6 git - the stupid content tracker
12 'git' [--version] [--help] [-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:v1.7.12.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.3]
49 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
50 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
51 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
52 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
54 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
57 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
58 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
59 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
60 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
61 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
62 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
63 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
64 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
66 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
69 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
70 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
71 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
72 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
73 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
74 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
76 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
79 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
80 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
81 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
82 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
83 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
84 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
85 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
86 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
88 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
91 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
92 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
93 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
94 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
95 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
96 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
97 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
99 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
102 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
103 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
104 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
105 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
106 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
107 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
108 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
109 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
111 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
114 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
115 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
116 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
117 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
118 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
119 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
120 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
122 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
125 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
126 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
127 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
128 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
129 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
131 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
134 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
135 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
136 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
137 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
138 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
139 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
141 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
144 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
145 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
146 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
147 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
148 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
149 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
151 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
154 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
155 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
156 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
157 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
158 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
159 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
161 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
164 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
165 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
166 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
167 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
168 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
170 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
173 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
174 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
175 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
176 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
177 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
178 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
179 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
180 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
181 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
182 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
184 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
187 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
188 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
189 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
190 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
192 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
195 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
196 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
197 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
198 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
199 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
200 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
201 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
202 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
203 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
204 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
206 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
209 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
210 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
211 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
212 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
213 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
214 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
216 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
219 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
220 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
221 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
222 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
223 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
226 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
227 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
228 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
229 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
230 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
231 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
233 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
236 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
237 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
238 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
239 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
241 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
244 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
245 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
246 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
247 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
248 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
249 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
250 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
252 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
255 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
256 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
257 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
258 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
259 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
260 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
261 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
263 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
266 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
267 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
268 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
269 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
270 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
271 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
272 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
274 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
277 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
278 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
279 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
280 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
281 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
282 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
283 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
284 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
286 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
289 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
290 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
291 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
292 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
293 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
294 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
295 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
296 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
297 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
299 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
302 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
303 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
304 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
305 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
306 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
307 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
309 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
312 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
313 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
314 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
315 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
316 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
317 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
318 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
320 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
323 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
324 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
325 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
326 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
327 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
328 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
329 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
331 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
332 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
333 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
334 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
343 Prints the git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
346 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
347 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
348 available commands are printed. If a git command is named this
349 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
351 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
352 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
353 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
357 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
358 given will override values from configuration files.
359 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
360 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
362 --exec-path[=<path>]::
363 Path to wherever your core git programs are installed.
364 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
365 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
366 the current setting and then exit.
369 Print the path, without trailing slash, where git's HTML
370 documentation is installed and exit.
373 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
374 this version of git and exit.
377 Print the path where the Info files documenting this
378 version of git are installed and exit.
382 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
383 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
384 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
388 Do not pipe git output into a pager.
391 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
392 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
393 path or relative path to current working directory.
396 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
397 or a path relative to the current working directory.
398 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
399 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
400 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
401 more detailed discussion).
404 Set the git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
405 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
409 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
410 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
413 --no-replace-objects::
414 Do not use replacement refs to replace git objects. See
415 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
421 We divide git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
422 ("plumbing") commands.
424 High-level commands (porcelain)
425 -------------------------------
427 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
428 ancillary user utilities.
430 Main porcelain commands
431 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
433 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
439 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
443 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
446 Interacting with Others
447 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
449 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
450 people via patch over e-mail.
452 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
455 Low-level commands (plumbing)
456 -----------------------------
458 Although git includes its
459 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
460 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
461 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
462 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
464 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
465 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
466 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
467 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
468 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
471 The following description divides
472 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
473 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
474 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
478 Manipulation commands
479 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
481 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
484 Interrogation commands
485 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
487 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
489 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
493 Synching repositories
494 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
496 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
498 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
499 typically do not use them directly.
501 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
504 Internal helper commands
505 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
507 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
508 users typically do not use them directly.
510 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
513 Configuration Mechanism
514 -----------------------
516 Starting from 0.99.9 (actually mid 0.99.8.GIT), `.git/config` file
517 is used to hold per-repository configuration options. It is a
518 simple text file modeled after `.ini` format familiar to some
519 people. Here is an example:
523 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
528 ; Don't trust file modes
533 name = "Junio C Hamano"
534 email = "junkio@twinsun.com"
538 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
539 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
543 Identifier Terminology
544 ----------------------
546 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
549 Indicates a blob object name.
552 Indicates a tree object name.
555 Indicates a commit object name.
558 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
559 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
560 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
561 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
564 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
565 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
566 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
567 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
570 Indicates that an object type is required.
571 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
574 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
575 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
579 Any git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
583 indicates the head of the current branch.
587 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
591 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
593 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
594 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
597 File/Directory Structure
598 ------------------------
600 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
602 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
604 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
610 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
613 Environment Variables
614 ---------------------
615 Various git commands use the following environment variables:
619 These environment variables apply to 'all' core git commands. Nb: it
620 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
621 git so take care if using Cogito etc.
624 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
625 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
628 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
629 If the object storage directory is specified via this
630 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
631 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
634 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
635 Due to the immutable nature of git objects, old objects can be
636 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
637 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
638 of git object directories which can be used to search for git
639 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
642 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
643 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
644 for the base of the repository.
647 Set the path to the working tree. The value will not be
648 used in combination with repositories found automatically in
649 a .git directory (i.e. $GIT_DIR is not set).
650 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
651 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
654 Set the git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
655 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
657 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
658 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths.
659 If set, it is a list of directories that git should not chdir
660 up into while looking for a repository directory.
661 It will not exclude the current working directory or
662 a GIT_DIR set on the command line or in the environment.
663 (Useful for excluding slow-loading network directories.)
665 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
666 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
667 directory, git tries to find such a directory in the parent
668 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
669 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable
670 can be set to true to tell git not to stop at filesystem
671 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
672 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
680 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
681 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
682 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
684 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
689 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
690 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
691 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
692 value passed on the git diff command line.
694 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
695 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
696 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
697 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
698 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
700 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
704 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
705 contents of <old|new>,
706 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA1 hashes,
707 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
709 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
710 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
711 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
712 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
713 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
715 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
720 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
721 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
722 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
723 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
726 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
727 to an empty string or to the value "cat", git will not launch
728 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
729 linkgit:git-config[1].
732 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
733 It is used by several git commands when, on interactive mode,
734 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
735 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
738 If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
739 and 'git push' will use this command instead
740 of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
741 The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two arguments:
742 the 'username@host' (or just 'host') from the URL and the
743 shell command to execute on that remote system.
745 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
746 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
747 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
749 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
750 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
754 If this environment variable is set, then git commands which need to
755 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
756 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
757 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
758 option in linkgit:git-config[1].
761 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
762 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
763 and 'git whatchanged' will force a flush of the output stream
764 after each commit-oriented record have been flushed. If this
765 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
766 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
767 not set, git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
768 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
771 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
772 is case insensitive), git will print `trace:` messages on
773 stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
774 execution and external command execution.
775 If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
776 and lower than 10 (strictly) then git will interpret this
777 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
778 trace messages into this file descriptor.
779 Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
780 (starting with a '/' character), git will interpret this
781 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
784 Discussion[[Discussion]]
785 ------------------------
787 More detail on the following is available from the
788 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
789 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
791 A git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
792 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
793 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
794 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
795 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
796 as tags and branch heads.
798 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
799 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
800 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
801 and some number of parent commits.
803 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
804 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
805 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
806 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
808 All objects are named by the SHA1 hash of their contents, normally
809 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
810 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
811 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
814 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
815 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
817 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
818 may contain the SHA1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
819 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA1 name of the most
820 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA1 names of
821 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
822 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
824 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
825 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
826 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
827 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
828 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
829 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
830 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
831 content stored in the index.
833 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
834 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
835 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
837 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
838 ---------------------
840 See the references in the "description" section to get started
841 using git. The following is probably more detail than necessary
842 for a first-time user.
844 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
845 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
846 introductions to the underlying git architecture.
848 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
850 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
853 The internals are documented in the
854 link:technical/api-index.html[GIT API documentation].
856 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
857 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
862 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
863 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the git mailing list
864 <git@vger.kernel.org>. For a more complete list of contributors, see
865 http://git-scm.com/about. If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
866 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
867 the authors for specific parts of the project.
872 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
873 development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be
874 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
878 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
879 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
880 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
881 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
882 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
886 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite