Hello Git, I have a pretty long investigation has been started from usage 3dparty projects related directly or indirectly to the git submodules: `svn externals replacement` : https://github.com/chronoxor/gil/issues/6 `svn complete replacement for externals` : https://github.com/dirk-thomas/vcstool/issues/243 And stumbled on this discussion: `nested submodules detection w/o .gitmodules file` : https://github.com/gitextensions/gitextensions/discussions/10644 (https://github.com/gitextensions/gitextensions/issues/10642) The main question here is that, could the git have has submodules without `.submodules` file? If no, then all side projects which utilizes it's own input file for the externals may subsequentially fail: https://github.com/chronoxor/gil https://github.com/dirk-thomas/vcstool https://github.com/ingydotnet/git-subrepo If yes, then other projects which does rely on the `.submodules` would have not actual or even invalid state: https://github.com/gitextensions/gitextensions Or even the github itself: `Zip archive to include submodule` : https://github.com/dear-github/dear-github/issues/214 (`[PATCH] archive: add –recurse-submodules to git-archive command` : https://git.github.io/rev_news/2022/11/30/edition-93/, https://lore.kernel.org/git/pull.1359.git.git.1665597148042.gitgitgadget@xxxxxxxxx/) Mine point here is that: Git database is a primary storage. The `.gitmodules` file is not a primary storage, so can be in not an actual or desync state with the database. And any application or a 3dparty project must read the database directly. But another problem here is that the git still does not have a stable API for that. For example, a submodule can be declared directly from the `.git/config` file in a working copy: https://git-scm.com/docs/git-submodule#Documentation/git-submodule.txt-init--ltpathgt82308203 https://git-scm.com/docs/gitsubmodules#_active_submodules So, who is right and what is wrong here?
