Git Smart HTTP lets a normal Git client clone, fetch, and push over HTTP(S). It negotiates missing objects and transfers packfiles. Cloudflare Artifacts implements this standard interface, so its repositories do not require a custom Git client.
Smart HTTP is the standard Git protocol for exchanging repository data over HTTP or HTTPS.
When you run git fetch, the client discovers the server's branches and tags, tells it which commits it wants and which it already has, and receives the missing objects in a packfile. A packfile bundles Git objects for transfer, with compression and potentially delta encoding. Push sends new objects and requests updates to branch or tag references.
"Smart" refers to a server that understands Git and participates in this negotiation. The older Dumb HTTP mode serves repository files through a static web server, leaving discovery to the client.
Cloudflare Artifacts exposes this standard interface for ordinary git clone, fetch, pull, and push. The practical benefit is compatibility with existing Git tools. Creating repositories and issuing access tokens happen through the Workers binding or REST API; the returned remote URL and token let Git exchange repository contents over HTTPS.
Sources: