6 git - the stupid content tracker
12 'git' [--version] [--help] [-C <path>] [-c <name>=<value>]
13 [--exec-path[=<path>]] [--html-path] [--man-path] [--info-path]
14 [-p|--paginate|--no-pager] [--no-replace-objects] [--bare]
15 [--git-dir=<path>] [--work-tree=<path>] [--namespace=<name>]
20 Git is a fast, scalable, distributed revision control system with an
21 unusually rich command set that provides both high-level operations
22 and full access to internals.
24 See linkgit:gittutorial[7] to get started, then see
25 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 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 the 'master'
43 branch of the `git.git` repository.
44 Documentation for older releases are available here:
46 * link:v2.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 2.3.5]
49 link:RelNotes/2.3.5.txt[2.3.5],
50 link:RelNotes/2.3.4.txt[2.3.4],
51 link:RelNotes/2.3.3.txt[2.3.3],
52 link:RelNotes/2.3.2.txt[2.3.2],
53 link:RelNotes/2.3.1.txt[2.3.1],
54 link:RelNotes/2.3.0.txt[2.3].
56 * link:v2.2.2/git.html[documentation for release 2.2.2]
59 link:RelNotes/2.2.2.txt[2.2.2],
60 link:RelNotes/2.2.1.txt[2.2.1],
61 link:RelNotes/2.2.0.txt[2.2].
63 * link:v2.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 2.1.4]
66 link:RelNotes/2.1.4.txt[2.1.4],
67 link:RelNotes/2.1.3.txt[2.1.3],
68 link:RelNotes/2.1.2.txt[2.1.2],
69 link:RelNotes/2.1.1.txt[2.1.1],
70 link:RelNotes/2.1.0.txt[2.1].
72 * link:v2.0.5/git.html[documentation for release 2.0.5]
75 link:RelNotes/2.0.5.txt[2.0.5],
76 link:RelNotes/2.0.4.txt[2.0.4],
77 link:RelNotes/2.0.3.txt[2.0.3],
78 link:RelNotes/2.0.2.txt[2.0.2],
79 link:RelNotes/2.0.1.txt[2.0.1],
80 link:RelNotes/2.0.0.txt[2.0.0].
82 * link:v1.9.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.9.5]
85 link:RelNotes/1.9.5.txt[1.9.5],
86 link:RelNotes/1.9.4.txt[1.9.4],
87 link:RelNotes/1.9.3.txt[1.9.3],
88 link:RelNotes/1.9.2.txt[1.9.2],
89 link:RelNotes/1.9.1.txt[1.9.1],
90 link:RelNotes/1.9.0.txt[1.9.0].
92 * link:v1.8.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.5.6]
95 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.6.txt[1.8.5.6],
96 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.5.txt[1.8.5.5],
97 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.4.txt[1.8.5.4],
98 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.3.txt[1.8.5.3],
99 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.2.txt[1.8.5.2],
100 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.1.txt[1.8.5.1],
101 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.txt[1.8.5].
103 * link:v1.8.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.4.5]
106 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.5.txt[1.8.4.5],
107 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.4.txt[1.8.4.4],
108 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.3.txt[1.8.4.3],
109 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.2.txt[1.8.4.2],
110 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.1.txt[1.8.4.1],
111 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.txt[1.8.4].
113 * link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4]
116 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4],
117 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3],
118 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
119 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
120 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
122 * link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
125 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3],
126 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2],
127 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1],
128 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
130 * link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
133 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
134 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
135 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
136 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
137 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
138 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
139 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
141 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
144 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
145 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
146 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
147 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
149 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
152 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
153 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
154 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
155 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
156 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
158 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
161 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
162 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
163 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
164 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
165 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
166 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
167 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
168 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
170 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
173 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
174 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
175 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
176 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
177 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
178 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
180 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
183 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
184 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
185 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
186 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
187 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
188 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
189 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
190 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
192 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
195 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
196 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
197 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
198 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
199 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
200 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
201 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
203 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
206 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
207 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
208 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
209 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
210 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
211 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
212 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
213 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
215 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
218 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
219 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
220 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
221 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
222 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
223 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
224 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
226 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
229 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
230 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
231 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
232 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
233 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
235 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
238 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
239 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
240 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
241 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
242 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
243 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
245 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
248 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
249 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
250 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
251 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
252 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
253 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
255 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
258 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
259 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
260 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
261 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
262 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
263 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
265 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
268 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
269 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
270 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
271 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
272 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
274 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
277 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
278 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
279 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
280 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
281 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
282 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
283 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
284 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
285 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
286 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
288 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
291 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
292 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
293 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
294 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
296 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
299 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
300 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
301 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
302 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
303 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
304 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
305 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
306 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
307 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
308 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
310 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
313 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
314 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
315 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
316 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
317 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
318 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
320 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
323 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
324 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
325 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
326 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
327 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
330 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
331 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
332 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
333 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
334 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
335 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
337 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
340 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
341 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
342 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
343 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
345 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
348 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
349 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
350 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
351 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
352 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
353 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
354 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
356 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
359 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
360 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
361 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
362 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
363 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
364 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
365 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
367 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
370 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
371 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
372 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
373 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
374 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
375 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
376 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
378 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
381 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
382 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
383 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
384 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
385 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
386 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
387 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
388 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
390 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
393 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
394 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
395 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
396 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
397 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
398 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
399 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
400 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
401 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
403 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
406 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
407 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
408 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
409 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
410 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
411 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
413 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
416 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
417 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
418 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
419 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
420 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
421 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
422 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
424 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
427 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
428 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
429 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
430 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
431 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
432 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
433 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
435 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
436 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
437 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
438 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
447 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
450 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
451 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
452 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
453 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
455 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
456 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
457 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
461 Run as if git was started in '<path>' instead of the current working
462 directory. When multiple `-C` options are given, each subsequent
463 non-absolute `-C <path>` is interpreted relative to the preceding `-C
466 This option affects options that expect path name like `--git-dir` and
467 `--work-tree` in that their interpretations of the path names would be
468 made relative to the working directory caused by the `-C` option. For
469 example the following invocations are equivalent:
471 git --git-dir=a.git --work-tree=b -C c status
472 git --git-dir=c/a.git --work-tree=c/b status
475 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
476 given will override values from configuration files.
477 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
478 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
480 Note that omitting the `=` in `git -c foo.bar ...` is allowed and sets
481 `foo.bar` to the boolean true value (just like `[foo]bar` would in a
482 config file). Including the equals but with an empty value (like `git -c
483 foo.bar= ...`) sets `foo.bar` to the empty string.
485 --exec-path[=<path>]::
486 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
487 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
488 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
489 the current setting and then exit.
492 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
493 documentation is installed and exit.
496 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
497 this version of Git and exit.
500 Print the path where the Info files documenting this
501 version of Git are installed and exit.
505 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
506 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
507 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
511 Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
514 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
515 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
516 path or relative path to current working directory.
519 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
520 or a path relative to the current working directory.
521 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
522 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
523 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
524 more detailed discussion).
527 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
528 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
532 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
533 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
536 --no-replace-objects::
537 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
538 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
540 --literal-pathspecs::
541 Treat pathspecs literally (i.e. no globbing, no pathspec magic).
542 This is equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
546 Add "glob" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
547 the `GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Disabling
548 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
552 Add "literal" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
553 the `GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Enabling
554 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
558 Add "icase" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
559 the `GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`.
564 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
565 ("plumbing") commands.
567 High-level commands (porcelain)
568 -------------------------------
570 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
571 ancillary user utilities.
573 Main porcelain commands
574 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
576 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
582 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
586 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
589 Interacting with Others
590 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
592 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
593 people via patch over e-mail.
595 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
598 Low-level commands (plumbing)
599 -----------------------------
601 Although Git includes its
602 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
603 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
604 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
605 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
607 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
608 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
609 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
610 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
611 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
614 The following description divides
615 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
616 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
617 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
621 Manipulation commands
622 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
624 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
627 Interrogation commands
628 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
630 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
632 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
636 Synching repositories
637 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
639 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
641 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
642 typically do not use them directly.
644 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
647 Internal helper commands
648 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
650 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
651 users typically do not use them directly.
653 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
656 Configuration Mechanism
657 -----------------------
659 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
660 repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look
665 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
670 ; Don't trust file modes
675 name = "Junio C Hamano"
676 email = "gitster@pobox.com"
680 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
681 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
682 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
685 Identifier Terminology
686 ----------------------
688 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
691 Indicates a blob object name.
694 Indicates a tree object name.
697 Indicates a commit object name.
700 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
701 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
702 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
703 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
706 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
707 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
708 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
709 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
712 Indicates that an object type is required.
713 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
716 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
717 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
721 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
725 indicates the head of the current branch.
729 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
733 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
735 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
736 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
739 File/Directory Structure
740 ------------------------
742 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
744 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
746 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
752 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
755 Environment Variables
756 ---------------------
757 Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
761 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
762 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
763 Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
766 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
767 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
770 'GIT_INDEX_VERSION'::
771 This environment variable allows the specification of an index
772 version for new repositories. It won't affect existing index
773 files. By default index file version 2 or 3 is used. See
774 linkgit:git-update-index[1] for more information.
776 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
777 If the object storage directory is specified via this
778 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
779 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
782 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
783 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
784 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
785 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
786 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
787 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
790 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
791 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
792 for the base of the repository.
793 The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
796 Set the path to the root of the working tree.
797 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command-line
798 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
801 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
802 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
804 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
805 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If
806 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
807 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
808 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not
809 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
810 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read
811 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
812 might be present in order to compare them with the current
813 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you
814 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
815 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
817 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
819 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
820 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
821 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
822 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
823 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable
824 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
825 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
826 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
834 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
835 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
836 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
838 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
843 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
844 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
845 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
846 value passed on the Git diff command line.
848 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
849 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
850 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
851 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
852 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
854 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
858 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
859 contents of <old|new>,
860 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
861 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
863 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
864 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
865 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
866 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
867 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
869 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
872 For each path 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called, two environment variables,
873 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER' and 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL' are set.
875 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER'::
876 A 1-based counter incremented by one for every path.
878 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL'::
879 The total number of paths.
883 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
884 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
885 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
886 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
889 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
890 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
891 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
892 linkgit:git-config[1].
895 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
896 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
897 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
898 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
902 If either of these environment variables is set then 'git fetch'
903 and 'git push' will use the specified command instead of 'ssh'
904 when they need to connect to a remote system.
905 The command will be given exactly two or four arguments: the
906 'username@host' (or just 'host') from the URL and the shell
907 command to execute on that remote system, optionally preceded by
908 '-p' (literally) and the 'port' from the URL when it specifies
909 something other than the default SSH port.
911 `$GIT_SSH_COMMAND` takes precedence over `$GIT_SSH`, and is interpreted
912 by the shell, which allows additional arguments to be included.
913 `$GIT_SSH` on the other hand must be just the path to a program
914 (which can be a wrapper shell script, if additional arguments are
917 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
918 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
922 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
923 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
924 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command-line argument
925 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askPass'
926 option in linkgit:git-config[1].
928 'GIT_TERMINAL_PROMPT'::
929 If this environment variable is set to `0`, git will not prompt
930 on the terminal (e.g., when asking for HTTP authentication).
932 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
933 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
934 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This environment variable can
935 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
936 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
937 temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
938 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
941 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
942 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
943 'git check-attr' and 'git check-ignore' will
944 force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
946 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
947 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
948 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
949 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
952 Enables general trace messages, e.g. alias expansion, built-in
953 command execution and external command execution.
955 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
956 is case insensitive), trace messages will be printed to
959 If the variable is set to an integer value greater than 2
960 and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
961 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
962 trace messages into this file descriptor.
964 Alternatively, if the variable is set to an absolute path
965 (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
966 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
969 Unsetting the variable, or setting it to empty, "0" or
970 "false" (case insensitive) disables trace messages.
972 'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
973 Enables trace messages for all accesses to any packs. For each
974 access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
975 recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
976 pack-related performance problems.
977 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
980 Enables trace messages for all packets coming in or out of a
981 given program. This can help with debugging object negotiation
982 or other protocol issues. Tracing is turned off at a packet
983 starting with "PACK".
984 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
986 'GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE'::
987 Enables performance related trace messages, e.g. total execution
988 time of each Git command.
989 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
992 Enables trace messages printing the .git, working tree and current
993 working directory after Git has completed its setup phase.
994 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
996 'GIT_TRACE_SHALLOW'::
997 Enables trace messages that can help debugging fetching /
998 cloning of shallow repositories.
999 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
1001 GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
1002 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
1003 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
1004 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
1005 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
1006 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
1007 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
1008 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
1010 GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS::
1011 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
1012 pathspecs as glob patterns (aka "glob" magic).
1014 GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS::
1015 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
1016 pathspecs as literal (aka "literal" magic).
1018 GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS::
1019 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
1020 pathspecs as case-insensitive.
1022 'GIT_REFLOG_ACTION'::
1023 When a ref is updated, reflog entries are created to keep
1024 track of the reason why the ref was updated (which is
1025 typically the name of the high-level command that updated
1026 the ref), in addition to the old and new values of the ref.
1027 A scripted Porcelain command can use set_reflog_action
1028 helper function in `git-sh-setup` to set its name to this
1029 variable when it is invoked as the top level command by the
1030 end user, to be recorded in the body of the reflog.
1032 `GIT_REF_PARANOIA`::
1033 If set to `1`, include broken or badly named refs when iterating
1034 over lists of refs. In a normal, non-corrupted repository, this
1035 does nothing. However, enabling it may help git to detect and
1036 abort some operations in the presence of broken refs. Git sets
1037 this variable automatically when performing destructive
1038 operations like linkgit:git-prune[1]. You should not need to set
1039 it yourself unless you want to be paranoid about making sure
1040 an operation has touched every ref (e.g., because you are
1041 cloning a repository to make a backup).
1044 Discussion[[Discussion]]
1045 ------------------------
1047 More detail on the following is available from the
1048 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
1049 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
1051 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
1052 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
1053 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
1054 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
1055 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
1056 as tags and branch heads.
1058 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
1059 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
1060 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
1061 and some number of parent commits.
1063 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
1064 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
1065 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
1066 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
1068 All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
1069 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
1070 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
1071 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
1074 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
1075 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
1077 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
1078 may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
1079 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
1080 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of
1081 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
1082 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
1084 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
1085 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
1086 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
1087 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
1088 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
1089 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
1090 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
1091 content stored in the index.
1093 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
1094 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
1095 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
1097 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
1098 ---------------------
1100 See the references in the "description" section to get started
1101 using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary
1102 for a first-time user.
1104 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
1105 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
1106 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
1108 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
1110 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
1113 The internals are documented in the
1114 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
1116 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
1117 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
1122 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
1123 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
1124 <git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.openhub.net/p/git/contributors/summary
1125 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
1127 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
1128 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
1129 the authors for specific parts of the project.
1134 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
1135 development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be
1136 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
1140 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
1141 linkgit:giteveryday[7], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
1142 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
1143 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
1144 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
1148 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite