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:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
49 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3].
50 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2].
51 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1].
52 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
54 * link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
57 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
58 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
59 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
60 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
61 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
62 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
63 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
65 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
68 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
69 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
70 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
71 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
73 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
76 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
77 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
78 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
79 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
80 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
82 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
85 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
86 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
87 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
88 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
89 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
90 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
91 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
92 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
94 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
97 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
98 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
99 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
100 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
101 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
102 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
104 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
107 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
108 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
109 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
110 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
111 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
112 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
113 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
114 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
116 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
119 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
120 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
121 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
122 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
123 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
124 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
125 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
127 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
130 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
131 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
132 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
133 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
134 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
135 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
136 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
137 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
139 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
142 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
143 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
144 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
145 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
146 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
147 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
148 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
150 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
153 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
154 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
155 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
156 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
157 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
159 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
162 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
163 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
164 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
165 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
166 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
167 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
169 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
172 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
173 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
174 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
175 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
176 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
177 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
179 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
182 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
183 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
184 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
185 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
186 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
187 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
189 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
192 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
193 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
194 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
195 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
196 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
198 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
201 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
202 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
203 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
204 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
205 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
206 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
207 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
208 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
209 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
210 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
212 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
215 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
216 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
217 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
218 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
220 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
223 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
224 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
225 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
226 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
227 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
228 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
229 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
230 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
231 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
232 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
234 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
237 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
238 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
239 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
240 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
241 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
242 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
244 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
247 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
248 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
249 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
250 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
251 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
254 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
255 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
256 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
257 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
258 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
259 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
261 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
264 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
265 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
266 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
267 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
269 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
272 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
273 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
274 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
275 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
276 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
277 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
278 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
280 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
283 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
284 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
285 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
286 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
287 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
288 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
289 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
291 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
294 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
295 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
296 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
297 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
298 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
299 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
300 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
302 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
305 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
306 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
307 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
308 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
309 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
310 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
311 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
312 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
314 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
317 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
318 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
319 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
320 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
321 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
322 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
323 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
324 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
325 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
327 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
330 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
331 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
332 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
333 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
334 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
335 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
337 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
340 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
341 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
342 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
343 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
344 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
345 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
346 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
348 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
351 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
352 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
353 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
354 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
355 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
356 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
357 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
359 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
360 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
361 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
362 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
371 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
374 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
375 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
376 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
377 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
379 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
380 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
381 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
385 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
386 given will override values from configuration files.
387 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
388 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
390 --exec-path[=<path>]::
391 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
392 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
393 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
394 the current setting and then exit.
397 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
398 documentation is installed and exit.
401 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
402 this version of Git and exit.
405 Print the path where the Info files documenting this
406 version of Git are installed and exit.
410 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
411 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
412 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
416 Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
419 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
420 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
421 path or relative path to current working directory.
424 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
425 or a path relative to the current working directory.
426 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
427 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
428 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
429 more detailed discussion).
432 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
433 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
437 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
438 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
441 --no-replace-objects::
442 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
443 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
445 --literal-pathspecs::
446 Treat pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. This is
447 equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
454 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
455 ("plumbing") commands.
457 High-level commands (porcelain)
458 -------------------------------
460 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
461 ancillary user utilities.
463 Main porcelain commands
464 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
466 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
472 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
476 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
479 Interacting with Others
480 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
482 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
483 people via patch over e-mail.
485 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
488 Low-level commands (plumbing)
489 -----------------------------
491 Although Git includes its
492 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
493 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
494 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
495 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
497 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
498 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
499 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
500 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
501 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
504 The following description divides
505 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
506 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
507 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
511 Manipulation commands
512 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
514 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
517 Interrogation commands
518 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
520 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
522 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
526 Synching repositories
527 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
529 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
531 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
532 typically do not use them directly.
534 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
537 Internal helper commands
538 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
540 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
541 users typically do not use them directly.
543 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
546 Configuration Mechanism
547 -----------------------
549 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
550 repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look
555 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
560 ; Don't trust file modes
565 name = "Junio C Hamano"
566 email = "gitster@pobox.com"
570 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
571 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
572 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
575 Identifier Terminology
576 ----------------------
578 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
581 Indicates a blob object name.
584 Indicates a tree object name.
587 Indicates a commit object name.
590 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
591 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
592 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
593 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
596 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
597 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
598 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
599 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
602 Indicates that an object type is required.
603 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
606 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
607 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
611 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
615 indicates the head of the current branch.
619 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
623 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
625 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
626 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
629 File/Directory Structure
630 ------------------------
632 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
634 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
636 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
642 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
645 Environment Variables
646 ---------------------
647 Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
651 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
652 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
653 Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
656 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
657 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
660 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
661 If the object storage directory is specified via this
662 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
663 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
666 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
667 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
668 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
669 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
670 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
671 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
674 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
675 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
676 for the base of the repository.
677 The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
680 Set the path to the working tree. The value will not be
681 used in combination with repositories found automatically in
682 a .git directory (i.e. $GIT_DIR is not set).
683 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
684 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
687 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
688 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
690 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
691 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If
692 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
693 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
694 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not
695 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
696 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read
697 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
698 might be present in order to compare them with the current
699 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you
700 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
701 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
703 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
705 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
706 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
707 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
708 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
709 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable
710 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
711 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
712 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
720 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
721 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
722 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
724 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
729 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
730 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
731 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
732 value passed on the Git diff command line.
734 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
735 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
736 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
737 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
738 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
740 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
744 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
745 contents of <old|new>,
746 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
747 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
749 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
750 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
751 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
752 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
753 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
755 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
760 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
761 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
762 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
763 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
766 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
767 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
768 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
769 linkgit:git-config[1].
772 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
773 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
774 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
775 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
778 If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
779 and 'git push' will use this command instead
780 of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
781 The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
782 four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
783 from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
784 remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
785 the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
786 than the default SSH port.
788 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
789 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
790 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
792 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
793 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
797 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
798 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
799 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
800 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
801 option in linkgit:git-config[1].
803 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
804 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
805 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This environment variable can
806 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
807 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
808 temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
809 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
812 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
813 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
814 'git check-attr', 'git check-ignore', and 'git whatchanged' will
815 force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
817 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
818 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
819 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
820 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
823 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
824 is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
825 stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
826 execution and external command execution.
827 If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
828 and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
829 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
830 trace messages into this file descriptor.
831 Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
832 (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
833 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
836 GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
837 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
838 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
839 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
840 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
841 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
842 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
843 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
846 Discussion[[Discussion]]
847 ------------------------
849 More detail on the following is available from the
850 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
851 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
853 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
854 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
855 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
856 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
857 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
858 as tags and branch heads.
860 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
861 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
862 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
863 and some number of parent commits.
865 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
866 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
867 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
868 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
870 All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
871 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
872 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
873 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
876 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
877 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
879 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
880 may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
881 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
882 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of
883 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
884 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
886 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
887 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
888 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
889 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
890 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
891 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
892 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
893 content stored in the index.
895 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
896 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
897 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
899 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
900 ---------------------
902 See the references in the "description" section to get started
903 using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary
904 for a first-time user.
906 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
907 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
908 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
910 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
912 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
915 The internals are documented in the
916 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
918 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
919 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
924 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
925 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
926 <git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
927 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
929 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
930 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
931 the authors for specific parts of the project.
936 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
937 development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be
938 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
942 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
943 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
944 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
945 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
946 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
950 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite