6 git - the stupid content tracker
12 'git' [-v | --version] [-h | --help] [-C <path>] [-c <name>=<value>]
13 [--exec-path[=<path>]] [--html-path] [--man-path] [--info-path]
14 [-p|--paginate|-P|--no-pager] [--no-replace-objects] [--bare]
15 [--git-dir=<path>] [--work-tree=<path>] [--namespace=<name>]
16 [--config-env=<name>=<envvar>] <command> [<args>]
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 linkgit:giteveryday[7] 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 A formatted and hyperlinked copy of the latest Git documentation
35 can be viewed at https://git.github.io/htmldocs/git.html
36 or https://git-scm.com/docs.
43 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
45 This option is internally converted to `git version ...` and accepts
46 the same options as the linkgit:git-version[1] command. If `--help` is
47 also given, it takes precedence over `--version`.
51 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
52 commands. If the option `--all` or `-a` is given then all
53 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
54 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
56 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
57 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
58 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
62 Run as if git was started in '<path>' instead of the current working
63 directory. When multiple `-C` options are given, each subsequent
64 non-absolute `-C <path>` is interpreted relative to the preceding `-C
65 <path>`. If '<path>' is present but empty, e.g. `-C ""`, then the
66 current working directory is left unchanged.
68 This option affects options that expect path name like `--git-dir` and
69 `--work-tree` in that their interpretations of the path names would be
70 made relative to the working directory caused by the `-C` option. For
71 example the following invocations are equivalent:
73 git --git-dir=a.git --work-tree=b -C c status
74 git --git-dir=c/a.git --work-tree=c/b status
77 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
78 given will override values from configuration files.
79 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
80 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
82 Note that omitting the `=` in `git -c foo.bar ...` is allowed and sets
83 `foo.bar` to the boolean true value (just like `[foo]bar` would in a
84 config file). Including the equals but with an empty value (like `git -c
85 foo.bar= ...`) sets `foo.bar` to the empty string which `git config
86 --type=bool` will convert to `false`.
88 --config-env=<name>=<envvar>::
89 Like `-c <name>=<value>`, give configuration variable
90 '<name>' a value, where <envvar> is the name of an
91 environment variable from which to retrieve the value. Unlike
92 `-c` there is no shortcut for directly setting the value to an
93 empty string, instead the environment variable itself must be
94 set to the empty string. It is an error if the `<envvar>` does not exist
95 in the environment. `<envvar>` may not contain an equals sign
96 to avoid ambiguity with `<name>` containing one.
98 This is useful for cases where you want to pass transitory
99 configuration options to git, but are doing so on OS's where
100 other processes might be able to read your cmdline
101 (e.g. `/proc/self/cmdline`), but not your environ
102 (e.g. `/proc/self/environ`). That behavior is the default on
103 Linux, but may not be on your system.
105 Note that this might add security for variables such as
106 `http.extraHeader` where the sensitive information is part of
107 the value, but not e.g. `url.<base>.insteadOf` where the
108 sensitive information can be part of the key.
110 --exec-path[=<path>]::
111 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
112 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
113 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
114 the current setting and then exit.
117 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
118 documentation is installed and exit.
121 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
122 this version of Git and exit.
125 Print the path where the Info files documenting this
126 version of Git are installed and exit.
130 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
131 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
132 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
137 Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
140 Set the path to the repository (".git" directory). This can also be
141 controlled by setting the `GIT_DIR` environment variable. It can be
142 an absolute path or relative path to current working directory.
144 Specifying the location of the ".git" directory using this
145 option (or `GIT_DIR` environment variable) turns off the
146 repository discovery that tries to find a directory with
147 ".git" subdirectory (which is how the repository and the
148 top-level of the working tree are discovered), and tells Git
149 that you are at the top level of the working tree. If you
150 are not at the top-level directory of the working tree, you
151 should tell Git where the top-level of the working tree is,
152 with the `--work-tree=<path>` option (or `GIT_WORK_TREE`
153 environment variable)
155 If you just want to run git as if it was started in `<path>` then use
159 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
160 or a path relative to the current working directory.
161 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
162 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
163 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
164 more detailed discussion).
167 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
168 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
172 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
173 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
176 --no-replace-objects::
177 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
178 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
180 --literal-pathspecs::
181 Treat pathspecs literally (i.e. no globbing, no pathspec magic).
182 This is equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
186 Add "glob" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
187 the `GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Disabling
188 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
192 Add "literal" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
193 the `GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Enabling
194 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
198 Add "icase" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
199 the `GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`.
201 --no-optional-locks::
202 Do not perform optional operations that require locks. This is
203 equivalent to setting the `GIT_OPTIONAL_LOCKS` to `0`.
205 --list-cmds=group[,group...]::
206 List commands by group. This is an internal/experimental
207 option and may change or be removed in the future. Supported
208 groups are: builtins, parseopt (builtin commands that use
209 parse-options), main (all commands in libexec directory),
210 others (all other commands in `$PATH` that have git- prefix),
211 list-<category> (see categories in command-list.txt),
212 nohelpers (exclude helper commands), alias and config
213 (retrieve command list from config variable completion.commands)
218 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
219 ("plumbing") commands.
221 High-level commands (porcelain)
222 -------------------------------
224 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
225 ancillary user utilities.
227 Main porcelain commands
228 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
230 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
236 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
240 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
243 Interacting with Others
244 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
246 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
247 people via patch over e-mail.
249 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
251 Reset, restore and revert
252 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
253 There are three commands with similar names: `git reset`,
254 `git restore` and `git revert`.
256 * linkgit:git-revert[1] is about making a new commit that reverts the
257 changes made by other commits.
259 * linkgit:git-restore[1] is about restoring files in the working tree
260 from either the index or another commit. This command does not
261 update your branch. The command can also be used to restore files in
262 the index from another commit.
264 * linkgit:git-reset[1] is about updating your branch, moving the tip
265 in order to add or remove commits from the branch. This operation
266 changes the commit history.
268 `git reset` can also be used to restore the index, overlapping with
272 Low-level commands (plumbing)
273 -----------------------------
275 Although Git includes its
276 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
277 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
278 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
279 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
281 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
282 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
283 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
284 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
285 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
288 The following description divides
289 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
290 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
291 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
295 Manipulation commands
296 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
298 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
301 Interrogation commands
302 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
304 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
306 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
313 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
315 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
316 typically do not use them directly.
318 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
321 Internal helper commands
322 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
324 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
325 users typically do not use them directly.
327 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
332 The following documentation pages are guides about Git concepts.
334 include::cmds-guide.txt[]
336 Repository, command and file interfaces
337 ---------------------------------------
339 This documentation discusses repository and command interfaces which
340 users are expected to interact with directly. See `--user-formats` in
341 linkgit:git-help[1] for more details on the criteria.
343 include::cmds-userinterfaces.txt[]
345 File formats, protocols and other developer interfaces
346 ------------------------------------------------------
348 This documentation discusses file formats, over-the-wire protocols and
349 other git developer interfaces. See `--developer-interfaces` in
352 include::cmds-developerinterfaces.txt[]
354 Configuration Mechanism
355 -----------------------
357 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
358 repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look
363 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
368 ; Don't trust file modes
373 name = "Junio C Hamano"
374 email = "gitster@pobox.com"
378 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
379 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
380 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
383 Identifier Terminology
384 ----------------------
386 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
389 Indicates a blob object name.
392 Indicates a tree object name.
395 Indicates a commit object name.
398 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
399 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
400 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
401 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
404 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
405 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
406 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
407 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
410 Indicates that an object type is required.
411 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
414 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
415 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
419 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
423 indicates the head of the current branch.
427 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
431 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
433 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
434 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
437 File/Directory Structure
438 ------------------------
440 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
442 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
444 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
450 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
453 Environment Variables
454 ---------------------
455 Various Git commands pay attention to environment variables and change
456 their behavior. The environment variables marked as "Boolean" take
457 their values the same way as Boolean valued configuration variables, e.g.
458 "true", "yes", "on" and positive numbers are taken as "yes".
460 Here are the variables:
464 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
465 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
466 Git so take care if using a foreign front-end.
469 This environment variable specifies an alternate
470 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
473 `GIT_INDEX_VERSION`::
474 This environment variable specifies what index version is used
475 when writing the index file out. It won't affect existing index
476 files. By default index file version 2 or 3 is used. See
477 linkgit:git-update-index[1] for more information.
479 `GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY`::
480 If the object storage directory is specified via this
481 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
482 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
485 `GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES`::
486 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
487 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
488 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
489 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
490 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
492 Entries that begin with `"` (double-quote) will be interpreted
493 as C-style quoted paths, removing leading and trailing
494 double-quotes and respecting backslash escapes. E.g., the value
495 `"path-with-\"-and-:-in-it":vanilla-path` has two paths:
496 `path-with-"-and-:-in-it` and `vanilla-path`.
499 If the `GIT_DIR` environment variable is set then it
500 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
501 for the base of the repository.
502 The `--git-dir` command-line option also sets this value.
505 Set the path to the root of the working tree.
506 This can also be controlled by the `--work-tree` command-line
507 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
510 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
511 The `--namespace` command-line option also sets this value.
513 `GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES`::
514 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If
515 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
516 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
517 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not
518 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
519 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read
520 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
521 might be present in order to compare them with the current
522 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you
523 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
524 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
526 `GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink`.
528 `GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM`::
529 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
530 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
531 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
532 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This Boolean environment variable
533 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
534 boundaries. Like `GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES`, this will not affect
535 an explicit repository directory set via `GIT_DIR` or on the
539 If this variable is set to a path, non-worktree files that are
540 normally in $GIT_DIR will be taken from this path
541 instead. Worktree-specific files such as HEAD or index are
542 taken from $GIT_DIR. See linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] and
543 linkgit:git-worktree[1] for
544 details. This variable has lower precedence than other path
545 variables such as GIT_INDEX_FILE, GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY...
548 If this variable is set, the default hash algorithm for new
549 repositories will be set to this value. This value is currently
550 ignored when cloning; the setting of the remote repository
551 is used instead. The default is "sha1". THIS VARIABLE IS
552 EXPERIMENTAL! See `--object-format` in linkgit:git-init[1].
557 The human-readable name used in the author identity when creating commit or
558 tag objects, or when writing reflogs. Overrides the `user.name` and
559 `author.name` configuration settings.
562 The email address used in the author identity when creating commit or
563 tag objects, or when writing reflogs. Overrides the `user.email` and
564 `author.email` configuration settings.
567 The date used for the author identity when creating commit or tag objects, or
568 when writing reflogs. See linkgit:git-commit[1] for valid formats.
570 `GIT_COMMITTER_NAME`::
571 The human-readable name used in the committer identity when creating commit or
572 tag objects, or when writing reflogs. Overrides the `user.name` and
573 `committer.name` configuration settings.
575 `GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL`::
576 The email address used in the author identity when creating commit or
577 tag objects, or when writing reflogs. Overrides the `user.email` and
578 `committer.email` configuration settings.
580 `GIT_COMMITTER_DATE`::
581 The date used for the committer identity when creating commit or tag objects, or
582 when writing reflogs. See linkgit:git-commit[1] for valid formats.
585 The email address used in the author and committer identities if no other
586 relevant environment variable or configuration setting has been set.
591 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
592 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
593 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
594 value passed on the Git diff command line.
596 `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF`::
597 When the environment variable `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` is set, the
598 program named by it is called to generate diffs, and Git
599 does not use its builtin diff machinery.
600 For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
601 `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` is called with 7 parameters:
603 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
607 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
608 contents of <old|new>,
609 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
610 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
612 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
613 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
614 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
615 index). `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` should not worry about unlinking the
616 temporary file -- it is removed when `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` exits.
618 For a path that is unmerged, `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` is called with 1
621 For each path `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` is called, two environment variables,
622 `GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER` and `GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL` are set.
624 `GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER`::
625 A 1-based counter incremented by one for every path.
627 `GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL`::
628 The total number of paths.
632 `GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY`::
633 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
634 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
635 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
638 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
639 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
640 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
641 linkgit:git-config[1].
643 `GIT_PROGRESS_DELAY`::
644 A number controlling how many seconds to delay before showing
645 optional progress indicators. Defaults to 2.
648 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
649 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
650 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
651 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
653 `GIT_SEQUENCE_EDITOR`::
654 This environment variable overrides the configured Git editor
655 when editing the todo list of an interactive rebase. See also
656 linkgit:git-rebase[1] and the `sequence.editor` option in
657 linkgit:git-config[1].
661 If either of these environment variables is set then 'git fetch'
662 and 'git push' will use the specified command instead of 'ssh'
663 when they need to connect to a remote system.
664 The command-line parameters passed to the configured command are
665 determined by the ssh variant. See `ssh.variant` option in
666 linkgit:git-config[1] for details.
668 `$GIT_SSH_COMMAND` takes precedence over `$GIT_SSH`, and is interpreted
669 by the shell, which allows additional arguments to be included.
670 `$GIT_SSH` on the other hand must be just the path to a program
671 (which can be a wrapper shell script, if additional arguments are
674 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
675 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
679 If this environment variable is set, it overrides Git's autodetection
680 whether `GIT_SSH`/`GIT_SSH_COMMAND`/`core.sshCommand` refer to OpenSSH,
681 plink or tortoiseplink. This variable overrides the config setting
682 `ssh.variant` that serves the same purpose.
684 `GIT_SSL_NO_VERIFY`::
685 Setting and exporting this environment variable to any value
686 tells Git not to verify the SSL certificate when fetching or
690 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
691 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
692 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command-line argument
693 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the `core.askPass`
694 option in linkgit:git-config[1].
696 `GIT_TERMINAL_PROMPT`::
697 If this Boolean environment variable is set to false, git will not prompt
698 on the terminal (e.g., when asking for HTTP authentication).
700 `GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL`::
701 `GIT_CONFIG_SYSTEM`::
702 Take the configuration from the given files instead from global or
703 system-level configuration files. If `GIT_CONFIG_SYSTEM` is set, the
704 system config file defined at build time (usually `/etc/gitconfig`)
705 will not be read. Likewise, if `GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL` is set, neither
706 `$HOME/.gitconfig` nor `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/git/config` will be read. Can
707 be set to `/dev/null` to skip reading configuration files of the
710 `GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM`::
711 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
712 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This Boolean environment variable can
713 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
714 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
715 to true to temporarily avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
716 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
719 // NEEDSWORK: make it into a usual Boolean environment variable
720 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
721 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
722 'git check-attr' and 'git check-ignore' will
723 force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
725 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
726 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
727 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
728 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
731 Enables general trace messages, e.g. alias expansion, built-in
732 command execution and external command execution.
734 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
735 is case insensitive), trace messages will be printed to
738 If the variable is set to an integer value greater than 2
739 and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
740 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
741 trace messages into this file descriptor.
743 Alternatively, if the variable is set to an absolute path
744 (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
745 as a file path and will try to append the trace messages
748 Unsetting the variable, or setting it to empty, "0" or
749 "false" (case insensitive) disables trace messages.
751 `GIT_TRACE_FSMONITOR`::
752 Enables trace messages for the filesystem monitor extension.
753 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.
755 `GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS`::
756 Enables trace messages for all accesses to any packs. For each
757 access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
758 recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
759 pack-related performance problems.
760 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.
763 Enables trace messages for all packets coming in or out of a
764 given program. This can help with debugging object negotiation
765 or other protocol issues. Tracing is turned off at a packet
766 starting with "PACK" (but see `GIT_TRACE_PACKFILE` below).
767 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.
769 `GIT_TRACE_PACKFILE`::
770 Enables tracing of packfiles sent or received by a
771 given program. Unlike other trace output, this trace is
772 verbatim: no headers, and no quoting of binary data. You almost
773 certainly want to direct into a file (e.g.,
774 `GIT_TRACE_PACKFILE=/tmp/my.pack`) rather than displaying it on
775 the terminal or mixing it with other trace output.
777 Note that this is currently only implemented for the client side
778 of clones and fetches.
780 `GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE`::
781 Enables performance related trace messages, e.g. total execution
782 time of each Git command.
783 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.
786 Enables trace messages for operations on the ref database.
787 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.
790 Enables trace messages printing the .git, working tree and current
791 working directory after Git has completed its setup phase.
792 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.
794 `GIT_TRACE_SHALLOW`::
795 Enables trace messages that can help debugging fetching /
796 cloning of shallow repositories.
797 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.
800 Enables a curl full trace dump of all incoming and outgoing data,
801 including descriptive information, of the git transport protocol.
802 This is similar to doing curl `--trace-ascii` on the command line.
803 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.
805 `GIT_TRACE_CURL_NO_DATA`::
806 When a curl trace is enabled (see `GIT_TRACE_CURL` above), do not dump
807 data (that is, only dump info lines and headers).
810 Enables more detailed trace messages from the "trace2" library.
811 Output from `GIT_TRACE2` is a simple text-based format for human
814 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
815 is case insensitive), trace messages will be printed to
818 If the variable is set to an integer value greater than 2
819 and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
820 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
821 trace messages into this file descriptor.
823 Alternatively, if the variable is set to an absolute path
824 (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
825 as a file path and will try to append the trace messages
826 to it. If the path already exists and is a directory, the
827 trace messages will be written to files (one per process)
828 in that directory, named according to the last component
829 of the SID and an optional counter (to avoid filename
832 In addition, if the variable is set to
833 `af_unix:[<socket_type>:]<absolute-pathname>`, Git will try
834 to open the path as a Unix Domain Socket. The socket type
835 can be either `stream` or `dgram`.
837 Unsetting the variable, or setting it to empty, "0" or
838 "false" (case insensitive) disables trace messages.
840 See link:technical/api-trace2.html[Trace2 documentation]
845 This setting writes a JSON-based format that is suited for machine
847 See `GIT_TRACE2` for available trace output options and
848 link:technical/api-trace2.html[Trace2 documentation] for full details.
851 In addition to the text-based messages available in `GIT_TRACE2`, this
852 setting writes a column-based format for understanding nesting
854 See `GIT_TRACE2` for available trace output options and
855 link:technical/api-trace2.html[Trace2 documentation] for full details.
858 By default, when tracing is activated, Git redacts the values of
859 cookies, the "Authorization:" header, the "Proxy-Authorization:"
860 header and packfile URIs. Set this Boolean environment variable to false to prevent this
863 `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS`::
864 Setting this Boolean environment variable to true will cause Git to treat all
865 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
866 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
867 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
868 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
869 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
870 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
872 `GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS`::
873 Setting this Boolean environment variable to true will cause Git to treat all
874 pathspecs as glob patterns (aka "glob" magic).
876 `GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS`::
877 Setting this Boolean environment variable to true will cause Git to treat all
878 pathspecs as literal (aka "literal" magic).
880 `GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS`::
881 Setting this Boolean environment variable to true will cause Git to treat all
882 pathspecs as case-insensitive.
884 `GIT_REFLOG_ACTION`::
885 When a ref is updated, reflog entries are created to keep
886 track of the reason why the ref was updated (which is
887 typically the name of the high-level command that updated
888 the ref), in addition to the old and new values of the ref.
889 A scripted Porcelain command can use set_reflog_action
890 helper function in `git-sh-setup` to set its name to this
891 variable when it is invoked as the top level command by the
892 end user, to be recorded in the body of the reflog.
895 If this Boolean environment variable is set to false, ignore broken or badly named refs when iterating
896 over lists of refs. Normally Git will try to include any such
897 refs, which may cause some operations to fail. This is usually
898 preferable, as potentially destructive operations (e.g.,
899 linkgit:git-prune[1]) are better off aborting rather than
900 ignoring broken refs (and thus considering the history they
901 point to as not worth saving). The default value is `1` (i.e.,
902 be paranoid about detecting and aborting all operations). You
903 should not normally need to set this to `0`, but it may be
904 useful when trying to salvage data from a corrupted repository.
906 `GIT_ALLOW_PROTOCOL`::
907 If set to a colon-separated list of protocols, behave as if
908 `protocol.allow` is set to `never`, and each of the listed
909 protocols has `protocol.<name>.allow` set to `always`
910 (overriding any existing configuration). See the description of
911 `protocol.allow` in linkgit:git-config[1] for more details.
913 `GIT_PROTOCOL_FROM_USER`::
914 Set this Boolean environment variable to false to prevent protocols used by fetch/push/clone which are
915 configured to the `user` state. This is useful to restrict recursive
916 submodule initialization from an untrusted repository or for programs
917 which feed potentially-untrusted URLS to git commands. See
918 linkgit:git-config[1] for more details.
921 For internal use only. Used in handshaking the wire protocol.
922 Contains a colon ':' separated list of keys with optional values
923 'key[=value]'. Presence of unknown keys and values must be
926 Note that servers may need to be configured to allow this variable to
927 pass over some transports. It will be propagated automatically when
928 accessing local repositories (i.e., `file://` or a filesystem path), as
929 well as over the `git://` protocol. For git-over-http, it should work
930 automatically in most configurations, but see the discussion in
931 linkgit:git-http-backend[1]. For git-over-ssh, the ssh server may need
932 to be configured to allow clients to pass this variable (e.g., by using
933 `AcceptEnv GIT_PROTOCOL` with OpenSSH).
935 This configuration is optional. If the variable is not propagated, then
936 clients will fall back to the original "v0" protocol (but may miss out
937 on some performance improvements or features). This variable currently
938 only affects clones and fetches; it is not yet used for pushes (but may
941 `GIT_OPTIONAL_LOCKS`::
942 If this Boolean environment variable is set to false, Git will complete any requested operation without
943 performing any optional sub-operations that require taking a lock.
944 For example, this will prevent `git status` from refreshing the
945 index as a side effect. This is useful for processes running in
946 the background which do not want to cause lock contention with
947 other operations on the repository. Defaults to `1`.
949 `GIT_REDIRECT_STDIN`::
950 `GIT_REDIRECT_STDOUT`::
951 `GIT_REDIRECT_STDERR`::
952 Windows-only: allow redirecting the standard input/output/error
953 handles to paths specified by the environment variables. This is
954 particularly useful in multi-threaded applications where the
955 canonical way to pass standard handles via `CreateProcess()` is
956 not an option because it would require the handles to be marked
957 inheritable (and consequently *every* spawned process would
958 inherit them, possibly blocking regular Git operations). The
959 primary intended use case is to use named pipes for communication
960 (e.g. `\\.\pipe\my-git-stdin-123`).
962 Two special values are supported: `off` will simply close the
963 corresponding standard handle, and if `GIT_REDIRECT_STDERR` is
964 `2>&1`, standard error will be redirected to the same handle as
967 `GIT_PRINT_SHA1_ELLIPSIS` (deprecated)::
968 If set to `yes`, print an ellipsis following an
969 (abbreviated) SHA-1 value. This affects indications of
970 detached HEADs (linkgit:git-checkout[1]) and the raw
971 diff output (linkgit:git-diff[1]). Printing an
972 ellipsis in the cases mentioned is no longer considered
973 adequate and support for it is likely to be removed in the
974 foreseeable future (along with the variable).
976 Discussion[[Discussion]]
977 ------------------------
979 More detail on the following is available from the
980 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
981 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
983 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
984 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
985 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
986 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
987 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
988 as tags and branch heads.
990 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
991 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
992 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
993 and some number of parent commits.
995 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
996 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
997 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
998 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
1000 All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
1001 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
1002 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
1003 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
1006 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
1007 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
1009 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
1010 may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
1011 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
1012 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of
1013 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
1014 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
1016 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
1017 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
1018 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
1019 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
1020 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
1021 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
1022 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
1023 content stored in the index.
1025 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
1026 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
1027 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
1029 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
1030 ---------------------
1032 See the references in the "description" section to get started
1033 using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary
1034 for a first-time user.
1036 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
1037 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
1038 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
1040 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
1042 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
1045 The internals are documented in the
1046 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
1048 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
1049 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
1054 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
1055 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
1056 <git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.openhub.net/p/git/contributors/summary
1057 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
1059 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
1060 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
1061 the authors for specific parts of the project.
1066 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
1067 development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be
1068 subscribed to the list to send a message there. See the list archive
1069 at https://lore.kernel.org/git for previous bug reports and other
1072 Issues which are security relevant should be disclosed privately to
1073 the Git Security mailing list <git-security@googlegroups.com>.
1077 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
1078 linkgit:giteveryday[7], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
1079 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
1080 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
1081 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
1085 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite