6 git - the stupid content tracker
12 'git' [--version] [--help] [-C <path>] [-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:v1.8.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.5.4]
49 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.4.txt[1.8.5.4],
50 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.3.txt[1.8.5.3],
51 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.2.txt[1.8.5.2],
52 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.1.txt[1.8.5.1],
53 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.txt[1.8.5].
55 * link:v1.8.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.4.5]
58 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.5.txt[1.8.4.5],
59 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.4.txt[1.8.4.4],
60 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.3.txt[1.8.4.3],
61 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.2.txt[1.8.4.2],
62 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.1.txt[1.8.4.1],
63 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.txt[1.8.4].
65 * link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4]
68 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4],
69 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3],
70 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
71 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
72 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
74 * link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
77 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3],
78 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2],
79 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1],
80 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
82 * link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
85 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
86 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
87 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
88 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
89 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
90 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
91 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
93 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
96 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
97 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
98 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
99 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
101 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
104 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
105 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
106 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
107 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
108 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
110 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
113 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
114 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
115 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
116 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
117 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
118 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
119 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
120 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
122 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
125 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
126 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
127 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
128 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
129 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
130 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
132 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
135 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
136 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
137 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
138 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
139 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
140 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
141 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
142 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
144 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
147 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
148 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
149 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
150 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
151 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
152 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
153 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
155 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
158 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
159 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
160 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
161 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
162 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
163 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
164 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
165 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
167 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
170 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
171 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
172 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
173 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
174 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
175 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
176 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
178 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
181 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
182 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
183 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
184 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
185 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
187 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
190 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
191 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
192 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
193 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
194 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
195 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
197 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
200 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
201 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
202 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
203 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
204 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
205 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
207 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
210 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
211 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
212 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
213 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
214 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
215 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
217 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
220 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
221 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
222 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
223 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
224 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
226 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
229 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
230 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
231 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
232 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
233 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
234 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
235 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
236 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
237 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
238 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
240 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
243 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
244 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
245 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
246 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
248 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
251 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
252 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
253 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
254 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
255 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
256 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
257 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
258 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
259 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
260 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
262 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
265 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
266 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
267 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
268 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
269 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
270 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
272 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
275 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
276 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
277 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
278 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
279 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
282 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
283 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
284 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
285 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
286 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
287 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
289 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
292 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
293 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
294 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
295 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
297 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
300 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
301 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
302 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
303 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
304 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
305 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
306 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
308 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
311 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
312 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
313 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
314 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
315 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
316 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
317 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
319 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
322 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
323 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
324 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
325 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
326 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
327 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
328 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
330 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
333 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
334 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
335 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
336 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
337 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
338 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
339 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
340 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
342 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
345 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
346 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
347 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
348 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
349 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
350 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
351 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
352 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
353 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
355 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
358 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
359 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
360 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
361 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
362 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
363 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
365 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
368 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
369 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
370 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
371 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
372 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
373 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
374 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
376 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
379 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
380 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
381 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
382 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
383 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
384 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
385 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
387 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
388 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
389 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
390 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
399 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
402 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
403 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
404 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
405 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
407 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
408 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
409 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
413 Run as if git was started in '<path>' instead of the current working
414 directory. When multiple `-C` options are given, each subsequent
415 non-absolute `-C <path>` is interpreted relative to the preceding `-C
418 This option affects options that expect path name like `--git-dir` and
419 `--work-tree` in that their interpretations of the path names would be
420 made relative to the working directory caused by the `-C` option. For
421 example the following invocations are equivalent:
423 git --git-dir=a.git --work-tree=b -C c status
424 git --git-dir=c/a.git --work-tree=c/b status
427 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
428 given will override values from configuration files.
429 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
430 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
432 --exec-path[=<path>]::
433 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
434 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
435 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
436 the current setting and then exit.
439 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
440 documentation is installed and exit.
443 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
444 this version of Git and exit.
447 Print the path where the Info files documenting this
448 version of Git are installed and exit.
452 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
453 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
454 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
458 Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
461 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
462 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
463 path or relative path to current working directory.
466 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
467 or a path relative to the current working directory.
468 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
469 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
470 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
471 more detailed discussion).
474 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
475 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
479 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
480 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
483 --no-replace-objects::
484 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
485 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
487 --literal-pathspecs::
488 Treat pathspecs literally (i.e. no globbing, no pathspec magic).
489 This is equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
493 Add "glob" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
494 the `GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Disabling
495 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
499 Add "literal" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
500 the `GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Enabling
501 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
505 Add "icase" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
506 the `GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`.
511 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
512 ("plumbing") commands.
514 High-level commands (porcelain)
515 -------------------------------
517 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
518 ancillary user utilities.
520 Main porcelain commands
521 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
523 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
529 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
533 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
536 Interacting with Others
537 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
539 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
540 people via patch over e-mail.
542 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
545 Low-level commands (plumbing)
546 -----------------------------
548 Although Git includes its
549 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
550 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
551 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
552 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
554 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
555 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
556 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
557 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
558 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
561 The following description divides
562 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
563 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
564 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
568 Manipulation commands
569 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
571 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
574 Interrogation commands
575 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
577 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
579 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
583 Synching repositories
584 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
586 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
588 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
589 typically do not use them directly.
591 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
594 Internal helper commands
595 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
597 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
598 users typically do not use them directly.
600 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
603 Configuration Mechanism
604 -----------------------
606 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
607 repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look
612 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
617 ; Don't trust file modes
622 name = "Junio C Hamano"
623 email = "gitster@pobox.com"
627 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
628 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
629 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
632 Identifier Terminology
633 ----------------------
635 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
638 Indicates a blob object name.
641 Indicates a tree object name.
644 Indicates a commit object name.
647 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
648 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
649 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
650 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
653 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
654 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
655 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
656 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
659 Indicates that an object type is required.
660 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
663 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
664 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
668 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
672 indicates the head of the current branch.
676 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
680 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
682 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
683 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
686 File/Directory Structure
687 ------------------------
689 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
691 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
693 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
699 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
702 Environment Variables
703 ---------------------
704 Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
708 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
709 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
710 Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
713 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
714 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
717 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
718 If the object storage directory is specified via this
719 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
720 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
723 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
724 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
725 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
726 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
727 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
728 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
731 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
732 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
733 for the base of the repository.
734 The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
737 Set the path to the root of the working tree.
738 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
739 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
742 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
743 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
745 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
746 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If
747 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
748 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
749 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not
750 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
751 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read
752 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
753 might be present in order to compare them with the current
754 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you
755 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
756 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
758 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
760 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
761 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
762 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
763 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
764 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable
765 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
766 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
767 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
775 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
776 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
777 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
779 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
784 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
785 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
786 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
787 value passed on the Git diff command line.
789 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
790 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
791 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
792 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
793 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
795 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
799 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
800 contents of <old|new>,
801 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
802 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
804 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
805 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
806 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
807 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
808 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
810 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
813 For each path 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called, two environment variables,
814 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER' and 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL' are set.
816 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER'::
817 A 1-based counter incremented by one for every path.
819 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL'::
820 The total number of paths.
824 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
825 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
826 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
827 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
830 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
831 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
832 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
833 linkgit:git-config[1].
836 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
837 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
838 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
839 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
842 If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
843 and 'git push' will use this command instead
844 of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
845 The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
846 four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
847 from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
848 remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
849 the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
850 than the default SSH port.
852 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
853 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
854 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
856 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
857 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
861 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
862 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
863 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
864 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
865 option in linkgit:git-config[1].
867 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
868 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
869 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This environment variable can
870 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
871 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
872 temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
873 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
876 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
877 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
878 'git check-attr' and 'git check-ignore' will
879 force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
881 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
882 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
883 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
884 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
887 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
888 is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
889 stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
890 execution and external command execution.
891 If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
892 and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
893 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
894 trace messages into this file descriptor.
895 Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
896 (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
897 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
900 'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
901 If this variable is set to a path, a file will be created at
902 the given path logging all accesses to any packs. For each
903 access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
904 recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
905 pack-related performance problems.
908 If this variable is set, it shows a trace of all packets
909 coming in or out of a given program. This can help with
910 debugging object negotiation or other protocol issues. Tracing
911 is turned off at a packet starting with "PACK".
913 GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
914 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
915 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
916 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
917 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
918 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
919 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
920 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
923 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
924 pathspecs as glob patterns (aka "glob" magic).
926 GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS::
927 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
928 pathspecs as literal (aka "literal" magic).
930 GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS::
931 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
932 pathspecs as case-insensitive.
934 'GIT_REFLOG_ACTION'::
935 When a ref is updated, reflog entries are created to keep
936 track of the reason why the ref was updated (which is
937 typically the name of the high-level command that updated
938 the ref), in addition to the old and new values of the ref.
939 A scripted Porcelain command can use set_reflog_action
940 helper function in `git-sh-setup` to set its name to this
941 variable when it is invoked as the top level command by the
942 end user, to be recorded in the body of the reflog.
945 Discussion[[Discussion]]
946 ------------------------
948 More detail on the following is available from the
949 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
950 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
952 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
953 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
954 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
955 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
956 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
957 as tags and branch heads.
959 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
960 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
961 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
962 and some number of parent commits.
964 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
965 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
966 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
967 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
969 All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
970 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
971 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
972 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
975 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
976 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
978 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
979 may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
980 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
981 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of
982 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
983 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
985 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
986 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
987 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
988 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
989 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
990 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
991 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
992 content stored in the index.
994 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
995 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
996 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
998 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
999 ---------------------
1001 See the references in the "description" section to get started
1002 using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary
1003 for a first-time user.
1005 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
1006 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
1007 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
1009 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
1011 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
1014 The internals are documented in the
1015 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
1017 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
1018 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
1023 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
1024 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
1025 <git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
1026 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
1028 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
1029 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
1030 the authors for specific parts of the project.
1035 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
1036 development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be
1037 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
1041 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
1042 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
1043 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
1044 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
1045 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
1049 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite