Documentation / git-gc.txton commit glossary: Add definitions for dangling and unreachable objects (2aa54fa)
   1git-gc(1)
   2=========
   3
   4NAME
   5----
   6git-gc - Cleanup unnecessary files and optimize the local repository
   7
   8
   9SYNOPSIS
  10--------
  11'git-gc' [--prune]
  12
  13DESCRIPTION
  14-----------
  15Runs a number of housekeeping tasks within the current repository,
  16such as compressing file revisions (to reduce disk space and increase
  17performance) and removing unreachable objects which may have been
  18created from prior invocations of gitlink:git-add[1].
  19
  20Users are encouraged to run this task on a regular basis within
  21each repository to maintain good disk space utilization and good
  22operating performance.
  23
  24OPTIONS
  25-------
  26
  27--prune::
  28        Usually `git-gc` packs refs, expires old reflog entries,
  29        packs loose objects,
  30        and removes old 'rerere' records.  Removal
  31        of unreferenced loose objects is an unsafe operation
  32        while other git operations are in progress, so it is not
  33        done by default.  Pass this option if you want it, and only
  34        when you know nobody else is creating new objects in the
  35        repository at the same time (e.g. never use this option
  36        in a cron script).
  37
  38
  39Configuration
  40-------------
  41
  42The optional configuration variable 'gc.reflogExpire' can be
  43set to indicate how long historical entries within each branch's
  44reflog should remain available in this repository.  The setting is
  45expressed as a length of time, for example '90 days' or '3 months'.
  46It defaults to '90 days'.
  47
  48The optional configuration variable 'gc.reflogExpireUnreachable'
  49can be set to indicate how long historical reflog entries which
  50are not part of the current branch should remain available in
  51this repository.  These types of entries are generally created as
  52a result of using `git commit \--amend` or `git rebase` and are the
  53commits prior to the amend or rebase occurring.  Since these changes
  54are not part of the current project most users will want to expire
  55them sooner.  This option defaults to '30 days'.
  56
  57The optional configuration variable 'gc.rerereresolved' indicates
  58how long records of conflicted merge you resolved earlier are
  59kept.  This defaults to 60 days.
  60
  61The optional configuration variable 'gc.rerereunresolved' indicates
  62how long records of conflicted merge you have not resolved are
  63kept.  This defaults to 15 days.
  64
  65The optional configuration variable 'gc.packrefs' determines if
  66`git gc` runs `git-pack-refs`.  Without the configuration, `git-pack-refs`
  67is not run in bare repositories by default, to allow older dumb-transport
  68clients fetch from the repository,  but this will change in the future.
  69
  70See Also
  71--------
  72gitlink:git-prune[1]
  73gitlink:git-reflog[1]
  74gitlink:git-repack[1]
  75gitlink:git-rerere[1]
  76
  77Author
  78------
  79Written by Shawn O. Pearce <spearce@spearce.org>
  80
  81GIT
  82---
  83Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite