Git 2.48 released with faster cloning, memory leak fixes, and new Meson build system

Git 2.48 has been released, delivering a significant 10-13% performance boost in cloning and fetching repositories thanks to a faster SHA-1 implementation for trailing checksums. This improvement can be activated by building Git with specific options, enhancing efficiency for large repositories without compromising security.

The update also includes compatibility of the --remerge-diff option with the range-diff command, facilitating the review of changes during rebases involving merge commits. A bug affecting --remerge-diff with commit traversal options has been fixed, further improving functionality.

Additionally, Git 2.48 marks a major milestone with a memory leak-free codebase, verified through leak-checking enabled test suites, simplifying test infrastructure and aiding Git's transition into a callable library. The introduction of Meson as a new build system offers an alternative to GNU Make, featuring ease of use, IDE support, and cross-platform compatibility. Despite these additions, Git will continue to support its original Makefile along with Meson, CMake, and Autoconf. More information can be found in the official release notes and repository.