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:v1.8.3.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.3]
49 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3],
50 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
51 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
52 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
54 * link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
57 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3].
58 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2].
59 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1].
60 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
62 * link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
65 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
66 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
67 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
68 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
69 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
70 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
71 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
73 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
76 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
77 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
78 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
79 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
81 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
84 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
85 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
86 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
87 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
88 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
90 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
93 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
94 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
95 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
96 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
97 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
98 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
99 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
100 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
102 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
105 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
106 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
107 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
108 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
109 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
110 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
112 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
115 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
116 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
117 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
118 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
119 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
120 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
121 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
122 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
124 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
127 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
128 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
129 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
130 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
131 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
132 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
133 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
135 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
138 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
139 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
140 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
141 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
142 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
143 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
144 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
145 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
147 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
150 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
151 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
152 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
153 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
154 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
155 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
156 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
158 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
161 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
162 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
163 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
164 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
165 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
167 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
170 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
171 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
172 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
173 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
174 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
175 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
177 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
180 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
181 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
182 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
183 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
184 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
185 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
187 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
190 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
191 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
192 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
193 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
194 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
195 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
197 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
200 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
201 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
202 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
203 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
204 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
206 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
209 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
210 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
211 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
212 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
213 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
214 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
215 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
216 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
217 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
218 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
220 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
223 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
224 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
225 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
226 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
228 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
231 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
232 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
233 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
234 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
235 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
236 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
237 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
238 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
239 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
240 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
242 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
245 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
246 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
247 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
248 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
249 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
250 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
252 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
255 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
256 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
257 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
258 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
259 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
262 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
263 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
264 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
265 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
266 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
267 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
269 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
272 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
273 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
274 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
275 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
277 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
280 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
281 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
282 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
283 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
284 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
285 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
286 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
288 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
291 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
292 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
293 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
294 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
295 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
296 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
297 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
299 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
302 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
303 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
304 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
305 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
306 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
307 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
308 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
310 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
313 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
314 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
315 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
316 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
317 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
318 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
319 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
320 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
322 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
325 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
326 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
327 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
328 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
329 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
330 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
331 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
332 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
333 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
335 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
338 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
339 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
340 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
341 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
342 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
343 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
345 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
348 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
349 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
350 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
351 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
352 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
353 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
354 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
356 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
359 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
360 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
361 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
362 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
363 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
364 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
365 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
367 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
368 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
369 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
370 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
379 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
382 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
383 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
384 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
385 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
387 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
388 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
389 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
393 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
394 given will override values from configuration files.
395 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
396 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
398 --exec-path[=<path>]::
399 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
400 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
401 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
402 the current setting and then exit.
405 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
406 documentation is installed and exit.
409 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
410 this version of Git and exit.
413 Print the path where the Info files documenting this
414 version of Git are installed and exit.
418 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
419 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
420 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
424 Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
427 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
428 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
429 path or relative path to current working directory.
432 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
433 or a path relative to the current working directory.
434 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
435 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
436 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
437 more detailed discussion).
440 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
441 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
445 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
446 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
449 --no-replace-objects::
450 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
451 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
453 --literal-pathspecs::
454 Treat pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. This is
455 equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
462 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
463 ("plumbing") commands.
465 High-level commands (porcelain)
466 -------------------------------
468 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
469 ancillary user utilities.
471 Main porcelain commands
472 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
474 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
480 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
484 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
487 Interacting with Others
488 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
490 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
491 people via patch over e-mail.
493 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
496 Low-level commands (plumbing)
497 -----------------------------
499 Although Git includes its
500 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
501 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
502 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
503 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
505 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
506 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
507 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
508 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
509 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
512 The following description divides
513 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
514 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
515 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
519 Manipulation commands
520 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
522 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
525 Interrogation commands
526 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
528 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
530 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
534 Synching repositories
535 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
537 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
539 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
540 typically do not use them directly.
542 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
545 Internal helper commands
546 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
548 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
549 users typically do not use them directly.
551 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
554 Configuration Mechanism
555 -----------------------
557 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
558 repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look
563 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
568 ; Don't trust file modes
573 name = "Junio C Hamano"
574 email = "gitster@pobox.com"
578 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
579 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
580 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
583 Identifier Terminology
584 ----------------------
586 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
589 Indicates a blob object name.
592 Indicates a tree object name.
595 Indicates a commit object name.
598 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
599 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
600 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
601 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
604 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
605 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
606 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
607 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
610 Indicates that an object type is required.
611 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
614 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
615 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
619 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
623 indicates the head of the current branch.
627 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
631 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
633 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
634 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
637 File/Directory Structure
638 ------------------------
640 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
642 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
644 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
650 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
653 Environment Variables
654 ---------------------
655 Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
659 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
660 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
661 Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
664 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
665 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
668 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
669 If the object storage directory is specified via this
670 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
671 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
674 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
675 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
676 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
677 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
678 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
679 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
682 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
683 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
684 for the base of the repository.
685 The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
688 Set the path to the root of the working tree.
689 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
690 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
693 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
694 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
696 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
697 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If
698 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
699 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
700 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not
701 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
702 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read
703 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
704 might be present in order to compare them with the current
705 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you
706 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
707 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
709 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
711 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
712 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
713 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
714 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
715 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable
716 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
717 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
718 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
726 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
727 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
728 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
730 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
735 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
736 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
737 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
738 value passed on the Git diff command line.
740 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
741 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
742 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
743 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
744 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
746 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
750 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
751 contents of <old|new>,
752 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
753 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
755 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
756 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
757 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
758 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
759 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
761 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
766 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
767 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
768 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
769 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
772 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
773 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
774 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
775 linkgit:git-config[1].
778 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
779 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
780 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
781 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
784 If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
785 and 'git push' will use this command instead
786 of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
787 The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
788 four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
789 from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
790 remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
791 the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
792 than the default SSH port.
794 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
795 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
796 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
798 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
799 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
803 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
804 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
805 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
806 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
807 option in linkgit:git-config[1].
809 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
810 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
811 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This environment variable can
812 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
813 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
814 temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
815 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
818 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
819 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
820 and 'git whatchanged' will force a flush of the output stream
821 after each commit-oriented record have been flushed. If this
822 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
823 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
824 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
825 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
828 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
829 is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
830 stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
831 execution and external command execution.
832 If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
833 and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
834 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
835 trace messages into this file descriptor.
836 Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
837 (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
838 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
841 GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
842 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
843 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
844 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
845 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
846 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
847 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
848 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
851 Discussion[[Discussion]]
852 ------------------------
854 More detail on the following is available from the
855 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
856 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
858 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
859 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
860 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
861 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
862 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
863 as tags and branch heads.
865 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
866 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
867 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
868 and some number of parent commits.
870 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
871 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
872 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
873 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
875 All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
876 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
877 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
878 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
881 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
882 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
884 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
885 may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
886 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
887 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of
888 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
889 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
891 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
892 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
893 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
894 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
895 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
896 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
897 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
898 content stored in the index.
900 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
901 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
902 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
904 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
905 ---------------------
907 See the references in the "description" section to get started
908 using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary
909 for a first-time user.
911 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
912 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
913 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
915 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
917 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
920 The internals are documented in the
921 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
923 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
924 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
929 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
930 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
931 <git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
932 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
934 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
935 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
936 the authors for specific parts of the project.
941 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
942 development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be
943 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
947 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
948 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
949 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
950 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
951 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
955 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite