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:v2.4.4/git.html[documentation for release 2.4.4]
49 link:RelNotes/2.4.4.txt[2.4.4],
50 link:RelNotes/2.4.3.txt[2.4.3],
51 link:RelNotes/2.4.2.txt[2.4.2],
52 link:RelNotes/2.4.1.txt[2.4.1],
53 link:RelNotes/2.4.0.txt[2.4].
55 * link:v2.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 2.3.8]
58 link:RelNotes/2.3.8.txt[2.3.8],
59 link:RelNotes/2.3.7.txt[2.3.7],
60 link:RelNotes/2.3.6.txt[2.3.6],
61 link:RelNotes/2.3.5.txt[2.3.5],
62 link:RelNotes/2.3.4.txt[2.3.4],
63 link:RelNotes/2.3.3.txt[2.3.3],
64 link:RelNotes/2.3.2.txt[2.3.2],
65 link:RelNotes/2.3.1.txt[2.3.1],
66 link:RelNotes/2.3.0.txt[2.3].
68 * link:v2.2.2/git.html[documentation for release 2.2.2]
71 link:RelNotes/2.2.2.txt[2.2.2],
72 link:RelNotes/2.2.1.txt[2.2.1],
73 link:RelNotes/2.2.0.txt[2.2].
75 * link:v2.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 2.1.4]
78 link:RelNotes/2.1.4.txt[2.1.4],
79 link:RelNotes/2.1.3.txt[2.1.3],
80 link:RelNotes/2.1.2.txt[2.1.2],
81 link:RelNotes/2.1.1.txt[2.1.1],
82 link:RelNotes/2.1.0.txt[2.1].
84 * link:v2.0.5/git.html[documentation for release 2.0.5]
87 link:RelNotes/2.0.5.txt[2.0.5],
88 link:RelNotes/2.0.4.txt[2.0.4],
89 link:RelNotes/2.0.3.txt[2.0.3],
90 link:RelNotes/2.0.2.txt[2.0.2],
91 link:RelNotes/2.0.1.txt[2.0.1],
92 link:RelNotes/2.0.0.txt[2.0.0].
94 * link:v1.9.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.9.5]
97 link:RelNotes/1.9.5.txt[1.9.5],
98 link:RelNotes/1.9.4.txt[1.9.4],
99 link:RelNotes/1.9.3.txt[1.9.3],
100 link:RelNotes/1.9.2.txt[1.9.2],
101 link:RelNotes/1.9.1.txt[1.9.1],
102 link:RelNotes/1.9.0.txt[1.9.0].
104 * link:v1.8.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.5.6]
107 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.6.txt[1.8.5.6],
108 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.5.txt[1.8.5.5],
109 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.4.txt[1.8.5.4],
110 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.3.txt[1.8.5.3],
111 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.2.txt[1.8.5.2],
112 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.1.txt[1.8.5.1],
113 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.txt[1.8.5].
115 * link:v1.8.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.4.5]
118 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.5.txt[1.8.4.5],
119 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.4.txt[1.8.4.4],
120 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.3.txt[1.8.4.3],
121 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.2.txt[1.8.4.2],
122 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.1.txt[1.8.4.1],
123 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.txt[1.8.4].
125 * link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4]
128 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4],
129 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3],
130 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
131 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
132 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
134 * link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
137 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3],
138 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2],
139 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1],
140 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
142 * link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
145 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
146 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
147 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
148 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
149 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
150 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
151 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
153 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
156 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
157 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
158 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
159 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
161 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
164 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
165 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
166 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
167 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
168 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
170 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
173 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
174 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
175 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
176 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
177 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
178 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
179 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
180 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
182 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
185 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
186 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
187 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
188 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
189 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
190 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
192 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
195 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
196 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
197 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
198 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
199 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
200 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
201 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
202 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
204 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
207 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
208 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
209 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
210 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
211 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
212 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
213 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
215 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
218 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
219 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
220 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
221 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
222 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
223 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
224 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
225 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
227 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
230 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
231 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
232 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
233 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
234 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
235 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
236 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
238 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
241 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
242 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
243 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
244 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
245 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
247 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
250 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
251 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
252 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
253 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
254 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
255 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
257 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
260 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
261 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
262 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
263 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
264 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
265 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
267 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
270 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
271 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
272 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
273 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
274 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
275 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
277 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
280 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
281 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
282 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
283 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
284 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
286 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
289 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
290 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
291 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
292 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
293 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
294 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
295 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
296 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
297 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
298 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
300 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
303 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
304 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
305 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
306 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
308 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
311 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
312 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
313 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
314 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
315 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
316 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
317 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
318 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
319 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
320 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
322 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
325 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
326 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
327 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
328 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
329 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
330 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
332 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
335 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
336 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
337 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
338 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
339 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
342 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
343 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
344 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
345 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
346 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
347 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
349 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
352 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
353 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
354 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
355 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
357 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
360 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
361 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
362 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
363 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
364 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
365 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
366 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
368 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
371 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
372 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
373 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
374 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
375 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
376 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
377 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
379 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
382 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
383 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
384 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
385 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
386 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
387 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
388 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
390 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
393 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
394 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
395 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
396 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
397 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
398 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
399 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
400 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
402 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
405 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
406 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
407 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
408 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
409 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
410 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
411 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
412 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
413 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
415 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
418 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
419 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
420 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
421 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
422 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
423 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
425 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
428 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
429 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
430 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
431 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
432 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
433 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
434 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
436 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
439 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
440 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
441 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
442 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
443 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
444 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
445 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
447 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
448 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
449 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
450 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
459 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
462 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
463 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
464 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
465 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
467 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
468 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
469 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
473 Run as if git was started in '<path>' instead of the current working
474 directory. When multiple `-C` options are given, each subsequent
475 non-absolute `-C <path>` is interpreted relative to the preceding `-C
478 This option affects options that expect path name like `--git-dir` and
479 `--work-tree` in that their interpretations of the path names would be
480 made relative to the working directory caused by the `-C` option. For
481 example the following invocations are equivalent:
483 git --git-dir=a.git --work-tree=b -C c status
484 git --git-dir=c/a.git --work-tree=c/b status
487 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
488 given will override values from configuration files.
489 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
490 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
492 Note that omitting the `=` in `git -c foo.bar ...` is allowed and sets
493 `foo.bar` to the boolean true value (just like `[foo]bar` would in a
494 config file). Including the equals but with an empty value (like `git -c
495 foo.bar= ...`) sets `foo.bar` to the empty string.
497 --exec-path[=<path>]::
498 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
499 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
500 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
501 the current setting and then exit.
504 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
505 documentation is installed and exit.
508 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
509 this version of Git and exit.
512 Print the path where the Info files documenting this
513 version of Git are installed and exit.
517 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
518 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
519 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
523 Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
526 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
527 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
528 path or relative path to current working directory.
531 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
532 or a path relative to the current working directory.
533 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
534 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
535 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
536 more detailed discussion).
539 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
540 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
544 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
545 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
548 --no-replace-objects::
549 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
550 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
552 --literal-pathspecs::
553 Treat pathspecs literally (i.e. no globbing, no pathspec magic).
554 This is equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
558 Add "glob" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
559 the `GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Disabling
560 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
564 Add "literal" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
565 the `GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Enabling
566 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
570 Add "icase" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
571 the `GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`.
576 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
577 ("plumbing") commands.
579 High-level commands (porcelain)
580 -------------------------------
582 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
583 ancillary user utilities.
585 Main porcelain commands
586 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
588 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
594 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
598 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
601 Interacting with Others
602 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
604 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
605 people via patch over e-mail.
607 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
610 Low-level commands (plumbing)
611 -----------------------------
613 Although Git includes its
614 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
615 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
616 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
617 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
619 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
620 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
621 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
622 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
623 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
626 The following description divides
627 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
628 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
629 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
633 Manipulation commands
634 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
636 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
639 Interrogation commands
640 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
642 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
644 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
648 Synching repositories
649 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
651 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
653 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
654 typically do not use them directly.
656 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
659 Internal helper commands
660 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
662 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
663 users typically do not use them directly.
665 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
668 Configuration Mechanism
669 -----------------------
671 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
672 repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look
677 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
682 ; Don't trust file modes
687 name = "Junio C Hamano"
688 email = "gitster@pobox.com"
692 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
693 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
694 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
697 Identifier Terminology
698 ----------------------
700 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
703 Indicates a blob object name.
706 Indicates a tree object name.
709 Indicates a commit object name.
712 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
713 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
714 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
715 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
718 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
719 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
720 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
721 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
724 Indicates that an object type is required.
725 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
728 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
729 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
733 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
737 indicates the head of the current branch.
741 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
745 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
747 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
748 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
751 File/Directory Structure
752 ------------------------
754 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
756 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
758 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
764 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
767 Environment Variables
768 ---------------------
769 Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
773 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
774 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
775 Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
778 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
779 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
782 'GIT_INDEX_VERSION'::
783 This environment variable allows the specification of an index
784 version for new repositories. It won't affect existing index
785 files. By default index file version 2 or 3 is used. See
786 linkgit:git-update-index[1] for more information.
788 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
789 If the object storage directory is specified via this
790 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
791 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
794 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
795 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
796 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
797 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
798 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
799 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
802 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
803 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
804 for the base of the repository.
805 The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
808 Set the path to the root of the working tree.
809 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command-line
810 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
813 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
814 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
816 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
817 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If
818 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
819 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
820 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not
821 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
822 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read
823 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
824 might be present in order to compare them with the current
825 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you
826 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
827 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
829 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
831 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
832 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
833 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
834 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
835 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable
836 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
837 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
838 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
842 If this variable is set to a path, non-worktree files that are
843 normally in $GIT_DIR will be taken from this path
844 instead. Worktree-specific files such as HEAD or index are
845 taken from $GIT_DIR. See linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] and
846 the section 'MULTIPLE CHECKOUT MODE' in linkgit:checkout[1]
847 details. This variable has lower precedence than other path
848 variables such as GIT_INDEX_FILE, GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY...
855 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
856 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
857 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
859 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
864 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
865 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
866 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
867 value passed on the Git diff command line.
869 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
870 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
871 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
872 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
873 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
875 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
879 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
880 contents of <old|new>,
881 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
882 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
884 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
885 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
886 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
887 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
888 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
890 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
893 For each path 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called, two environment variables,
894 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER' and 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL' are set.
896 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER'::
897 A 1-based counter incremented by one for every path.
899 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL'::
900 The total number of paths.
904 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
905 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
906 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
907 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
910 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
911 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
912 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
913 linkgit:git-config[1].
916 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
917 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
918 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
919 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
923 If either of these environment variables is set then 'git fetch'
924 and 'git push' will use the specified command instead of 'ssh'
925 when they need to connect to a remote system.
926 The command will be given exactly two or four arguments: the
927 'username@host' (or just 'host') from the URL and the shell
928 command to execute on that remote system, optionally preceded by
929 '-p' (literally) and the 'port' from the URL when it specifies
930 something other than the default SSH port.
932 `$GIT_SSH_COMMAND` takes precedence over `$GIT_SSH`, and is interpreted
933 by the shell, which allows additional arguments to be included.
934 `$GIT_SSH` on the other hand must be just the path to a program
935 (which can be a wrapper shell script, if additional arguments are
938 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
939 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
943 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
944 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
945 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command-line argument
946 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askPass'
947 option in linkgit:git-config[1].
949 'GIT_TERMINAL_PROMPT'::
950 If this environment variable is set to `0`, git will not prompt
951 on the terminal (e.g., when asking for HTTP authentication).
953 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
954 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
955 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This environment variable can
956 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
957 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
958 temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
959 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
962 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
963 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
964 'git check-attr' and 'git check-ignore' will
965 force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
967 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
968 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
969 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
970 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
973 Enables general trace messages, e.g. alias expansion, built-in
974 command execution and external command execution.
976 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
977 is case insensitive), trace messages will be printed to
980 If the variable is set to an integer value greater than 2
981 and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
982 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
983 trace messages into this file descriptor.
985 Alternatively, if the variable is set to an absolute path
986 (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
987 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
990 Unsetting the variable, or setting it to empty, "0" or
991 "false" (case insensitive) disables trace messages.
993 'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
994 Enables trace messages for all accesses to any packs. For each
995 access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
996 recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
997 pack-related performance problems.
998 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
1000 'GIT_TRACE_PACKET'::
1001 Enables trace messages for all packets coming in or out of a
1002 given program. This can help with debugging object negotiation
1003 or other protocol issues. Tracing is turned off at a packet
1004 starting with "PACK".
1005 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
1007 'GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE'::
1008 Enables performance related trace messages, e.g. total execution
1009 time of each Git command.
1010 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
1013 Enables trace messages printing the .git, working tree and current
1014 working directory after Git has completed its setup phase.
1015 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
1017 'GIT_TRACE_SHALLOW'::
1018 Enables trace messages that can help debugging fetching /
1019 cloning of shallow repositories.
1020 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
1022 GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
1023 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
1024 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
1025 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
1026 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
1027 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
1028 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
1029 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
1031 GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS::
1032 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
1033 pathspecs as glob patterns (aka "glob" magic).
1035 GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS::
1036 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
1037 pathspecs as literal (aka "literal" magic).
1039 GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS::
1040 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
1041 pathspecs as case-insensitive.
1043 'GIT_REFLOG_ACTION'::
1044 When a ref is updated, reflog entries are created to keep
1045 track of the reason why the ref was updated (which is
1046 typically the name of the high-level command that updated
1047 the ref), in addition to the old and new values of the ref.
1048 A scripted Porcelain command can use set_reflog_action
1049 helper function in `git-sh-setup` to set its name to this
1050 variable when it is invoked as the top level command by the
1051 end user, to be recorded in the body of the reflog.
1053 `GIT_REF_PARANOIA`::
1054 If set to `1`, include broken or badly named refs when iterating
1055 over lists of refs. In a normal, non-corrupted repository, this
1056 does nothing. However, enabling it may help git to detect and
1057 abort some operations in the presence of broken refs. Git sets
1058 this variable automatically when performing destructive
1059 operations like linkgit:git-prune[1]. You should not need to set
1060 it yourself unless you want to be paranoid about making sure
1061 an operation has touched every ref (e.g., because you are
1062 cloning a repository to make a backup).
1065 Discussion[[Discussion]]
1066 ------------------------
1068 More detail on the following is available from the
1069 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
1070 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
1072 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
1073 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
1074 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
1075 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
1076 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
1077 as tags and branch heads.
1079 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
1080 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
1081 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
1082 and some number of parent commits.
1084 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
1085 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
1086 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
1087 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
1089 All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
1090 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
1091 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
1092 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
1095 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
1096 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
1098 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
1099 may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
1100 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
1101 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of
1102 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
1103 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
1105 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
1106 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
1107 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
1108 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
1109 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
1110 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
1111 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
1112 content stored in the index.
1114 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
1115 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
1116 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
1118 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
1119 ---------------------
1121 See the references in the "description" section to get started
1122 using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary
1123 for a first-time user.
1125 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
1126 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
1127 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
1129 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
1131 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
1134 The internals are documented in the
1135 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
1137 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
1138 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
1143 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
1144 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
1145 <git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.openhub.net/p/git/contributors/summary
1146 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
1148 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
1149 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
1150 the authors for specific parts of the project.
1155 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
1156 development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be
1157 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
1161 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
1162 linkgit:giteveryday[7], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
1163 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
1164 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
1165 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
1169 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite