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:v1.8.4.1/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.4.1]
49 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.1.txt[1.8.4.1],
50 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.txt[1.8.4].
52 * link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4]
55 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4],
56 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3],
57 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
58 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
59 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
61 * link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
64 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3],
65 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2],
66 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1],
67 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
69 * link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
72 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
73 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
74 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
75 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
76 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
77 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
78 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
80 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
83 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
84 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
85 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
86 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
88 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
91 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
92 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
93 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
94 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
95 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
97 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
100 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
101 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
102 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
103 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
104 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
105 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
106 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
107 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
109 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
112 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
113 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
114 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
115 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
116 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
117 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
119 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
122 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
123 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
124 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
125 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
126 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
127 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
128 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
129 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
131 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
134 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
135 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
136 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
137 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
138 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
139 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
140 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
142 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
145 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
146 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
147 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
148 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
149 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
150 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
151 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
152 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
154 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
157 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
158 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
159 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
160 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
161 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
162 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
163 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
165 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
168 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
169 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
170 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
171 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
172 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
174 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
177 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
178 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
179 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
180 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
181 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
182 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
184 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
187 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
188 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
189 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
190 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
191 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
192 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
194 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
197 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
198 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
199 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
200 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
201 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
202 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
204 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
207 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
208 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
209 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
210 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
211 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
213 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
216 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
217 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
218 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
219 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
220 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
221 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
222 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
223 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
224 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
225 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
227 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
230 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
231 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
232 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
233 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
235 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
238 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
239 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
240 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
241 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
242 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
243 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
244 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
245 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
246 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
247 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
249 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
252 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
253 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
254 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
255 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
256 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
257 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
259 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
262 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
263 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
264 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
265 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
266 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
269 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
270 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
271 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
272 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
273 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
274 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
276 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
279 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
280 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
281 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
282 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
284 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
287 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
288 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
289 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
290 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
291 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
292 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
293 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
295 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
298 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
299 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
300 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
301 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
302 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
303 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
304 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
306 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
309 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
310 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
311 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
312 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
313 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
314 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
315 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
317 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
320 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
321 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
322 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
323 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
324 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
325 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
326 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
327 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
329 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
332 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
333 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
334 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
335 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
336 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
337 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
338 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
339 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
340 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
342 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
345 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
346 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
347 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
348 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
349 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
350 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
352 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
355 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
356 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
357 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
358 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
359 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
360 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
361 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
363 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
366 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
367 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
368 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
369 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
370 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
371 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
372 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
374 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
375 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
376 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
377 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
386 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
389 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
390 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
391 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
392 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
394 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
395 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
396 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
400 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
401 given will override values from configuration files.
402 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
403 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
405 --exec-path[=<path>]::
406 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
407 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
408 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
409 the current setting and then exit.
412 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
413 documentation is installed and exit.
416 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
417 this version of Git and exit.
420 Print the path where the Info files documenting this
421 version of Git are installed and exit.
425 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
426 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
427 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
431 Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
434 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
435 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
436 path or relative path to current working directory.
439 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
440 or a path relative to the current working directory.
441 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
442 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
443 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
444 more detailed discussion).
447 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
448 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
452 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
453 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
456 --no-replace-objects::
457 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
458 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
460 --literal-pathspecs::
461 Treat pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. This is
462 equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
469 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
470 ("plumbing") commands.
472 High-level commands (porcelain)
473 -------------------------------
475 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
476 ancillary user utilities.
478 Main porcelain commands
479 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
481 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
487 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
491 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
494 Interacting with Others
495 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
497 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
498 people via patch over e-mail.
500 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
503 Low-level commands (plumbing)
504 -----------------------------
506 Although Git includes its
507 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
508 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
509 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
510 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
512 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
513 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
514 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
515 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
516 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
519 The following description divides
520 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
521 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
522 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
526 Manipulation commands
527 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
529 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
532 Interrogation commands
533 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
535 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
537 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
541 Synching repositories
542 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
544 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
546 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
547 typically do not use them directly.
549 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
552 Internal helper commands
553 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
555 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
556 users typically do not use them directly.
558 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
561 Configuration Mechanism
562 -----------------------
564 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
565 repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look
570 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
575 ; Don't trust file modes
580 name = "Junio C Hamano"
581 email = "gitster@pobox.com"
585 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
586 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
587 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
590 Identifier Terminology
591 ----------------------
593 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
596 Indicates a blob object name.
599 Indicates a tree object name.
602 Indicates a commit object name.
605 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
606 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
607 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
608 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
611 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
612 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
613 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
614 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
617 Indicates that an object type is required.
618 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
621 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
622 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
626 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
630 indicates the head of the current branch.
634 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
638 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
640 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
641 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
644 File/Directory Structure
645 ------------------------
647 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
649 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
651 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
657 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
660 Environment Variables
661 ---------------------
662 Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
666 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
667 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
668 Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
671 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
672 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
675 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
676 If the object storage directory is specified via this
677 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
678 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
681 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
682 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
683 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
684 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
685 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
686 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
689 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
690 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
691 for the base of the repository.
692 The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
695 Set the path to the root of the working tree.
696 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
697 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
700 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
701 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
703 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
704 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If
705 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
706 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
707 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not
708 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
709 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read
710 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
711 might be present in order to compare them with the current
712 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you
713 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
714 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
716 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
718 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
719 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
720 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
721 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
722 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable
723 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
724 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
725 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
733 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
734 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
735 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
737 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
742 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
743 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
744 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
745 value passed on the Git diff command line.
747 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
748 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
749 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
750 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
751 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
753 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
757 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
758 contents of <old|new>,
759 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
760 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
762 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
763 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
764 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
765 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
766 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
768 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
773 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
774 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
775 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
776 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
779 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
780 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
781 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
782 linkgit:git-config[1].
785 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
786 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
787 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
788 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
791 If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
792 and 'git push' will use this command instead
793 of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
794 The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
795 four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
796 from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
797 remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
798 the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
799 than the default SSH port.
801 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
802 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
803 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
805 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
806 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
810 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
811 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
812 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
813 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
814 option in linkgit:git-config[1].
816 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
817 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
818 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This environment variable can
819 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
820 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
821 temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
822 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
825 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
826 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
827 'git check-attr', 'git check-ignore', and 'git whatchanged' will
828 force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
830 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
831 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
832 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
833 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
836 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
837 is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
838 stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
839 execution and external command execution.
840 If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
841 and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
842 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
843 trace messages into this file descriptor.
844 Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
845 (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
846 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
849 'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
850 If this variable is set to a path, a file will be created at
851 the given path logging all accesses to any packs. For each
852 access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
853 recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
854 pack-related performance problems.
857 If this variable is set, it shows a trace of all packets
858 coming in or out of a given program. This can help with
859 debugging object negotiation or other protocol issues. Tracing
860 is turned off at a packet starting with "PACK".
862 GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
863 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
864 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
865 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
866 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
867 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
868 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
869 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
872 Discussion[[Discussion]]
873 ------------------------
875 More detail on the following is available from the
876 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
877 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
879 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
880 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
881 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
882 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
883 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
884 as tags and branch heads.
886 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
887 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
888 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
889 and some number of parent commits.
891 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
892 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
893 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
894 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
896 All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
897 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
898 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
899 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
902 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
903 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
905 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
906 may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
907 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
908 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of
909 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
910 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
912 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
913 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
914 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
915 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
916 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
917 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
918 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
919 content stored in the index.
921 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
922 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
923 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
925 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
926 ---------------------
928 See the references in the "description" section to get started
929 using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary
930 for a first-time user.
932 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
933 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
934 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
936 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
938 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
941 The internals are documented in the
942 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
944 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
945 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
950 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
951 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
952 <git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
953 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
955 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
956 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
957 the authors for specific parts of the project.
962 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
963 development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be
964 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
968 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
969 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
970 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
971 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
972 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
976 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite