Andrew's git - gitweb.git/blob - Documentation/git.txt

   1git(1)
   2======
   3
   4NAME
   5----
   6git - the stupid content tracker
   7
   8
   9SYNOPSIS
  10--------
  11[verse]
  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>]
  16    <command> [<args>]
  17
  18DESCRIPTION
  19-----------
  20Git is a fast, scalable, distributed revision control system with an
  21unusually rich command set that provides both high-level operations
  22and full access to internals.
  23
  24See linkgit:gittutorial[7] to get started, then see
  25link:everyday.html[Everyday Git] for a useful minimum set of
  26commands.  The link:user-manual.html[Git User's Manual] has a more
  27in-depth introduction.
  28
  29After you mastered the basic concepts, you can come back to this
  30page to learn what commands Git offers.  You can learn more about
  31individual Git commands with "git help command".  linkgit:gitcli[7]
  32manual page gives you an overview of the command line command syntax.
  33
  34Formatted and hyperlinked version of the latest Git documentation
  35can be viewed at `http://git-htmldocs.googlecode.com/git/git.html`.
  36
  37ifdef::stalenotes[]
  38[NOTE]
  39============
  40
  41You are reading the documentation for the latest (possibly
  42unreleased) version of Git, that is available from 'master'
  43branch of the `git.git` repository.
  44Documentation for older releases are available here:
  45
  46* link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
  47
  48* release notes for
  49  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3].
  50  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2].
  51  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1].
  52  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
  53
  54* link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
  55
  56* release notes for
  57  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
  58  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
  59  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
  60  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
  61  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
  62  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
  63  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
  64
  65* link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
  66
  67* release notes for
  68  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
  69  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
  70  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
  71  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
  72
  73* link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
  74
  75* release notes for
  76  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
  77  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
  78  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
  79  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
  80  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
  81
  82* link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
  83
  84* release notes for
  85  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
  86  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
  87  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
  88  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
  89  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
  90  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
  91  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
  92  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
  93
  94* link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
  95
  96* release notes for
  97  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
  98  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
  99  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
 100  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
 101  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
 102  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
 103
 104* link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
 105
 106* release notes for
 107  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
 108  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
 109  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
 110  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
 111  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
 112  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
 113  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
 114  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
 115
 116* link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
 117
 118* release notes for
 119  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
 120  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
 121  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
 122  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
 123  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
 124  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
 125  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
 126
 127* link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
 128
 129* release notes for
 130  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
 131  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
 132  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
 133  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
 134  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
 135  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
 136  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
 137  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
 138
 139* link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
 140
 141* release notes for
 142  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
 143  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
 144  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
 145  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
 146  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
 147  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
 148  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
 149
 150* link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
 151
 152* release notes for
 153  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
 154  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
 155  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
 156  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
 157  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
 158
 159* link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
 160
 161* release notes for
 162  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
 163  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
 164  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
 165  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
 166  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
 167  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
 168
 169* link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
 170
 171* release notes for
 172  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
 173  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
 174  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
 175  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
 176  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
 177  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
 178
 179* link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
 180
 181* release notes for
 182  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
 183  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
 184  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
 185  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
 186  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
 187  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
 188
 189* link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
 190
 191* release notes for
 192  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
 193  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
 194  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
 195  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
 196  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
 197
 198* link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
 199
 200* release notes for
 201  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
 202  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
 203  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
 204  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
 205  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
 206  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
 207  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
 208  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
 209  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
 210  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
 211
 212* link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
 213
 214* release notes for
 215  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
 216  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
 217  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
 218  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
 219
 220* link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
 221
 222* release notes for
 223  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
 224  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
 225  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
 226  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
 227  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
 228  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
 229  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
 230  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
 231  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
 232  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
 233
 234* link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
 235
 236* release notes for
 237  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
 238  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
 239  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
 240  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
 241  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
 242  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
 243
 244* link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
 245
 246* release notes for
 247  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
 248  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
 249  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
 250  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
 251  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
 252
 253* release notes for
 254  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
 255  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
 256  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
 257  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
 258  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
 259  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
 260
 261* link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
 262
 263* release notes for
 264  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
 265  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
 266  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
 267  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
 268
 269* link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
 270
 271* release notes for
 272  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
 273  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
 274  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
 275  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
 276  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
 277  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
 278  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
 279
 280* link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
 281
 282* release notes for
 283  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
 284  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
 285  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
 286  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
 287  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
 288  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
 289  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
 290
 291* link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
 292
 293* release notes for
 294  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
 295  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
 296  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
 297  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
 298  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
 299  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
 300  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
 301
 302* link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
 303
 304* release notes for
 305  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
 306  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
 307  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
 308  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
 309  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
 310  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
 311  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
 312  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
 313
 314* link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
 315
 316* release notes for
 317  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
 318  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
 319  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
 320  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
 321  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
 322  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
 323  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
 324  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
 325  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
 326
 327* link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
 328
 329* release notes for
 330  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
 331  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
 332  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
 333  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
 334  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
 335  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
 336
 337* link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
 338
 339* release notes for
 340  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
 341  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
 342  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
 343  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
 344  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
 345  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
 346  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
 347
 348* link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
 349
 350* release notes for
 351  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
 352  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
 353  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
 354  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
 355  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
 356  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
 357  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
 358
 359* documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
 360  link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
 361  link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
 362  link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
 363
 364============
 365
 366endif::stalenotes[]
 367
 368OPTIONS
 369-------
 370--version::
 371        Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
 372
 373--help::
 374        Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
 375        commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
 376        available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
 377        option will bring up the manual page for that command.
 378+
 379Other options are available to control how the manual page is
 380displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
 381because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
 382help ...`.
 383
 384-c <name>=<value>::
 385        Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
 386        given will override values from configuration files.
 387        The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
 388        'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
 389
 390--exec-path[=<path>]::
 391        Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
 392        This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
 393        environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
 394        the current setting and then exit.
 395
 396--html-path::
 397        Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
 398        documentation is installed and exit.
 399
 400--man-path::
 401        Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
 402        this version of Git and exit.
 403
 404--info-path::
 405        Print the path where the Info files documenting this
 406        version of Git are installed and exit.
 407
 408-p::
 409--paginate::
 410        Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
 411        output is a terminal.  This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
 412        configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
 413        below).
 414
 415--no-pager::
 416        Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
 417
 418--git-dir=<path>::
 419        Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
 420        setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
 421        path or relative path to current working directory.
 422
 423--work-tree=<path>::
 424        Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
 425        or a path relative to the current working directory.
 426        This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
 427        environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
 428        variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 429        more detailed discussion).
 430
 431--namespace=<path>::
 432        Set the Git namespace.  See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
 433        details.  Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
 434        variable.
 435
 436--bare::
 437        Treat the repository as a bare repository.  If GIT_DIR
 438        environment is not set, it is set to the current working
 439        directory.
 440
 441--no-replace-objects::
 442        Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
 443        linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
 444
 445--literal-pathspecs::
 446        Treat pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. This is
 447        equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
 448        variable to `1`.
 449
 450
 451GIT COMMANDS
 452------------
 453
 454We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
 455("plumbing") commands.
 456
 457High-level commands (porcelain)
 458-------------------------------
 459
 460We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
 461ancillary user utilities.
 462
 463Main porcelain commands
 464~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 465
 466include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
 467
 468Ancillary Commands
 469~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 470Manipulators:
 471
 472include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
 473
 474Interrogators:
 475
 476include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
 477
 478
 479Interacting with Others
 480~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 481
 482These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
 483people via patch over e-mail.
 484
 485include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
 486
 487
 488Low-level commands (plumbing)
 489-----------------------------
 490
 491Although Git includes its
 492own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
 493development of alternative porcelains.  Developers of such porcelains
 494might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
 495linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
 496
 497The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
 498to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
 499than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
 500primarily for scripted use.  The interface to Porcelain commands
 501on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
 502end user experience.
 503
 504The following description divides
 505the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
 506the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
 507compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
 508repositories.
 509
 510
 511Manipulation commands
 512~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 513
 514include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
 515
 516
 517Interrogation commands
 518~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 519
 520include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
 521
 522In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
 523the working tree.
 524
 525
 526Synching repositories
 527~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 528
 529include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
 530
 531The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
 532typically do not use them directly.
 533
 534include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
 535
 536
 537Internal helper commands
 538~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 539
 540These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
 541users typically do not use them directly.
 542
 543include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
 544
 545
 546Configuration Mechanism
 547-----------------------
 548
 549Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
 550repository and are per user.  Such a configuration file may look
 551like this:
 552
 553------------
 554#
 555# A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
 556#
 557
 558; core variables
 559[core]
 560        ; Don't trust file modes
 561        filemode = false
 562
 563; user identity
 564[user]
 565        name = "Junio C Hamano"
 566        email = "gitster@pobox.com"
 567
 568------------
 569
 570Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
 571their operation accordingly.  See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 572list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
 573
 574
 575Identifier Terminology
 576----------------------
 577<object>::
 578        Indicates the object name for any type of object.
 579
 580<blob>::
 581        Indicates a blob object name.
 582
 583<tree>::
 584        Indicates a tree object name.
 585
 586<commit>::
 587        Indicates a commit object name.
 588
 589<tree-ish>::
 590        Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name.  A
 591        command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 592        operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
 593        <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
 594
 595<commit-ish>::
 596        Indicates a commit or tag object name.  A
 597        command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 598        operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
 599        <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
 600
 601<type>::
 602        Indicates that an object type is required.
 603        Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
 604
 605<file>::
 606        Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
 607        root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
 608
 609Symbolic Identifiers
 610--------------------
 611Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
 612symbolic notation:
 613
 614HEAD::
 615        indicates the head of the current branch.
 616
 617<tag>::
 618        a valid tag 'name'
 619        (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
 620
 621<head>::
 622        a valid head 'name'
 623        (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
 624
 625For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
 626"SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
 627
 628
 629File/Directory Structure
 630------------------------
 631
 632Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
 633
 634Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
 635
 636Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
 637`$GIT_DIR`.
 638
 639
 640Terminology
 641-----------
 642Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
 643
 644
 645Environment Variables
 646---------------------
 647Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
 648
 649The Git Repository
 650~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 651These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
 652is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
 653Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
 654
 655'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
 656        This environment allows the specification of an alternate
 657        index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
 658        is used.
 659
 660'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
 661        If the object storage directory is specified via this
 662        environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
 663        underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
 664        directory is used.
 665
 666'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
 667        Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
 668        archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
 669        specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
 670        of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
 671        objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
 672
 673'GIT_DIR'::
 674        If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
 675        specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
 676        for the base of the repository.
 677        The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
 678
 679'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
 680        Set the path to the working tree.  The value will not be
 681        used in combination with repositories found automatically in
 682        a .git directory (i.e. $GIT_DIR is not set).
 683        This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
 684        option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
 685
 686'GIT_NAMESPACE'::
 687        Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
 688        The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
 689
 690'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
 691        This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths.  If
 692        set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
 693        into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
 694        excluding slow-loading network directories).  It will not
 695        exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
 696        command line or in the environment.  Normally, Git has to read
 697        the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
 698        might be present in order to compare them with the current
 699        directory.  However, if even this access is slow, you
 700        can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
 701        subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
 702        e.g.,
 703        'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
 704
 705'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
 706        When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
 707        directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
 708        directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
 709        does not cross filesystem boundaries.  This environment variable
 710        can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
 711        boundaries.  Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
 712        an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
 713        command line.
 714
 715Git Commits
 716~~~~~~~~~~~
 717'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
 718'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
 719'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
 720'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
 721'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
 722'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
 723'EMAIL'::
 724        see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
 725
 726Git Diffs
 727~~~~~~~~~
 728'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
 729        Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
 730        number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
 731        This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
 732        value passed on the Git diff command line.
 733
 734'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
 735        When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
 736        program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
 737        described above.  For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
 738        'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
 739
 740        path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
 741+
 742where:
 743
 744        <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
 745                         contents of <old|new>,
 746        <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
 747        <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
 748+
 749The file parameters can point at the user's working file
 750(e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
 751when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
 752index).  'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
 753temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
 754+
 755For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
 756parameter, <path>.
 757
 758other
 759~~~~~
 760'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
 761        A number controlling the amount of output shown by
 762        the recursive merge strategy.  Overrides merge.verbosity.
 763        See linkgit:git-merge[1]
 764
 765'GIT_PAGER'::
 766        This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
 767        to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
 768        a pager.  See also the `core.pager` option in
 769        linkgit:git-config[1].
 770
 771'GIT_EDITOR'::
 772        This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
 773        It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
 774        an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
 775        and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 776
 777'GIT_SSH'::
 778        If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
 779        and 'git push' will use this command instead
 780        of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
 781        The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
 782        four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
 783        from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
 784        remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
 785        the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
 786        than the default SSH port.
 787+
 788To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
 789you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
 790then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
 791+
 792Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
 793personal `.ssh/config` file.  Please consult your ssh documentation
 794for further details.
 795
 796'GIT_ASKPASS'::
 797        If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
 798        acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
 799        will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
 800        and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
 801        option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 802
 803'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
 804        Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
 805        `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file.  This environment variable can
 806        be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
 807        predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
 808        temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
 809        waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
 810
 811'GIT_FLUSH'::
 812        If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
 813        as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
 814        and 'git whatchanged' will force a flush of the output stream
 815        after each commit-oriented record have been flushed.   If this
 816        variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
 817        using completely buffered I/O.   If this environment variable is
 818        not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
 819        based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
 820
 821'GIT_TRACE'::
 822        If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
 823        is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
 824        stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
 825        execution and external command execution.
 826        If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
 827        and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
 828        value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
 829        trace messages into this file descriptor.
 830        Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
 831        (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
 832        as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
 833        into it.
 834
 835'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
 836        If this variable is set to a path, a file will be created at
 837        the given path logging all accesses to any packs. For each
 838        access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
 839        recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
 840        pack-related performance problems.
 841
 842'GIT_TRACE_PACKET'::
 843        If this variable is set, it shows a trace of all packets
 844        coming in or out of a given program. This can help with
 845        debugging object negotiation or other protocol issues. Tracing
 846        is turned off at a packet starting with "PACK".
 847
 848GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
 849        Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
 850        pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
 851        running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
 852        for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
 853        glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
 854        literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
 855        `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
 856
 857
 858Discussion[[Discussion]]
 859------------------------
 860
 861More detail on the following is available from the
 862link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
 863user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
 864
 865A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
 866subdirectory at the top level.  The .git directory contains, among other
 867things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
 868of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
 869contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
 870as tags and branch heads.
 871
 872The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
 873hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
 874directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
 875and some number of parent commits.
 876
 877The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
 878"version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
 879represents an immediately preceding step.  Commits with more than one
 880parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
 881
 882All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
 883written as a string of 40 hex digits.  Such names are globally unique.
 884The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
 885just that commit.  A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
 886purpose.
 887
 888When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
 889efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
 890
 891Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history.  A ref
 892may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref.  Refs
 893with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
 894recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development.  SHA-1 names of
 895tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`.  A special ref named
 896`HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
 897
 898The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
 899path, a blob object and a set of attributes.  The blob object represents
 900the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch.  The
 901attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
 902corresponding file in the working tree.  Subsequent changes to the
 903working tree can be found by comparing these attributes.  The index may
 904be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
 905content stored in the index.
 906
 907The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
 908for a given pathname.  These stages are used to hold the various
 909unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
 910
 911FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
 912---------------------
 913
 914See the references in the "description" section to get started
 915using Git.  The following is probably more detail than necessary
 916for a first-time user.
 917
 918The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
 919user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
 920introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
 921
 922See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
 923
 924See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
 925examples.
 926
 927The internals are documented in the
 928link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
 929
 930Users migrating from CVS may also want to
 931read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
 932
 933
 934Authors
 935-------
 936Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
 937C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
 938<git@vger.kernel.org>.  http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
 939gives you a more complete list of contributors.
 940
 941If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
 942output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
 943the authors for specific parts of the project.
 944
 945Reporting Bugs
 946--------------
 947
 948Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
 949development and maintenance is primarily done.  You do not have to be
 950subscribed to the list to send a message there.
 951
 952SEE ALSO
 953--------
 954linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
 955link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
 956linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
 957linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
 958linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
 959
 960GIT
 961---
 962Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite