Documentation/git.txt

   1 git(7)
   2 ======
   3 v0.99.4, Aug 2005
   4
   5 NAME
   6 ----
   7 git - the stupid content tracker
   8
   9
  10 SYNOPSIS
  11 --------
  12 'git-<command>' <args>
  13
  14 DESCRIPTION
  15 -----------
  16
  17 This is reference information for the core git commands.
  18
  19 Before reading this cover to cover, you may want to take a look
  20 at the link:tutorial.html[tutorial] document.
  21
  22 The Discussion section below contains much useful definition and
  23 clarification info - read that first.  And of the commands, I suggest
  24 reading link:git-update-cache.html[git-update-cache] and
  25 link:git-read-tree.html[git-read-tree] first - I wish I had!
  26
  27 David Greaves <david@dgreaves.com>
  28 08/05/05
  29
  30 Updated by Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net> on 2005-05-05 to
  31 reflect recent changes.
  32
  33 Commands Overview
  34 -----------------
  35 The git commands can helpfully be split into those that manipulate
  36 the repository, the cache and the working fileset, those that
  37 interrogate and compare them, and those that moves objects and
  38 references between repositories.
  39
  40 In addition, git itself comes with a spartan set of porcelain
  41 commands.  They are usable but are not meant to compete with real
  42 Porcelains.
  43
  44 There are also some ancillary programs that can be viewed as useful
  45 aids for using the core commands but which are unlikely to be used by
  46 SCMs layered over git.
  47
  48 Manipulation commands
  49 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  50 link:git-checkout-cache.html[git-checkout-cache]::
  51         Copy files from the cache to the working directory
  52
  53 link:git-commit-tree.html[git-commit-tree]::
  54         Creates a new commit object
  55
  56 link:git-init-db.html[git-init-db]::
  57         Creates an empty git object database
  58
  59 link:git-merge-base.html[git-merge-base]::
  60         Finds as good a common ancestor as possible for a merge
  61
  62 link:git-mktag.html[git-mktag]::
  63         Creates a tag object
  64
  65 link:git-read-tree.html[git-read-tree]::
  66         Reads tree information into the directory cache
  67
  68 link:git-update-cache.html[git-update-cache]::
  69         Modifies the index or directory cache
  70
  71 link:git-hash-object.html[git-hash-object]::
  72         Computes the object ID from a file.
  73
  74 link:git-write-tree.html[git-write-tree]::
  75         Creates a tree from the current cache
  76
  77 link:git-pack-objects.html[git-pack-objects]::
  78         Creates a packed archive of objects.
  79
  80 link:git-unpack-objects.html[git-unpack-objects]::
  81         Unpacks objects out of a packed archive.
  82
  83 link:git-prune-packed.html[git-prune-packed]::
  84         Remove extra objects that are already in pack files.
  85
  86 link:git-apply.html[git-apply]::
  87         Reads a "diff -up1" or git generated patch file and
  88         applies it to the working tree.
  89
  90
  91 Interrogation commands
  92 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  93 link:git-cat-file.html[git-cat-file]::
  94         Provide content or type information for repository objects
  95
  96 link:git-diff-cache.html[git-diff-cache]::
  97         Compares content and mode of blobs between the cache and repository
  98
  99 link:git-diff-files.html[git-diff-files]::
 100         Compares files in the working tree and the cache
 101
 102 link:git-diff-tree.html[git-diff-tree]::
 103         Compares the content and mode of blobs found via two tree objects
 104
 105 link:git-diff-stages.html[git-diff-stages]::
 106         Compares two "merge stages" in the index file.
 107
 108 link:git-export.html[git-export]::
 109         Exports each commit and a diff against each of its parents
 110
 111 link:git-fsck-cache.html[git-fsck-cache]::
 112         Verifies the connectivity and validity of the objects in the database
 113
 114 link:git-ls-files.html[git-ls-files]::
 115         Information about files in the cache/working directory
 116
 117 link:git-ls-tree.html[git-ls-tree]::
 118         Displays a tree object in human readable form
 119
 120 link:git-merge-cache.html[git-merge-cache]::
 121         Runs a merge for files needing merging
 122
 123 link:git-rev-list.html[git-rev-list]::
 124         Lists commit objects in reverse chronological order
 125
 126 link:git-rev-tree.html[git-rev-tree]::
 127         Provides the revision tree for one or more commits
 128
 129 link:git-tar-tree.html[git-tar-tree]::
 130         Creates a tar archive of the files in the named tree
 131
 132 link:git-unpack-file.html[git-unpack-file]::
 133         Creates a temporary file with a blob's contents
 134
 135 link:git-var.html[git-var]::
 136         Displays a git logical variable
 137
 138 link:git-show-index.html[git-show-index]::
 139         Displays contents of a pack idx file.
 140
 141 link:git-verify-pack.html[git-verify-pack]::
 142         Validates packed GIT archive files
 143
 144 The interrogate commands may create files - and you can force them to
 145 touch the working file set - but in general they don't
 146
 147
 148 Synching repositories
 149 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 150
 151 link:git-clone-script.html[git-clone-script]::
 152         Clones a repository into the current repository (user interface)
 153
 154 link:git-clone-pack.html[git-clone-pack]::
 155         Clones a repository into the current repository (engine
 156         for ssh and local transport)
 157
 158 link:git-http-pull.html[git-http-pull]::
 159         Downloads a remote GIT repository via HTTP
 160
 161 link:git-local-pull.html[git-local-pull]::
 162         Duplicates another GIT repository on a local system
 163
 164 link:git-ssh-pull.html[git-ssh-pull]::
 165         Pulls from a remote repository over ssh connection
 166
 167 link:git-send-pack.html[git-send-pack]::
 168         Pushes to a remote repository, intelligently.
 169
 170 link:git-receive-pack.html[git-receive-pack]::
 171         Invoked by 'git-send-pack' to receive what is pushed to it.
 172
 173 link:git-clone-pack.html[git-clone-pack]::
 174         Clones from a remote repository.
 175
 176 link:git-fetch-pack.html[git-fetch-pack]::
 177         Updates from a remote repository.
 178
 179 link:git-peek-remote.html[git-peek-remote]::
 180         Lists references on a remote repository using upload-pack protocol.
 181
 182 link:git-upload-pack.html[git-upload-pack]::
 183         Invoked by 'git-clone-pack' and 'git-fetch-pack' to push
 184         what are asked for.
 185
 186 link:git-update-server-info.html[git-update-server-info]::
 187         Updates auxiliary information on a dumb server to help
 188         clients discover references and packs on it.
 189
 190
 191 Porcelain-ish Commands
 192 ----------------------
 193 link:git-whatchanged.html[git-whatchanged]::
 194         Shows commit logs and differences they introduce.
 195
 196 link:git-log-script.html[git-log-script]::
 197         Shows commit logs.
 198
 199 link:git-shortlog.html[git-shortlog]::
 200         Summarizes 'git log' output.
 201
 202 link:git-status-script.html[git-status-script]::
 203         Shows the working tree status.
 204
 205 link:git-fetch-script.html[git-fetch-script]::
 206         Download from a remote repository via various protocols.
 207
 208 link:git-pull-script.html[git-pull-script]::
 209         Fetch from and merge with a remote repository.
 210
 211 link:git-resolve-script.html[git-resolve-script]::
 212         Merge two commits.
 213
 214 link:git-octopus-script.html[git-octopus-script]::
 215         Merge more than two commits.
 216
 217 link:git-push-script.html[git-push-script]::
 218         Update remote refs along with associated objects.
 219
 220 link:git-commit-script.html[git-commit-script]::
 221         Record changes to the repository.
 222
 223 link:git-show-branch.html[git-show-branch]::
 224         Show branches and their commits.
 225
 226 link:git-repack-script.html[git-repack-script]::
 227         Pack unpacked objects in a repository.
 228
 229 link:git-rename-script.html[git-rename]::
 230         Rename files and directories.
 231
 232 link:git-ls-remote-script.html[git-ls-remote-script]::
 233         Shows references in a remote or local repository.
 234
 235
 236 Ancillary Commands
 237 ------------------
 238 Manipulators:
 239
 240 link:git-apply-patch-script.html[git-apply-patch-script]::
 241         Sample script to apply the diffs from git-diff-*
 242
 243 link:git-convert-cache.html[git-convert-cache]::
 244         Converts old-style GIT repository
 245
 246 link:git-merge-one-file-script.html[git-merge-one-file-script]::
 247         The standard helper program to use with "git-merge-cache"
 248
 249 link:git-prune-script.html[git-prune-script]::
 250         Prunes all unreachable objects from the object database
 251
 252 link:git-tag-script.html[git-tag-script]::
 253         An example script to create a tag object signed with GPG
 254
 255 link:git-cvsimport-script.html[git-cvsimport-script]::
 256         Salvage your data out of another SCM people love to hate.
 257
 258
 259 Interrogators:
 260
 261 link:git-diff-helper.html[git-diff-helper]::
 262         Generates patch format output for git-diff-*
 263
 264 link:git-ssh-push.html[git-ssh-push]::
 265         Helper "server-side" program used by git-ssh-pull
 266
 267 link:git-send-email-script.html[git-send-email]::
 268         Send patch e-mails out of "format-patch --mbox" output.
 269
 270
 271 Commands not yet documented
 272 ---------------------------
 273
 274 link:git-applymbox.html[git-applymbox]::
 275         git-applymbox.
 276
 277 link:git-applypatch.html[git-applypatch]::
 278         git-applypatch.
 279
 280 link:git-mailinfo.html[git-mailinfo]::
 281         git-mailinfo.
 282
 283 link:git-mailsplit.html[git-mailsplit]::
 284         git-mailsplit.
 285
 286 link:git-add-script.html[git-add-script]::
 287         git-add-script.
 288
 289 link:git-bisect-script.html[git-bisect-script]::
 290         git-bisect-script.
 291
 292 link:git-branch-script.html[git-branch-script]::
 293         git-branch-script.
 294
 295 link:git-build-rev-cache.html[git-build-rev-cache]::
 296         git-build-rev-cache.
 297
 298 link:git-checkout-script.html[git-checkout-script]::
 299         git-checkout-script.
 300
 301 link:git-cherry.html[git-cherry]::
 302         git-cherry.
 303
 304 link:git-clone-dumb-http.html[git-clone-dumb-http]::
 305         git-clone-dumb-http.
 306
 307 link:git-count-objects-script.html[git-count-objects-script]::
 308         git-count-objects-script.
 309
 310 link:git-daemon.html[git-daemon]::
 311         git-daemon.
 312
 313 link:git-diff-script.html[git-diff-script]::
 314         git-diff-script.
 315
 316 link:git-format-patch-script.html[git-format-patch-script]::
 317         git-format-patch-script.
 318
 319 link:git-get-tar-commit-id.html[git-get-tar-commit-id]::
 320         git-get-tar-commit-id.
 321
 322 link:git-patch-id.html[git-patch-id]::
 323         git-patch-id.
 324
 325 link:git-rebase-script.html[git-rebase-script]::
 326         git-rebase-script.
 327
 328 link:git-relink-script.html[git-relink-script]::
 329         git-relink-script.
 330
 331 link:git-request-pull-script.html[git-request-pull-script]::
 332         git-request-pull-script.
 333
 334 link:git-reset-script.html[git-reset-script]::
 335         git-reset-script.
 336
 337 link:git-rev-parse.html[git-rev-parse]::
 338         git-rev-parse.
 339
 340 link:git-revert-script.html[git-revert-script]::
 341         git-revert-script.
 342
 343 link:git-sh-setup-script.html[git-sh-setup-script]::
 344         git-sh-setup-script.
 345
 346 link:git-show-rev-cache.html[git-show-rev-cache]::
 347         git-show-rev-cache.
 348
 349 link:git-stripspace.html[git-stripspace]::
 350         git-stripspace.
 351
 352 link:git-verify-tag-script.html[git-verify-tag-script]::
 353         git-verify-tag-script.
 354
 355 link:gitk.html[gitk]::
 356         gitk.
 357
 358
 359 Identifier Terminology
 360 ----------------------
 361 <object>::
 362         Indicates the sha1 identifier for any type of object
 363
 364 <blob>::
 365         Indicates a blob object sha1 identifier
 366
 367 <tree>::
 368         Indicates a tree object sha1 identifier
 369
 370 <commit>::
 371         Indicates a commit object sha1 identifier
 372
 373 <tree-ish>::
 374         Indicates a tree, commit or tag object sha1 identifier.  A
 375         command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 376         operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
 377         <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
 378
 379 <type>::
 380         Indicates that an object type is required.
 381         Currently one of: blob/tree/commit/tag
 382
 383 <file>::
 384         Indicates a filename - always relative to the root of
 385         the tree structure GIT_INDEX_FILE describes.
 386
 387 Symbolic Identifiers
 388 --------------------
 389 Any git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
 390 symbolic notation:
 391
 392 HEAD::
 393         indicates the head of the repository (ie the contents of
 394         `$GIT_DIR/HEAD`)
 395 <tag>::
 396         a valid tag 'name'+
 397         (ie the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags/<tag>`)
 398 <head>::
 399         a valid head 'name'+
 400         (ie the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads/<head>`)
 401 <snap>::
 402         a valid snapshot 'name'+
 403         (ie the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/snap/<snap>`)
 404
 405
 406 File/Directory Structure
 407 ------------------------
 408 The git-core manipulates the following areas in the directory:
 409
 410  .git/         The base (overridden with $GIT_DIR)
 411    objects/    The object base (overridden with $GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY)
 412      ??/       'First 2 chars of object' directories.
 413      pack/     Packed archives.
 414
 415    refs/       Directories containing symbolic names for objects
 416                (each file contains the hex SHA1 + newline)
 417      heads/    Commits which are heads of various sorts
 418      tags/     Tags, by the tag name (or some local renaming of it)
 419      */        Any other subdirectory of refs/ can be used to store
 420                files similar to what are under refs/heads/.
 421    HEAD        Symlink to refs/heads/<current-branch-name>
 422
 423 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
 424 GIT_DIR.
 425
 426 Terminology
 427 -----------
 428 Please see link:glossary.html[glossary] document.
 429
 430
 431 Environment Variables
 432 ---------------------
 433 Various git commands use the following environment variables:
 434
 435 The git Repository
 436 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 437 These environment variables apply to 'all' core git commands. Nb: it
 438 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
 439 git so take care if using Cogito etc
 440
 441 'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
 442         This environment allows the specification of an alternate
 443         cache/index file. If not specified, the default of
 444         `$GIT_DIR/index` is used.
 445
 446 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
 447         If the object storage directory is specified via this
 448         environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
 449         underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
 450         directory is used.
 451
 452 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
 453         Due to the immutable nature of git objects, old objects can be
 454         archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
 455         specifies a ":" separated list of git object directories which
 456         can be used to search for git objects. New objects will not be
 457         written to these directories.
 458
 459 'GIT_DIR'::
 460         If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it specifies
 461         a path to use instead of `./.git` for the base of the
 462         repository.
 463
 464 git Commits
 465 ~~~~~~~~~~~
 466 'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
 467 'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
 468 'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
 469 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
 470 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
 471         see link:git-commit-tree.html[git-commit-tree]
 472
 473 git Diffs
 474 ~~~~~~~~~
 475 'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
 476 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
 477         see the "generating patches" section in :
 478         link:git-diff-cache.html[git-diff-cache];
 479         link:git-diff-files.html[git-diff-files];
 480         link:git-diff-tree.html[git-diff-tree]
 481
 482 Discussion
 483 ----------
 484 include::../README[]
 485
 486 Author
 487 ------
 488 Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org> and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
 489
 490 Documentation
 491 --------------
 492 Documentation by David Greaves, Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
 493
 494 GIT
 495 ---
 496 Part of the link:git.html[git] suite
 497