6 git - the stupid content tracker
12 'git' [--version] [--help] [-c <name>=<value>]
13 [--exec-path[=<path>]] [--html-path] [--man-path] [--info-path]
14 [-p|--paginate|--no-pager] [--no-replace-objects] [--bare]
15 [--git-dir=<path>] [--work-tree=<path>] [--namespace=<name>]
20 Git is a fast, scalable, distributed revision control system with an
21 unusually rich command set that provides both high-level operations
22 and full access to internals.
24 See linkgit:gittutorial[7] to get started, then see
25 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git] for a useful minimum set of
26 commands. The link:user-manual.html[Git User's Manual] has a more
27 in-depth introduction.
29 After you mastered the basic concepts, you can come back to this
30 page to learn what commands Git offers. You can learn more about
31 individual Git commands with "git help command". linkgit:gitcli[7]
32 manual page gives you an overview of the command line command syntax.
34 Formatted and hyperlinked version of the latest Git documentation
35 can be viewed at `http://git-htmldocs.googlecode.com/git/git.html`.
41 You are reading the documentation for the latest (possibly
42 unreleased) version of Git, that is available from 'master'
43 branch of the `git.git` repository.
44 Documentation for older releases are available here:
46 * link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4]
49 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4],
50 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3],
51 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
52 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
53 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
55 * link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
58 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3].
59 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2].
60 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1].
61 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
63 * link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
66 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
67 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
68 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
69 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
70 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
71 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
72 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
74 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
77 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
78 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
79 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
80 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
82 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
85 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
86 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
87 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
88 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
89 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
91 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
94 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
95 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
96 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
97 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
98 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
99 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
100 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
101 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
103 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
106 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
107 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
108 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
109 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
110 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
111 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
113 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
116 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
117 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
118 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
119 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
120 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
121 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
122 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
123 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
125 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
128 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
129 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
130 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
131 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
132 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
133 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
134 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
136 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
139 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
140 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
141 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
142 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
143 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
144 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
145 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
146 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
148 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
151 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
152 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
153 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
154 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
155 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
156 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
157 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
159 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
162 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
163 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
164 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
165 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
166 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
168 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
171 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
172 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
173 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
174 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
175 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
176 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
178 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
181 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
182 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
183 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
184 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
185 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
186 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
188 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
191 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
192 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
193 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
194 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
195 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
196 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
198 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
201 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
202 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
203 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
204 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
205 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
207 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
210 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
211 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
212 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
213 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
214 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
215 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
216 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
217 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
218 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
219 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
221 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
224 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
225 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
226 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
227 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
229 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
232 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
233 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
234 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
235 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
236 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
237 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
238 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
239 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
240 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
241 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
243 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
246 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
247 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
248 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
249 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
250 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
251 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
253 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
256 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
257 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
258 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
259 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
260 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
263 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
264 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
265 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
266 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
267 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
268 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
270 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
273 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
274 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
275 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
276 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
278 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
281 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
282 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
283 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
284 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
285 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
286 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
287 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
289 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
292 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
293 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
294 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
295 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
296 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
297 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
298 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
300 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
303 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
304 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
305 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
306 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
307 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
308 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
309 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
311 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
314 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
315 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
316 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
317 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
318 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
319 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
320 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
321 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
323 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
326 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
327 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
328 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
329 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
330 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
331 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
332 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
333 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
334 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
336 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
339 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
340 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
341 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
342 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
343 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
344 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
346 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
349 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
350 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
351 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
352 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
353 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
354 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
355 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
357 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
360 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
361 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
362 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
363 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
364 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
365 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
366 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
368 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
369 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
370 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
371 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
380 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
383 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
384 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
385 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
386 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
388 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
389 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
390 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
394 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
395 given will override values from configuration files.
396 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
397 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
399 --exec-path[=<path>]::
400 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
401 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
402 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
403 the current setting and then exit.
406 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
407 documentation is installed and exit.
410 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
411 this version of Git and exit.
414 Print the path where the Info files documenting this
415 version of Git are installed and exit.
419 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
420 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
421 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
425 Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
428 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
429 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
430 path or relative path to current working directory.
433 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
434 or a path relative to the current working directory.
435 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
436 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
437 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
438 more detailed discussion).
441 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
442 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
446 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
447 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
450 --no-replace-objects::
451 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
452 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
454 --literal-pathspecs::
455 Treat pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. This is
456 equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
463 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
464 ("plumbing") commands.
466 High-level commands (porcelain)
467 -------------------------------
469 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
470 ancillary user utilities.
472 Main porcelain commands
473 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
475 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
481 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
485 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
488 Interacting with Others
489 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
491 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
492 people via patch over e-mail.
494 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
497 Low-level commands (plumbing)
498 -----------------------------
500 Although Git includes its
501 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
502 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
503 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
504 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
506 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
507 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
508 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
509 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
510 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
513 The following description divides
514 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
515 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
516 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
520 Manipulation commands
521 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
523 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
526 Interrogation commands
527 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
529 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
531 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
535 Synching repositories
536 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
538 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
540 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
541 typically do not use them directly.
543 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
546 Internal helper commands
547 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
549 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
550 users typically do not use them directly.
552 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
555 Configuration Mechanism
556 -----------------------
558 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
559 repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look
564 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
569 ; Don't trust file modes
574 name = "Junio C Hamano"
575 email = "gitster@pobox.com"
579 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
580 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
581 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
584 Identifier Terminology
585 ----------------------
587 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
590 Indicates a blob object name.
593 Indicates a tree object name.
596 Indicates a commit object name.
599 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
600 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
601 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
602 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
605 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
606 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
607 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
608 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
611 Indicates that an object type is required.
612 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
615 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
616 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
620 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
624 indicates the head of the current branch.
628 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
632 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
634 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
635 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
638 File/Directory Structure
639 ------------------------
641 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
643 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
645 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
651 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
654 Environment Variables
655 ---------------------
656 Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
660 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
661 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
662 Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
665 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
666 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
669 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
670 If the object storage directory is specified via this
671 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
672 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
675 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
676 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
677 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
678 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
679 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
680 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
683 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
684 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
685 for the base of the repository.
686 The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
689 Set the path to the root of the working tree.
690 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
691 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
694 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
695 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
697 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
698 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If
699 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
700 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
701 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not
702 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
703 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read
704 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
705 might be present in order to compare them with the current
706 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you
707 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
708 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
710 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
712 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
713 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
714 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
715 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
716 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable
717 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
718 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
719 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
727 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
728 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
729 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
731 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
736 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
737 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
738 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
739 value passed on the Git diff command line.
741 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
742 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
743 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
744 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
745 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
747 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
751 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
752 contents of <old|new>,
753 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
754 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
756 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
757 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
758 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
759 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
760 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
762 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
767 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
768 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
769 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
770 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
773 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
774 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
775 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
776 linkgit:git-config[1].
779 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
780 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
781 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
782 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
785 If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
786 and 'git push' will use this command instead
787 of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
788 The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
789 four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
790 from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
791 remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
792 the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
793 than the default SSH port.
795 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
796 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
797 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
799 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
800 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
804 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
805 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
806 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
807 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
808 option in linkgit:git-config[1].
810 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
811 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
812 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This environment variable can
813 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
814 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
815 temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
816 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
819 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
820 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
821 and 'git whatchanged' will force a flush of the output stream
822 after each commit-oriented record have been flushed. If this
823 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
824 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
825 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
826 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
829 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
830 is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
831 stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
832 execution and external command execution.
833 If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
834 and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
835 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
836 trace messages into this file descriptor.
837 Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
838 (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
839 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
842 GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
843 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
844 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
845 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
846 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
847 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
848 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
849 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
852 Discussion[[Discussion]]
853 ------------------------
855 More detail on the following is available from the
856 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
857 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
859 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
860 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
861 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
862 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
863 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
864 as tags and branch heads.
866 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
867 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
868 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
869 and some number of parent commits.
871 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
872 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
873 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
874 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
876 All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
877 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
878 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
879 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
882 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
883 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
885 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
886 may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
887 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
888 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of
889 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
890 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
892 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
893 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
894 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
895 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
896 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
897 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
898 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
899 content stored in the index.
901 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
902 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
903 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
905 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
906 ---------------------
908 See the references in the "description" section to get started
909 using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary
910 for a first-time user.
912 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
913 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
914 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
916 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
918 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
921 The internals are documented in the
922 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
924 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
925 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
930 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
931 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
932 <git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
933 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
935 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
936 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
937 the authors for specific parts of the project.
942 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
943 development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be
944 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
948 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
949 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
950 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
951 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
952 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
956 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite