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:v1.9.0/git.html[documentation for release 1.9.0]
49 link:RelNotes/1.9.0.txt[1.9.0].
51 * link:v1.8.5.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.5.5]
54 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.5.txt[1.8.5.5],
55 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.4.txt[1.8.5.4],
56 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.3.txt[1.8.5.3],
57 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.2.txt[1.8.5.2],
58 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.1.txt[1.8.5.1],
59 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.txt[1.8.5].
61 * link:v1.8.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.4.5]
64 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.5.txt[1.8.4.5],
65 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.4.txt[1.8.4.4],
66 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.3.txt[1.8.4.3],
67 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.2.txt[1.8.4.2],
68 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.1.txt[1.8.4.1],
69 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.txt[1.8.4].
71 * link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4]
74 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4],
75 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3],
76 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
77 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
78 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
80 * link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
83 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3],
84 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2],
85 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1],
86 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
88 * link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
91 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
92 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
93 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
94 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
95 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
96 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
97 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
99 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
102 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
103 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
104 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
105 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
107 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
110 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
111 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
112 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
113 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
114 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
116 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
119 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
120 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
121 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
122 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
123 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
124 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
125 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
126 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
128 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
131 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
132 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
133 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
134 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
135 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
136 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
138 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
141 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
142 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
143 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
144 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
145 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
146 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
147 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
148 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
150 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
153 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
154 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
155 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
156 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
157 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
158 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
159 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
161 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
164 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
165 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
166 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
167 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
168 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
169 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
170 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
171 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
173 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
176 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
177 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
178 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
179 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
180 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
181 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
182 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
184 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
187 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
188 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
189 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
190 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
191 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
193 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
196 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
197 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
198 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
199 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
200 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
201 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
203 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
206 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
207 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
208 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
209 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
210 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
211 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
213 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
216 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
217 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
218 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
219 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
220 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
221 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
223 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
226 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
227 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
228 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
229 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
230 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
232 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
235 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
236 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
237 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
238 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
239 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
240 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
241 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
242 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
243 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
244 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
246 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
249 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
250 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
251 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
252 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
254 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
257 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
258 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
259 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
260 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
261 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
262 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
263 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
264 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
265 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
266 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
268 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
271 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
272 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
273 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
274 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
275 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
276 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
278 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
281 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
282 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
283 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
284 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
285 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
288 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
289 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
290 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
291 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
292 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
293 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
295 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
298 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
299 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
300 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
301 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
303 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
306 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
307 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
308 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
309 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
310 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
311 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
312 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
314 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
317 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
318 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
319 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
320 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
321 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
322 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
323 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
325 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
328 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
329 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
330 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
331 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
332 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
333 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
334 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
336 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
339 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
340 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
341 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
342 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
343 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
344 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
345 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
346 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
348 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
351 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
352 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
353 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
354 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
355 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
356 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
357 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
358 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
359 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
361 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
364 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
365 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
366 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
367 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
368 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
369 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
371 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
374 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
375 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
376 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
377 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
378 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
379 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
380 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
382 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
385 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
386 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
387 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
388 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
389 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
390 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
391 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
393 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
394 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
395 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
396 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
405 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
408 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
409 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
410 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
411 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
413 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
414 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
415 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
419 Run as if git was started in '<path>' instead of the current working
420 directory. When multiple `-C` options are given, each subsequent
421 non-absolute `-C <path>` is interpreted relative to the preceding `-C
424 This option affects options that expect path name like `--git-dir` and
425 `--work-tree` in that their interpretations of the path names would be
426 made relative to the working directory caused by the `-C` option. For
427 example the following invocations are equivalent:
429 git --git-dir=a.git --work-tree=b -C c status
430 git --git-dir=c/a.git --work-tree=c/b status
433 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
434 given will override values from configuration files.
435 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
436 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
438 --exec-path[=<path>]::
439 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
440 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
441 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
442 the current setting and then exit.
445 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
446 documentation is installed and exit.
449 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
450 this version of Git and exit.
453 Print the path where the Info files documenting this
454 version of Git are installed and exit.
458 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
459 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
460 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
464 Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
467 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
468 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
469 path or relative path to current working directory.
472 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
473 or a path relative to the current working directory.
474 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
475 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
476 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
477 more detailed discussion).
480 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
481 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
485 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
486 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
489 --no-replace-objects::
490 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
491 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
493 --literal-pathspecs::
494 Treat pathspecs literally (i.e. no globbing, no pathspec magic).
495 This is equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
499 Add "glob" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
500 the `GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Disabling
501 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
505 Add "literal" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
506 the `GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Enabling
507 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
511 Add "icase" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
512 the `GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`.
517 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
518 ("plumbing") commands.
520 High-level commands (porcelain)
521 -------------------------------
523 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
524 ancillary user utilities.
526 Main porcelain commands
527 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
529 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
535 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
539 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
542 Interacting with Others
543 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
545 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
546 people via patch over e-mail.
548 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
551 Low-level commands (plumbing)
552 -----------------------------
554 Although Git includes its
555 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
556 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
557 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
558 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
560 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
561 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
562 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
563 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
564 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
567 The following description divides
568 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
569 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
570 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
574 Manipulation commands
575 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
577 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
580 Interrogation commands
581 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
583 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
585 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
589 Synching repositories
590 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
592 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
594 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
595 typically do not use them directly.
597 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
600 Internal helper commands
601 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
603 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
604 users typically do not use them directly.
606 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
609 Configuration Mechanism
610 -----------------------
612 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
613 repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look
618 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
623 ; Don't trust file modes
628 name = "Junio C Hamano"
629 email = "gitster@pobox.com"
633 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
634 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
635 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
638 Identifier Terminology
639 ----------------------
641 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
644 Indicates a blob object name.
647 Indicates a tree object name.
650 Indicates a commit object name.
653 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
654 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
655 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
656 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
659 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
660 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
661 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
662 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
665 Indicates that an object type is required.
666 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
669 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
670 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
674 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
678 indicates the head of the current branch.
682 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
686 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
688 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
689 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
692 File/Directory Structure
693 ------------------------
695 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
697 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
699 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
705 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
708 Environment Variables
709 ---------------------
710 Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
714 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
715 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
716 Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
719 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
720 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
723 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
724 If the object storage directory is specified via this
725 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
726 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
729 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
730 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
731 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
732 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
733 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
734 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
737 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
738 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
739 for the base of the repository.
740 The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
743 Set the path to the root of the working tree.
744 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
745 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
748 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
749 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
751 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
752 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If
753 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
754 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
755 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not
756 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
757 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read
758 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
759 might be present in order to compare them with the current
760 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you
761 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
762 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
764 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
766 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
767 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
768 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
769 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
770 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable
771 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
772 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
773 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
781 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
782 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
783 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
785 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
790 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
791 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
792 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
793 value passed on the Git diff command line.
795 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
796 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
797 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
798 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
799 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
801 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
805 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
806 contents of <old|new>,
807 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
808 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
810 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
811 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
812 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
813 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
814 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
816 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
819 For each path 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called, two environment variables,
820 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER' and 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL' are set.
822 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER'::
823 A 1-based counter incremented by one for every path.
825 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL'::
826 The total number of paths.
830 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
831 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
832 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
833 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
836 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
837 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
838 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
839 linkgit:git-config[1].
842 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
843 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
844 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
845 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
848 If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
849 and 'git push' will use this command instead
850 of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
851 The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
852 four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
853 from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
854 remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
855 the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
856 than the default SSH port.
858 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
859 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
860 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
862 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
863 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
867 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
868 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
869 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
870 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
871 option in linkgit:git-config[1].
873 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
874 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
875 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This environment variable can
876 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
877 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
878 temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
879 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
882 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
883 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
884 'git check-attr' and 'git check-ignore' will
885 force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
887 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
888 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
889 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
890 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
893 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
894 is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
895 stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
896 execution and external command execution.
897 If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
898 and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
899 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
900 trace messages into this file descriptor.
901 Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
902 (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
903 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
906 'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
907 If this variable is set to a path, a file will be created at
908 the given path logging all accesses to any packs. For each
909 access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
910 recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
911 pack-related performance problems.
914 If this variable is set, it shows a trace of all packets
915 coming in or out of a given program. This can help with
916 debugging object negotiation or other protocol issues. Tracing
917 is turned off at a packet starting with "PACK".
919 GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
920 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
921 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
922 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
923 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
924 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
925 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
926 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
929 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
930 pathspecs as glob patterns (aka "glob" magic).
932 GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS::
933 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
934 pathspecs as literal (aka "literal" magic).
936 GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS::
937 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
938 pathspecs as case-insensitive.
940 'GIT_REFLOG_ACTION'::
941 When a ref is updated, reflog entries are created to keep
942 track of the reason why the ref was updated (which is
943 typically the name of the high-level command that updated
944 the ref), in addition to the old and new values of the ref.
945 A scripted Porcelain command can use set_reflog_action
946 helper function in `git-sh-setup` to set its name to this
947 variable when it is invoked as the top level command by the
948 end user, to be recorded in the body of the reflog.
951 Discussion[[Discussion]]
952 ------------------------
954 More detail on the following is available from the
955 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
956 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
958 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
959 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
960 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
961 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
962 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
963 as tags and branch heads.
965 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
966 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
967 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
968 and some number of parent commits.
970 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
971 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
972 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
973 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
975 All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
976 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
977 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
978 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
981 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
982 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
984 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
985 may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
986 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
987 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of
988 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
989 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
991 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
992 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
993 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
994 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
995 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
996 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
997 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
998 content stored in the index.
1000 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
1001 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
1002 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
1004 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
1005 ---------------------
1007 See the references in the "description" section to get started
1008 using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary
1009 for a first-time user.
1011 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
1012 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
1013 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
1015 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
1017 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
1020 The internals are documented in the
1021 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
1023 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
1024 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
1029 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
1030 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
1031 <git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
1032 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
1034 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
1035 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
1036 the authors for specific parts of the project.
1041 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
1042 development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be
1043 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
1047 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
1048 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
1049 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
1050 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
1051 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
1055 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite