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 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git] for a useful minimum set of
26 commands. The link:user-manual.html[Git User's Manual] has a more
27 in-depth introduction.
29 After you mastered the basic concepts, you can come back to this
30 page to learn what commands Git offers. You can learn more about
31 individual Git commands with "git help command". linkgit:gitcli[7]
32 manual page gives you an overview of the command line command syntax.
34 Formatted and hyperlinked version of the latest Git documentation
35 can be viewed at `http://git-htmldocs.googlecode.com/git/git.html`.
41 You are reading the documentation for the latest (possibly
42 unreleased) version of Git, that is available from 'master'
43 branch of the `git.git` repository.
44 Documentation for older releases are available here:
46 * link:v1.8.5.1/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.5.1]
49 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.1.txt[1.8.5.1],
50 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.txt[1.8.5].
52 * link:v1.8.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.4.5]
55 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.5.txt[1.8.4.5],
56 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.4.txt[1.8.4.4],
57 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.3.txt[1.8.4.3],
58 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.2.txt[1.8.4.2],
59 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.1.txt[1.8.4.1],
60 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.txt[1.8.4].
62 * link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4]
65 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4],
66 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3],
67 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
68 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
69 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
71 * link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
74 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3],
75 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2],
76 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1],
77 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
79 * link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
82 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
83 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
84 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
85 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
86 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
87 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
88 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
90 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
93 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
94 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
95 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
96 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
98 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
101 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
102 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
103 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
104 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
105 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
107 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
110 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
111 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
112 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
113 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
114 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
115 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
116 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
117 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
119 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
122 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
123 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
124 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
125 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
126 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
127 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
129 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
132 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
133 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
134 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
135 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
136 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
137 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
138 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
139 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
141 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
144 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
145 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
146 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
147 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
148 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
149 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
150 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
152 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
155 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
156 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
157 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
158 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
159 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
160 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
161 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
162 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
164 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
167 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
168 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
169 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
170 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
171 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
172 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
173 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
175 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
178 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
179 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
180 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
181 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
182 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
184 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
187 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
188 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
189 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
190 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
191 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
192 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
194 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
197 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
198 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
199 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
200 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
201 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
202 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
204 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
207 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
208 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
209 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
210 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
211 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
212 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
214 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
217 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
218 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
219 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
220 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
221 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
223 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
226 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
227 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
228 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
229 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
230 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
231 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
232 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
233 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
234 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
235 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
237 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
240 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
241 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
242 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
243 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
245 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
248 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
249 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
250 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
251 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
252 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
253 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
254 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
255 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
256 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
257 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
259 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
262 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
263 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
264 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
265 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
266 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
267 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
269 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
272 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
273 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
274 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
275 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
276 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
279 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
280 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
281 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
282 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
283 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
284 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
286 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
289 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
290 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
291 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
292 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
294 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
297 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
298 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
299 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
300 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
301 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
302 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
303 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
305 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
308 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
309 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
310 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
311 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
312 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
313 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
314 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
316 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
319 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
320 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
321 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
322 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
323 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
324 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
325 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
327 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
330 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
331 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
332 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
333 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
334 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
335 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
336 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
337 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
339 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
342 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
343 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
344 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
345 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
346 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
347 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
348 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
349 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
350 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
352 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
355 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
356 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
357 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
358 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
359 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
360 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
362 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
365 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
366 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
367 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
368 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
369 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
370 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
371 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
373 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
376 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
377 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
378 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
379 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
380 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
381 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
382 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
384 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
385 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
386 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
387 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
396 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
399 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
400 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
401 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
402 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
404 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
405 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
406 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
410 Run as if git was started in '<path>' instead of the current working
411 directory. When multiple `-C` options are given, each subsequent
412 non-absolute `-C <path>` is interpreted relative to the preceding `-C
415 This option affects options that expect path name like `--git-dir` and
416 `--work-tree` in that their interpretations of the path names would be
417 made relative to the working directory caused by the `-C` option. For
418 example the following invocations are equivalent:
420 git --git-dir=a.git --work-tree=b -C c status
421 git --git-dir=c/a.git --work-tree=c/b status
424 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
425 given will override values from configuration files.
426 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
427 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
429 --exec-path[=<path>]::
430 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
431 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
432 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
433 the current setting and then exit.
436 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
437 documentation is installed and exit.
440 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
441 this version of Git and exit.
444 Print the path where the Info files documenting this
445 version of Git are installed and exit.
449 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
450 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
451 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
455 Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
458 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
459 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
460 path or relative path to current working directory.
463 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
464 or a path relative to the current working directory.
465 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
466 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
467 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
468 more detailed discussion).
471 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
472 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
476 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
477 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
480 --no-replace-objects::
481 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
482 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
484 --literal-pathspecs::
485 Treat pathspecs literally (i.e. no globbing, no pathspec magic).
486 This is equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
490 Add "glob" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
491 the `GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Disabling
492 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
496 Add "literal" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
497 the `GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Enabling
498 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
502 Add "icase" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
503 the `GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`.
508 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
509 ("plumbing") commands.
511 High-level commands (porcelain)
512 -------------------------------
514 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
515 ancillary user utilities.
517 Main porcelain commands
518 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
520 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
526 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
530 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
533 Interacting with Others
534 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
536 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
537 people via patch over e-mail.
539 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
542 Low-level commands (plumbing)
543 -----------------------------
545 Although Git includes its
546 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
547 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
548 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
549 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
551 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
552 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
553 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
554 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
555 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
558 The following description divides
559 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
560 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
561 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
565 Manipulation commands
566 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
568 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
571 Interrogation commands
572 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
574 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
576 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
580 Synching repositories
581 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
583 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
585 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
586 typically do not use them directly.
588 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
591 Internal helper commands
592 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
594 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
595 users typically do not use them directly.
597 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
600 Configuration Mechanism
601 -----------------------
603 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
604 repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look
609 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
614 ; Don't trust file modes
619 name = "Junio C Hamano"
620 email = "gitster@pobox.com"
624 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
625 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
626 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
629 Identifier Terminology
630 ----------------------
632 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
635 Indicates a blob object name.
638 Indicates a tree object name.
641 Indicates a commit object name.
644 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
645 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
646 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
647 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
650 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
651 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
652 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
653 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
656 Indicates that an object type is required.
657 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
660 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
661 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
665 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
669 indicates the head of the current branch.
673 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
677 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
679 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
680 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
683 File/Directory Structure
684 ------------------------
686 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
688 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
690 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
696 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
699 Environment Variables
700 ---------------------
701 Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
705 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
706 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
707 Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
710 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
711 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
714 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
715 If the object storage directory is specified via this
716 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
717 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
720 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
721 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
722 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
723 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
724 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
725 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
728 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
729 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
730 for the base of the repository.
731 The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
734 Set the path to the root of the working tree.
735 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
736 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
739 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
740 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
742 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
743 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If
744 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
745 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
746 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not
747 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
748 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read
749 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
750 might be present in order to compare them with the current
751 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you
752 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
753 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
755 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
757 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
758 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
759 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
760 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
761 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable
762 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
763 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
764 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
772 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
773 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
774 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
776 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
781 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
782 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
783 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
784 value passed on the Git diff command line.
786 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
787 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
788 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
789 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
790 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
792 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
796 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
797 contents of <old|new>,
798 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
799 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
801 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
802 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
803 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
804 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
805 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
807 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
812 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
813 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
814 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
815 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
818 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
819 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
820 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
821 linkgit:git-config[1].
824 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
825 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
826 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
827 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
830 If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
831 and 'git push' will use this command instead
832 of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
833 The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
834 four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
835 from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
836 remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
837 the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
838 than the default SSH port.
840 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
841 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
842 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
844 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
845 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
849 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
850 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
851 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
852 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
853 option in linkgit:git-config[1].
855 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
856 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
857 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This environment variable can
858 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
859 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
860 temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
861 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
864 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
865 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
866 'git check-attr' and 'git check-ignore' will
867 force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
869 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
870 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
871 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
872 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
875 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
876 is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
877 stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
878 execution and external command execution.
879 If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
880 and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
881 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
882 trace messages into this file descriptor.
883 Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
884 (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
885 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
888 'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
889 If this variable is set to a path, a file will be created at
890 the given path logging all accesses to any packs. For each
891 access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
892 recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
893 pack-related performance problems.
896 If this variable is set, it shows a trace of all packets
897 coming in or out of a given program. This can help with
898 debugging object negotiation or other protocol issues. Tracing
899 is turned off at a packet starting with "PACK".
901 GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
902 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
903 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
904 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
905 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
906 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
907 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
908 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
911 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
912 pathspecs as glob patterns (aka "glob" magic).
914 GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS::
915 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
916 pathspecs as literal (aka "literal" magic).
918 GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS::
919 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
920 pathspecs as case-insensitive.
922 'GIT_REFLOG_ACTION'::
923 When a ref is updated, reflog entries are created to keep
924 track of the reason why the ref was updated (which is
925 typically the name of the high-level command that updated
926 the ref), in addition to the old and new values of the ref.
927 A scripted Porcelain command can use set_reflog_action
928 helper function in `git-sh-setup` to set its name to this
929 variable when it is invoked as the top level command by the
930 end user, to be recorded in the body of the reflog.
933 Discussion[[Discussion]]
934 ------------------------
936 More detail on the following is available from the
937 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
938 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
940 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
941 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
942 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
943 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
944 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
945 as tags and branch heads.
947 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
948 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
949 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
950 and some number of parent commits.
952 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
953 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
954 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
955 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
957 All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
958 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
959 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
960 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
963 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
964 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
966 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
967 may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
968 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
969 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of
970 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
971 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
973 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
974 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
975 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
976 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
977 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
978 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
979 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
980 content stored in the index.
982 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
983 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
984 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
986 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
987 ---------------------
989 See the references in the "description" section to get started
990 using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary
991 for a first-time user.
993 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
994 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
995 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
997 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
999 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
1002 The internals are documented in the
1003 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
1005 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
1006 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
1011 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
1012 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
1013 <git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
1014 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
1016 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
1017 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
1018 the authors for specific parts of the project.
1023 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
1024 development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be
1025 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
1029 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
1030 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
1031 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
1032 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
1033 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
1037 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite