Fully backup a git repo?

@Daniel: If you clone a repository, you fetch every branch, but only the default one is checkouted. Try git branch -a. Maybe its more obvious this way: After cloning a repository you dont fetch every branch, you fetch every commit. Branches only reference to an existing commit.

I think he knows the clone command well, if he can ask such a question, and it is clearly not enough for him (because it is a clone, and not a dump). Dumps are different things as simple copies, for example: 1) they are not needed to be optimal (or even capable) for normal work 2) but they are required to have a good resistance and repairibility against data corruption.

@peterh Sure, but git clone covers all that. (1) is optional, not a requirement. If the result is still optimized, it's still a backup (2) is already covered by git itself. -- The point I'd like to give is, that if git clone already cover the relevant points, for what you need a different tool? Although I also prefer git bundle I don't think my answer is wrong, or invalid. You can see both approaches as hot- vs cold-backup.

what about file permissions? does git clone necessarily copy those over? depends on the options i believe