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:v1.7.12.1/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.1]
49 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
50 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
52 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
55 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
56 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
57 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
58 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
59 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
60 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
61 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
62 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
64 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
67 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
68 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
69 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
70 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
71 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
72 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
74 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
77 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
78 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
79 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
80 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
81 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
82 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
83 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
84 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
86 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
89 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
90 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
91 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
92 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
93 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
94 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
95 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
97 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
100 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
101 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
102 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
103 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
104 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
105 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
106 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
107 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
109 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
112 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
113 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
114 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
115 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
116 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
117 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
118 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
120 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
123 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
124 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
125 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
126 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
127 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
129 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
132 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
133 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
134 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
135 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
136 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
137 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
139 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
142 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
143 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
144 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
145 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
146 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
147 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
149 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
152 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
153 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
154 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
155 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
156 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
157 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
159 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
162 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
163 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
164 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
165 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
166 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
168 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
171 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
172 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
173 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
174 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
175 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
176 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
177 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
178 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
179 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
180 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
182 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
185 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
186 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
187 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
188 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
190 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
193 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
194 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
195 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
196 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
197 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
198 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
199 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
200 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
201 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
202 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
204 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
207 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
208 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
209 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
210 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
211 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
212 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
214 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
217 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
218 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
219 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
220 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
221 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
224 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
225 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
226 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
227 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
228 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
229 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
231 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
234 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
235 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
236 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
237 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
239 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
242 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
243 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
244 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
245 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
246 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
247 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
248 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
250 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
253 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
254 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
255 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
256 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
257 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
258 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
259 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
261 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
264 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
265 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
266 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
267 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
268 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
269 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
270 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
272 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
275 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
276 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
277 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
278 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
279 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
280 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
281 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
282 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
284 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
287 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
288 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
289 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
290 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
291 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
292 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
293 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
294 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
295 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
297 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
300 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
301 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
302 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
303 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
304 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
305 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
307 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
310 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
311 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
312 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
313 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
314 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
315 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
316 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
318 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
321 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
322 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
323 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
324 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
325 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
326 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
327 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
329 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
330 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
331 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
332 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
341 Prints the git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
344 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
345 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
346 available commands are printed. If a git command is named this
347 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
349 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
350 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
351 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
355 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
356 given will override values from configuration files.
357 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
358 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
360 --exec-path[=<path>]::
361 Path to wherever your core git programs are installed.
362 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
363 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
364 the current setting and then exit.
367 Print the path, without trailing slash, where git's HTML
368 documentation is installed and exit.
371 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
372 this version of git and exit.
375 Print the path where the Info files documenting this
376 version of git are installed and exit.
380 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
381 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
382 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
386 Do not pipe git output into a pager.
389 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
390 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
391 path or relative path to current working directory.
394 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
395 or a path relative to the current working directory.
396 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
397 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
398 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
399 more detailed discussion).
402 Set the git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
403 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
407 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
408 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
411 --no-replace-objects::
412 Do not use replacement refs to replace git objects. See
413 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
419 We divide git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
420 ("plumbing") commands.
422 High-level commands (porcelain)
423 -------------------------------
425 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
426 ancillary user utilities.
428 Main porcelain commands
429 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
431 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
437 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
441 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
444 Interacting with Others
445 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
447 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
448 people via patch over e-mail.
450 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
453 Low-level commands (plumbing)
454 -----------------------------
456 Although git includes its
457 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
458 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
459 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
460 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
462 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
463 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
464 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
465 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
466 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
469 The following description divides
470 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
471 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
472 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
476 Manipulation commands
477 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
479 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
482 Interrogation commands
483 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
485 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
487 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
491 Synching repositories
492 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
494 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
496 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
497 typically do not use them directly.
499 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
502 Internal helper commands
503 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
505 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
506 users typically do not use them directly.
508 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
511 Configuration Mechanism
512 -----------------------
514 Starting from 0.99.9 (actually mid 0.99.8.GIT), `.git/config` file
515 is used to hold per-repository configuration options. It is a
516 simple text file modeled after `.ini` format familiar to some
517 people. Here is an example:
521 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
526 ; Don't trust file modes
531 name = "Junio C Hamano"
532 email = "junkio@twinsun.com"
536 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
537 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
541 Identifier Terminology
542 ----------------------
544 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
547 Indicates a blob object name.
550 Indicates a tree object name.
553 Indicates a commit object name.
556 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
557 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
558 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
559 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
562 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
563 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
564 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
565 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
568 Indicates that an object type is required.
569 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
572 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
573 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
577 Any git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
581 indicates the head of the current branch.
585 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
589 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
591 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
592 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
595 File/Directory Structure
596 ------------------------
598 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
600 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
602 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
608 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
611 Environment Variables
612 ---------------------
613 Various git commands use the following environment variables:
617 These environment variables apply to 'all' core git commands. Nb: it
618 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
619 git so take care if using Cogito etc.
622 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
623 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
626 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
627 If the object storage directory is specified via this
628 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
629 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
632 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
633 Due to the immutable nature of git objects, old objects can be
634 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
635 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
636 of git object directories which can be used to search for git
637 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
640 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
641 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
642 for the base of the repository.
645 Set the path to the working tree. The value will not be
646 used in combination with repositories found automatically in
647 a .git directory (i.e. $GIT_DIR is not set).
648 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
649 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
652 Set the git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
653 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
655 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
656 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If
657 set, it is a list of directories that git should not chdir up
658 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
659 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not
660 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
661 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read
662 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
663 might be present in order to compare them with the current
664 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you
665 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
666 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
668 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
670 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
671 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
672 directory, git tries to find such a directory in the parent
673 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
674 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable
675 can be set to true to tell git not to stop at filesystem
676 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
677 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
685 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
686 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
687 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
689 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
694 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
695 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
696 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
697 value passed on the git diff command line.
699 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
700 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
701 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
702 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
703 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
705 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
709 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
710 contents of <old|new>,
711 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA1 hashes,
712 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
714 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
715 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
716 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
717 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
718 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
720 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
725 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
726 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
727 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
728 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
731 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
732 to an empty string or to the value "cat", git will not launch
733 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
734 linkgit:git-config[1].
737 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
738 It is used by several git commands when, on interactive mode,
739 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
740 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
743 If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
744 and 'git push' will use this command instead
745 of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
746 The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two arguments:
747 the 'username@host' (or just 'host') from the URL and the
748 shell command to execute on that remote system.
750 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
751 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
752 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
754 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
755 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
759 If this environment variable is set, then git commands which need to
760 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
761 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
762 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
763 option in linkgit:git-config[1].
766 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
767 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
768 and 'git whatchanged' will force a flush of the output stream
769 after each commit-oriented record have been flushed. If this
770 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
771 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
772 not set, git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
773 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
776 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
777 is case insensitive), git will print `trace:` messages on
778 stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
779 execution and external command execution.
780 If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
781 and lower than 10 (strictly) then git will interpret this
782 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
783 trace messages into this file descriptor.
784 Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
785 (starting with a '/' character), git will interpret this
786 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
789 Discussion[[Discussion]]
790 ------------------------
792 More detail on the following is available from the
793 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
794 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
796 A git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
797 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
798 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
799 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
800 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
801 as tags and branch heads.
803 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
804 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
805 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
806 and some number of parent commits.
808 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
809 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
810 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
811 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
813 All objects are named by the SHA1 hash of their contents, normally
814 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
815 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
816 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
819 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
820 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
822 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
823 may contain the SHA1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
824 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA1 name of the most
825 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA1 names of
826 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
827 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
829 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
830 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
831 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
832 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
833 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
834 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
835 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
836 content stored in the index.
838 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
839 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
840 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
842 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
843 ---------------------
845 See the references in the "description" section to get started
846 using git. The following is probably more detail than necessary
847 for a first-time user.
849 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
850 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
851 introductions to the underlying git architecture.
853 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
855 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
858 The internals are documented in the
859 link:technical/api-index.html[GIT API documentation].
861 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
862 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
867 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
868 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the git mailing list
869 <git@vger.kernel.org>. For a more complete list of contributors, see
870 http://git-scm.com/about. If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
871 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
872 the authors for specific parts of the project.
877 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
878 development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be
879 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
883 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
884 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
885 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
886 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
887 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
891 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite