6 git - the stupid content tracker
11 'git' [--version] [--exec-path[=GIT_EXEC_PATH]] [--help] COMMAND [ARGS]
15 Git is a fast, scalable, distributed revision control system with an
16 unusually rich command set that provides both high-level operations
17 and full access to internals.
19 See this link:tutorial.html[tutorial] to get started, then see
20 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git] for a useful minimum set of commands, and
21 "man git-commandname" for documentation of each command. CVS users may
22 also want to read link:cvs-migration.html[CVS migration].
27 Prints the git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
30 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
31 commands. If a git command is named this option will bring up
32 the man-page for that command. If the option '--all' or '-a' is
33 given then all available commands are printed.
36 Path to wherever your core git programs are installed.
37 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
38 environment variable. If no path is given 'git' will print
39 the current setting and then exit.
45 See the references above to get started using git. The following is
46 probably more detail than necessary for a first-time user.
48 The <<Discussion,Discussion>> section below and the
49 link:core-tutorial.html[Core tutorial] both provide introductions to the
50 underlying git architecture.
52 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
58 We divide git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
59 ("plumbing") commands.
61 Low-level commands (plumbing)
62 -----------------------------
64 Although git includes its
65 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
66 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
67 might start by reading about gitlink:git-update-index[1] and
68 gitlink:git-read-tree[1].
70 We divide the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
71 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
72 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
77 gitlink:git-apply[1]::
78 Reads a "diff -up1" or git generated patch file and
79 applies it to the working tree.
81 gitlink:git-checkout-index[1]::
82 Copy files from the index to the working tree.
84 gitlink:git-commit-tree[1]::
85 Creates a new commit object.
87 gitlink:git-hash-object[1]::
88 Computes the object ID from a file.
90 gitlink:git-index-pack[1]::
91 Build pack idx file for an existing packed archive.
93 gitlink:git-init-db[1]::
94 Creates an empty git object database, or reinitialize an
97 gitlink:git-merge-index[1]::
98 Runs a merge for files needing merging.
100 gitlink:git-mktag[1]::
101 Creates a tag object.
103 gitlink:git-pack-objects[1]::
104 Creates a packed archive of objects.
106 gitlink:git-prune-packed[1]::
107 Remove extra objects that are already in pack files.
109 gitlink:git-read-tree[1]::
110 Reads tree information into the index.
112 gitlink:git-repo-config[1]::
113 Get and set options in .git/config.
115 gitlink:git-unpack-objects[1]::
116 Unpacks objects out of a packed archive.
118 gitlink:git-update-index[1]::
119 Registers files in the working tree to the index.
121 gitlink:git-write-tree[1]::
122 Creates a tree from the index.
125 Interrogation commands
126 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
128 gitlink:git-cat-file[1]::
129 Provide content or type/size information for repository objects.
131 gitlink:git-describe[1]::
132 Show the most recent tag that is reachable from a commit.
134 gitlink:git-diff-index[1]::
135 Compares content and mode of blobs between the index and repository.
137 gitlink:git-diff-files[1]::
138 Compares files in the working tree and the index.
140 gitlink:git-diff-stages[1]::
141 Compares two "merge stages" in the index.
143 gitlink:git-diff-tree[1]::
144 Compares the content and mode of blobs found via two tree objects.
146 gitlink:git-fsck-objects[1]::
147 Verifies the connectivity and validity of the objects in the database.
149 gitlink:git-ls-files[1]::
150 Information about files in the index and the working tree.
152 gitlink:git-ls-tree[1]::
153 Displays a tree object in human readable form.
155 gitlink:git-merge-base[1]::
156 Finds as good common ancestors as possible for a merge.
158 gitlink:git-name-rev[1]::
159 Find symbolic names for given revs.
161 gitlink:git-pack-redundant[1]::
162 Find redundant pack files.
164 gitlink:git-rev-list[1]::
165 Lists commit objects in reverse chronological order.
167 gitlink:git-show-index[1]::
168 Displays contents of a pack idx file.
170 gitlink:git-tar-tree[1]::
171 Creates a tar archive of the files in the named tree object.
173 gitlink:git-unpack-file[1]::
174 Creates a temporary file with a blob's contents.
177 Displays a git logical variable.
179 gitlink:git-verify-pack[1]::
180 Validates packed git archive files.
182 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
186 Synching repositories
187 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
189 gitlink:git-clone-pack[1]::
190 Clones a repository into the current repository (engine
191 for ssh and local transport).
193 gitlink:git-fetch-pack[1]::
194 Updates from a remote repository (engine for ssh and
197 gitlink:git-http-fetch[1]::
198 Downloads a remote git repository via HTTP by walking
201 gitlink:git-local-fetch[1]::
202 Duplicates another git repository on a local system by
203 walking commit chain.
205 gitlink:git-peek-remote[1]::
206 Lists references on a remote repository using
207 upload-pack protocol (engine for ssh and local
210 gitlink:git-receive-pack[1]::
211 Invoked by 'git-send-pack' to receive what is pushed to it.
213 gitlink:git-send-pack[1]::
214 Pushes to a remote repository, intelligently.
216 gitlink:git-http-push[1]::
217 Push missing objects using HTTP/DAV.
219 gitlink:git-shell[1]::
220 Restricted shell for GIT-only SSH access.
222 gitlink:git-ssh-fetch[1]::
223 Pulls from a remote repository over ssh connection by
224 walking commit chain.
226 gitlink:git-ssh-upload[1]::
227 Helper "server-side" program used by git-ssh-fetch.
229 gitlink:git-update-server-info[1]::
230 Updates auxiliary information on a dumb server to help
231 clients discover references and packs on it.
233 gitlink:git-upload-pack[1]::
234 Invoked by 'git-clone-pack' and 'git-fetch-pack' to push
238 High-level commands (porcelain)
239 -------------------------------
241 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
242 ancillary user utilities.
244 Main porcelain commands
245 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
248 Add paths to the index.
251 Apply patches from a mailbox, but cooler.
253 gitlink:git-applymbox[1]::
254 Apply patches from a mailbox, original version by Linus.
256 gitlink:git-bisect[1]::
257 Find the change that introduced a bug by binary search.
259 gitlink:git-branch[1]::
260 Create and Show branches.
262 gitlink:git-checkout[1]::
263 Checkout and switch to a branch.
265 gitlink:git-cherry-pick[1]::
266 Cherry-pick the effect of an existing commit.
268 gitlink:git-clone[1]::
269 Clones a repository into a new directory.
271 gitlink:git-commit[1]::
272 Record changes to the repository.
274 gitlink:git-diff[1]::
275 Show changes between commits, commit and working tree, etc.
277 gitlink:git-fetch[1]::
278 Download from a remote repository via various protocols.
280 gitlink:git-format-patch[1]::
281 Prepare patches for e-mail submission.
283 gitlink:git-grep[1]::
284 Print lines matching a pattern.
289 gitlink:git-ls-remote[1]::
290 Shows references in a remote or local repository.
292 gitlink:git-merge[1]::
293 Grand unified merge driver.
296 Move or rename a file, a directory, or a symlink.
298 gitlink:git-pull[1]::
299 Fetch from and merge with a remote repository.
301 gitlink:git-push[1]::
302 Update remote refs along with associated objects.
304 gitlink:git-rebase[1]::
305 Rebase local commits to the updated upstream head.
307 gitlink:git-repack[1]::
308 Pack unpacked objects in a repository.
310 gitlink:git-rerere[1]::
311 Reuse recorded resolution of conflicted merges.
313 gitlink:git-reset[1]::
314 Reset current HEAD to the specified state.
316 gitlink:git-resolve[1]::
319 gitlink:git-revert[1]::
320 Revert an existing commit.
322 gitlink:git-shortlog[1]::
323 Summarizes 'git log' output.
325 gitlink:git-show[1]::
326 Show one commit log and its diff.
328 gitlink:git-show-branch[1]::
329 Show branches and their commits.
331 gitlink:git-status[1]::
332 Shows the working tree status.
334 gitlink:git-verify-tag[1]::
335 Check the GPG signature of tag.
337 gitlink:git-whatchanged[1]::
338 Shows commit logs and differences they introduce.
345 gitlink:git-applypatch[1]::
346 Apply one patch extracted from an e-mail.
348 gitlink:git-archimport[1]::
349 Import an arch repository into git.
351 gitlink:git-convert-objects[1]::
352 Converts old-style git repository.
354 gitlink:git-cvsimport[1]::
355 Salvage your data out of another SCM people love to hate.
357 gitlink:git-cvsexportcommit[1]::
358 Export a single commit to a CVS checkout.
360 gitlink:git-lost-found[1]::
361 Recover lost refs that luckily have not yet been pruned.
363 gitlink:git-merge-one-file[1]::
364 The standard helper program to use with `git-merge-index`.
366 gitlink:git-prune[1]::
367 Prunes all unreachable objects from the object database.
369 gitlink:git-relink[1]::
370 Hardlink common objects in local repositories.
372 gitlink:git-svnimport[1]::
373 Import a SVN repository into git.
375 gitlink:git-sh-setup[1]::
376 Common git shell script setup code.
378 gitlink:git-symbolic-ref[1]::
379 Read and modify symbolic refs.
382 An example script to create a tag object signed with GPG.
384 gitlink:git-update-ref[1]::
385 Update the object name stored in a ref safely.
390 gitlink:git-check-ref-format[1]::
391 Make sure ref name is well formed.
393 gitlink:git-cherry[1]::
394 Find commits not merged upstream.
396 gitlink:git-count-objects[1]::
397 Count unpacked number of objects and their disk consumption.
399 gitlink:git-daemon[1]::
400 A really simple server for git repositories.
402 gitlink:git-get-tar-commit-id[1]::
403 Extract commit ID from an archive created using git-tar-tree.
405 gitlink:git-mailinfo[1]::
406 Extracts patch and authorship information from a single
407 e-mail message, optionally transliterating the commit
410 gitlink:git-mailsplit[1]::
411 A stupid program to split UNIX mbox format mailbox into
412 individual pieces of e-mail.
414 gitlink:git-patch-id[1]::
415 Compute unique ID for a patch.
417 gitlink:git-parse-remote[1]::
418 Routines to help parsing `$GIT_DIR/remotes/` files.
420 gitlink:git-request-pull[1]::
423 gitlink:git-rev-parse[1]::
424 Pick out and massage parameters.
426 gitlink:git-send-email[1]::
427 Send patch e-mails out of "format-patch --mbox" output.
429 gitlink:git-symbolic-ref[1]::
430 Read and modify symbolic refs.
432 gitlink:git-stripspace[1]::
433 Filter out empty lines.
436 Commands not yet documented
437 ---------------------------
440 The gitk repository browser.
443 Configuration Mechanism
444 -----------------------
446 Starting from 0.99.9 (actually mid 0.99.8.GIT), `.git/config` file
447 is used to hold per-repository configuration options. It is a
448 simple text file modelled after `.ini` format familiar to some
449 people. Here is an example:
453 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
458 ; Don't trust file modes
463 name = "Junio C Hamano"
464 email = "junkio@twinsun.com"
468 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
469 their operation accordingly.
472 Identifier Terminology
473 ----------------------
475 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
478 Indicates a blob object name.
481 Indicates a tree object name.
484 Indicates a commit object name.
487 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
488 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
489 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
490 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
493 Indicates that an object type is required.
494 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
497 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
498 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
502 Any git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
506 indicates the head of the current branch (i.e. the
507 contents of `$GIT_DIR/HEAD`).
511 (i.e. the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags/<tag>`).
515 (i.e. the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads/<head>`).
518 File/Directory Structure
519 ------------------------
521 Please see link:repository-layout.html[repository layout] document.
523 Read link:hooks.html[hooks] for more details about each hook.
525 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
531 Please see link:glossary.html[glossary] document.
534 Environment Variables
535 ---------------------
536 Various git commands use the following environment variables:
540 These environment variables apply to 'all' core git commands. Nb: it
541 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
542 git so take care if using Cogito etc.
545 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
546 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
549 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
550 If the object storage directory is specified via this
551 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
552 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
555 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
556 Due to the immutable nature of git objects, old objects can be
557 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
558 specifies a ":" separated list of git object directories which
559 can be used to search for git objects. New objects will not be
560 written to these directories.
563 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
564 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
565 for the base of the repository.
572 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
573 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
574 see gitlink:git-commit-tree[1]
579 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
580 see the "generating patches" section in :
581 gitlink:git-diff-index[1];
582 gitlink:git-diff-files[1];
583 gitlink:git-diff-tree[1]
585 Discussion[[Discussion]]
586 ------------------------
591 * git's founding father is Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>.
592 * The current git nurse is Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net>.
593 * The git potty was written by Andres Ericsson <ae@op5.se>.
594 * General upbringing is handled by the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
598 The documentation for git suite was started by David Greaves
599 <david@dgreaves.com>, and later enhanced greatly by the
600 contributors on the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
604 Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite