+		} else if (!strcmp(ext, "refstorage")) {
+			data->ref_storage = xstrdup(value);
+		} else
 			string_list_append(&data->unknown_extensions, ext);
 	}
 
@@ -549,6 +551,7 @@  void clear_repository_format(struct repository_format *format)
 	string_list_clear(&format->unknown_extensions, 0);
 	free(format->work_tree);
 	free(format->partial_clone);
+	free(format->ref_storage);
 	init_repository_format(format);
 }
 
@@ -1191,8 +1194,11 @@  const char *setup_git_directory_gently(int *nongit_ok)
 				gitdir = DEFAULT_GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT;
 			setup_git_env(gitdir);
 		}
-		if (startup_info->have_repository)
+		if (startup_info->have_repository) {
 			repo_set_hash_algo(the_repository, repo_fmt.hash_algo);
+			the_repository->ref_storage_format =
+				xstrdup_or_null(repo_fmt.ref_storage);
+		}
 	}
 
 	strbuf_release(&dir);
diff --git a/t/t0031-reftable.sh b/t/t0031-reftable.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..d35211c9db2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/t0031-reftable.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@ 
+#!/bin/sh
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2020 Google LLC
+#
+
+test_description='reftable basics'
+
+. ./test-lib.sh
+
+test_expect_success 'basic operation of reftable storage' '
+        git init --ref-storage=reftable repo &&
+        cd repo &&
+        echo "hello" > world.txt &&
+        git add world.txt &&
+        git commit -m "first post" &&
+        printf "HEAD\nrefs/heads/master\n" > want &&
+        git show-ref | cut -f2 -d" " > got &&
+        test_cmp got want &&
+        for count in $(test_seq 1 10); do
+                echo "hello" >> world.txt
+                git commit -m "number ${count}" world.txt
+        done &&
+        git gc &&
+        nfiles=$(ls -1 .git/reftable | wc -l | tr -d "[ \t]" ) &&
+        test "${nfiles}" = "2" &&
+        git reflog refs/heads/master > output &&
+        grep "commit (initial): first post" output &&
+        grep "commit: number 10" output
+'
+
+test_done