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:v1.8.5.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.5.5]
49 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.5.txt[1.8.5.5],
50 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.4.txt[1.8.5.4],
51 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.3.txt[1.8.5.3],
52 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.2.txt[1.8.5.2],
53 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.1.txt[1.8.5.1],
54 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.txt[1.8.5].
56 * link:v1.8.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.4.5]
59 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.5.txt[1.8.4.5],
60 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.4.txt[1.8.4.4],
61 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.3.txt[1.8.4.3],
62 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.2.txt[1.8.4.2],
63 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.1.txt[1.8.4.1],
64 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.txt[1.8.4].
66 * link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4]
69 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4],
70 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3],
71 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
72 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
73 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
75 * link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
78 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3],
79 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2],
80 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1],
81 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
83 * link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
86 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
87 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
88 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
89 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
90 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
91 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
92 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
94 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
97 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
98 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
99 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
100 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
102 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
105 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
106 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
107 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
108 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
109 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
111 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
114 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
115 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
116 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
117 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
118 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
119 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
120 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
121 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
123 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
126 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
127 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
128 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
129 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
130 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
131 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
133 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
136 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
137 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
138 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
139 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
140 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
141 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
142 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
143 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
145 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
148 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
149 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
150 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
151 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
152 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
153 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
154 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
156 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
159 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
160 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
161 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
162 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
163 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
164 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
165 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
166 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
168 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
171 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
172 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
173 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
174 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
175 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
176 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
177 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
179 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
182 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
183 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
184 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
185 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
186 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
188 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
191 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
192 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
193 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
194 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
195 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
196 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
198 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
201 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
202 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
203 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
204 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
205 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
206 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
208 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
211 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
212 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
213 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
214 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
215 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
216 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
218 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
221 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
222 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
223 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
224 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
225 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
227 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
230 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
231 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
232 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
233 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
234 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
235 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
236 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
237 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
238 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
239 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
241 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
244 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
245 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
246 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
247 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
249 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
252 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
253 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
254 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
255 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
256 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
257 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
258 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
259 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
260 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
261 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
263 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
266 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
267 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
268 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
269 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
270 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
271 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
273 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
276 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
277 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
278 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
279 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
280 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
283 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
284 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
285 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
286 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
287 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
288 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
290 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
293 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
294 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
295 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
296 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
298 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
301 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
302 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
303 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
304 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
305 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
306 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
307 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
309 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
312 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
313 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
314 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
315 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
316 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
317 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
318 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
320 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
323 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
324 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
325 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
326 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
327 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
328 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
329 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
331 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
334 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
335 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
336 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
337 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
338 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
339 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
340 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
341 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
343 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
346 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
347 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
348 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
349 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
350 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
351 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
352 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
353 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
354 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
356 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
359 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
360 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
361 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
362 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
363 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
364 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
366 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
369 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
370 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
371 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
372 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
373 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
374 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
375 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
377 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
380 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
381 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
382 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
383 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
384 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
385 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
386 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
388 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
389 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
390 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
391 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
400 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
403 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
404 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
405 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
406 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
408 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
409 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
410 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
414 Run as if git was started in '<path>' instead of the current working
415 directory. When multiple `-C` options are given, each subsequent
416 non-absolute `-C <path>` is interpreted relative to the preceding `-C
419 This option affects options that expect path name like `--git-dir` and
420 `--work-tree` in that their interpretations of the path names would be
421 made relative to the working directory caused by the `-C` option. For
422 example the following invocations are equivalent:
424 git --git-dir=a.git --work-tree=b -C c status
425 git --git-dir=c/a.git --work-tree=c/b status
428 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
429 given will override values from configuration files.
430 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
431 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
433 --exec-path[=<path>]::
434 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
435 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
436 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
437 the current setting and then exit.
440 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
441 documentation is installed and exit.
444 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
445 this version of Git and exit.
448 Print the path where the Info files documenting this
449 version of Git are installed and exit.
453 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
454 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
455 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
459 Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
462 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
463 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
464 path or relative path to current working directory.
467 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
468 or a path relative to the current working directory.
469 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
470 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
471 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
472 more detailed discussion).
475 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
476 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
480 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
481 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
484 --no-replace-objects::
485 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
486 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
488 --literal-pathspecs::
489 Treat pathspecs literally (i.e. no globbing, no pathspec magic).
490 This is equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
494 Add "glob" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
495 the `GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Disabling
496 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
500 Add "literal" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
501 the `GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Enabling
502 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
506 Add "icase" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
507 the `GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`.
512 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
513 ("plumbing") commands.
515 High-level commands (porcelain)
516 -------------------------------
518 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
519 ancillary user utilities.
521 Main porcelain commands
522 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
524 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
530 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
534 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
537 Interacting with Others
538 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
540 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
541 people via patch over e-mail.
543 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
546 Low-level commands (plumbing)
547 -----------------------------
549 Although Git includes its
550 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
551 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
552 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
553 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
555 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
556 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
557 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
558 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
559 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
562 The following description divides
563 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
564 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
565 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
569 Manipulation commands
570 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
572 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
575 Interrogation commands
576 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
578 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
580 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
584 Synching repositories
585 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
587 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
589 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
590 typically do not use them directly.
592 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
595 Internal helper commands
596 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
598 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
599 users typically do not use them directly.
601 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
604 Configuration Mechanism
605 -----------------------
607 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
608 repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look
613 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
618 ; Don't trust file modes
623 name = "Junio C Hamano"
624 email = "gitster@pobox.com"
628 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
629 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
630 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
633 Identifier Terminology
634 ----------------------
636 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
639 Indicates a blob object name.
642 Indicates a tree object name.
645 Indicates a commit object name.
648 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
649 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
650 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
651 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
654 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
655 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
656 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
657 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
660 Indicates that an object type is required.
661 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
664 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
665 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
669 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
673 indicates the head of the current branch.
677 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
681 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
683 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
684 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
687 File/Directory Structure
688 ------------------------
690 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
692 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
694 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
700 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
703 Environment Variables
704 ---------------------
705 Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
709 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
710 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
711 Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
714 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
715 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
718 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
719 If the object storage directory is specified via this
720 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
721 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
724 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
725 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
726 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
727 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
728 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
729 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
732 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
733 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
734 for the base of the repository.
735 The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
738 Set the path to the root of the working tree.
739 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
740 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
743 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
744 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
746 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
747 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If
748 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
749 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
750 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not
751 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
752 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read
753 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
754 might be present in order to compare them with the current
755 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you
756 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
757 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
759 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
761 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
762 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
763 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
764 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
765 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable
766 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
767 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
768 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
776 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
777 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
778 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
780 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
785 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
786 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
787 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
788 value passed on the Git diff command line.
790 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
791 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
792 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
793 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
794 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
796 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
800 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
801 contents of <old|new>,
802 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
803 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
805 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
806 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
807 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
808 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
809 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
811 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
816 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
817 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
818 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
819 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
822 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
823 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
824 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
825 linkgit:git-config[1].
828 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
829 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
830 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
831 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
834 If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
835 and 'git push' will use this command instead
836 of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
837 The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
838 four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
839 from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
840 remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
841 the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
842 than the default SSH port.
844 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
845 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
846 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
848 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
849 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
853 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
854 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
855 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
856 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
857 option in linkgit:git-config[1].
859 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
860 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
861 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This environment variable can
862 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
863 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
864 temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
865 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
868 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
869 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
870 'git check-attr' and 'git check-ignore' will
871 force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
873 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
874 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
875 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
876 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
879 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
880 is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
881 stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
882 execution and external command execution.
883 If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
884 and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
885 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
886 trace messages into this file descriptor.
887 Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
888 (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
889 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
892 'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
893 If this variable is set to a path, a file will be created at
894 the given path logging all accesses to any packs. For each
895 access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
896 recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
897 pack-related performance problems.
900 If this variable is set, it shows a trace of all packets
901 coming in or out of a given program. This can help with
902 debugging object negotiation or other protocol issues. Tracing
903 is turned off at a packet starting with "PACK".
905 GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
906 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
907 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
908 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
909 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
910 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
911 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
912 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
915 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
916 pathspecs as glob patterns (aka "glob" magic).
918 GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS::
919 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
920 pathspecs as literal (aka "literal" magic).
922 GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS::
923 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
924 pathspecs as case-insensitive.
926 'GIT_REFLOG_ACTION'::
927 When a ref is updated, reflog entries are created to keep
928 track of the reason why the ref was updated (which is
929 typically the name of the high-level command that updated
930 the ref), in addition to the old and new values of the ref.
931 A scripted Porcelain command can use set_reflog_action
932 helper function in `git-sh-setup` to set its name to this
933 variable when it is invoked as the top level command by the
934 end user, to be recorded in the body of the reflog.
937 Discussion[[Discussion]]
938 ------------------------
940 More detail on the following is available from the
941 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
942 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
944 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
945 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
946 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
947 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
948 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
949 as tags and branch heads.
951 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
952 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
953 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
954 and some number of parent commits.
956 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
957 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
958 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
959 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
961 All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
962 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
963 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
964 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
967 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
968 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
970 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
971 may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
972 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
973 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of
974 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
975 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
977 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
978 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
979 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
980 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
981 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
982 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
983 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
984 content stored in the index.
986 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
987 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
988 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
990 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
991 ---------------------
993 See the references in the "description" section to get started
994 using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary
995 for a first-time user.
997 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
998 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
999 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
1001 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
1003 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
1006 The internals are documented in the
1007 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
1009 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
1010 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
1015 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
1016 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
1017 <git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
1018 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
1020 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
1021 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
1022 the authors for specific parts of the project.
1027 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
1028 development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be
1029 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
1033 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
1034 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
1035 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
1036 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
1037 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
1041 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite