1git(1) 2====== 3 4NAME 5---- 6git - the stupid content tracker 7 8 9SYNOPSIS 10-------- 11[verse] 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>] 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 25linkgit:giteveryday[7] 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 34A formatted and hyperlinked copy of the latest Git documentation 35can be viewed at `https://git.github.io/htmldocs/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 the 'master' 43branch of the `git.git` repository. 44Documentation for older releases are available here: 45 46* link:v2.9.2/git.html[documentation for release 2.9.2] 47 48* release notes for 49 link:RelNotes/2.9.2.txt[2.9.2], 50 link:RelNotes/2.9.1.txt[2.9.1], 51 link:RelNotes/2.9.0.txt[2.9]. 52 53* link:v2.8.4/git.html[documentation for release 2.8.4] 54 55* release notes for 56 link:RelNotes/2.8.4.txt[2.8.4], 57 link:RelNotes/2.8.3.txt[2.8.3], 58 link:RelNotes/2.8.2.txt[2.8.2], 59 link:RelNotes/2.8.1.txt[2.8.1], 60 link:RelNotes/2.8.0.txt[2.8]. 61 62* link:v2.7.3/git.html[documentation for release 2.7.3] 63 64* release notes for 65 link:RelNotes/2.7.3.txt[2.7.3], 66 link:RelNotes/2.7.2.txt[2.7.2], 67 link:RelNotes/2.7.1.txt[2.7.1], 68 link:RelNotes/2.7.0.txt[2.7]. 69 70* link:v2.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 2.6.6] 71 72* release notes for 73 link:RelNotes/2.6.6.txt[2.6.6], 74 link:RelNotes/2.6.5.txt[2.6.5], 75 link:RelNotes/2.6.4.txt[2.6.4], 76 link:RelNotes/2.6.3.txt[2.6.3], 77 link:RelNotes/2.6.2.txt[2.6.2], 78 link:RelNotes/2.6.1.txt[2.6.1], 79 link:RelNotes/2.6.0.txt[2.6]. 80 81* link:v2.5.5/git.html[documentation for release 2.5.5] 82 83* release notes for 84 link:RelNotes/2.5.5.txt[2.5.5], 85 link:RelNotes/2.5.4.txt[2.5.4], 86 link:RelNotes/2.5.3.txt[2.5.3], 87 link:RelNotes/2.5.2.txt[2.5.2], 88 link:RelNotes/2.5.1.txt[2.5.1], 89 link:RelNotes/2.5.0.txt[2.5]. 90 91* link:v2.4.11/git.html[documentation for release 2.4.11] 92 93* release notes for 94 link:RelNotes/2.4.11.txt[2.4.11], 95 link:RelNotes/2.4.10.txt[2.4.10], 96 link:RelNotes/2.4.9.txt[2.4.9], 97 link:RelNotes/2.4.8.txt[2.4.8], 98 link:RelNotes/2.4.7.txt[2.4.7], 99 link:RelNotes/2.4.6.txt[2.4.6], 100 link:RelNotes/2.4.5.txt[2.4.5], 101 link:RelNotes/2.4.4.txt[2.4.4], 102 link:RelNotes/2.4.3.txt[2.4.3], 103 link:RelNotes/2.4.2.txt[2.4.2], 104 link:RelNotes/2.4.1.txt[2.4.1], 105 link:RelNotes/2.4.0.txt[2.4]. 106 107* link:v2.3.10/git.html[documentation for release 2.3.10] 108 109* release notes for 110 link:RelNotes/2.3.10.txt[2.3.10], 111 link:RelNotes/2.3.9.txt[2.3.9], 112 link:RelNotes/2.3.8.txt[2.3.8], 113 link:RelNotes/2.3.7.txt[2.3.7], 114 link:RelNotes/2.3.6.txt[2.3.6], 115 link:RelNotes/2.3.5.txt[2.3.5], 116 link:RelNotes/2.3.4.txt[2.3.4], 117 link:RelNotes/2.3.3.txt[2.3.3], 118 link:RelNotes/2.3.2.txt[2.3.2], 119 link:RelNotes/2.3.1.txt[2.3.1], 120 link:RelNotes/2.3.0.txt[2.3]. 121 122* link:v2.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 2.2.3] 123 124* release notes for 125 link:RelNotes/2.2.3.txt[2.2.3], 126 link:RelNotes/2.2.2.txt[2.2.2], 127 link:RelNotes/2.2.1.txt[2.2.1], 128 link:RelNotes/2.2.0.txt[2.2]. 129 130* link:v2.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 2.1.4] 131 132* release notes for 133 link:RelNotes/2.1.4.txt[2.1.4], 134 link:RelNotes/2.1.3.txt[2.1.3], 135 link:RelNotes/2.1.2.txt[2.1.2], 136 link:RelNotes/2.1.1.txt[2.1.1], 137 link:RelNotes/2.1.0.txt[2.1]. 138 139* link:v2.0.5/git.html[documentation for release 2.0.5] 140 141* release notes for 142 link:RelNotes/2.0.5.txt[2.0.5], 143 link:RelNotes/2.0.4.txt[2.0.4], 144 link:RelNotes/2.0.3.txt[2.0.3], 145 link:RelNotes/2.0.2.txt[2.0.2], 146 link:RelNotes/2.0.1.txt[2.0.1], 147 link:RelNotes/2.0.0.txt[2.0.0]. 148 149* link:v1.9.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.9.5] 150 151* release notes for 152 link:RelNotes/1.9.5.txt[1.9.5], 153 link:RelNotes/1.9.4.txt[1.9.4], 154 link:RelNotes/1.9.3.txt[1.9.3], 155 link:RelNotes/1.9.2.txt[1.9.2], 156 link:RelNotes/1.9.1.txt[1.9.1], 157 link:RelNotes/1.9.0.txt[1.9.0]. 158 159* link:v1.8.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.5.6] 160 161* release notes for 162 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.6.txt[1.8.5.6], 163 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.5.txt[1.8.5.5], 164 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.4.txt[1.8.5.4], 165 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.3.txt[1.8.5.3], 166 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.2.txt[1.8.5.2], 167 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.1.txt[1.8.5.1], 168 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.txt[1.8.5]. 169 170* link:v1.8.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.4.5] 171 172* release notes for 173 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.5.txt[1.8.4.5], 174 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.4.txt[1.8.4.4], 175 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.3.txt[1.8.4.3], 176 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.2.txt[1.8.4.2], 177 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.1.txt[1.8.4.1], 178 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.txt[1.8.4]. 179 180* link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4] 181 182* release notes for 183 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4], 184 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3], 185 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2], 186 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1], 187 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3]. 188 189* link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3] 190 191* release notes for 192 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3], 193 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2], 194 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1], 195 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2]. 196 197* link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6] 198 199* release notes for 200 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6], 201 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5], 202 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4], 203 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3], 204 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2], 205 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1], 206 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1]. 207 208* link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3] 209 210* release notes for 211 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3], 212 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2], 213 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1], 214 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0]. 215 216* link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4] 217 218* release notes for 219 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4], 220 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3], 221 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2], 222 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1], 223 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12]. 224 225* link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7] 226 227* release notes for 228 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7], 229 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6], 230 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5], 231 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4], 232 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3], 233 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2], 234 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1], 235 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11]. 236 237* link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5] 238 239* release notes for 240 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5], 241 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4], 242 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3], 243 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2], 244 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1], 245 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10]. 246 247* link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7] 248 249* release notes for 250 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7], 251 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6], 252 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5], 253 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4], 254 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3], 255 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2], 256 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1], 257 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9]. 258 259* link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6] 260 261* release notes for 262 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6], 263 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5], 264 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4], 265 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3], 266 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2], 267 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1], 268 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8]. 269 270* link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7] 271 272* release notes for 273 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7], 274 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6], 275 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5], 276 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4], 277 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3], 278 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2], 279 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1], 280 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7]. 281 282* link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6] 283 284* release notes for 285 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6], 286 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5], 287 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4], 288 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3], 289 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2], 290 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1], 291 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6]. 292 293* link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4] 294 295* release notes for 296 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4], 297 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3], 298 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2], 299 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1], 300 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5]. 301 302* link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5] 303 304* release notes for 305 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5], 306 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4], 307 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3], 308 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2], 309 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1], 310 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4]. 311 312* link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5] 313 314* release notes for 315 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5], 316 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4], 317 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3], 318 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2], 319 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1], 320 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3]. 321 322* link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5] 323 324* release notes for 325 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5], 326 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4], 327 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3], 328 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2], 329 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1], 330 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2]. 331 332* link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4] 333 334* release notes for 335 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4], 336 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3], 337 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2], 338 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1], 339 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1]. 340 341* link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9] 342 343* release notes for 344 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9], 345 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8], 346 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7], 347 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6], 348 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5], 349 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4], 350 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3], 351 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2], 352 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1], 353 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0]. 354 355* link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3] 356 357* release notes for 358 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3], 359 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2], 360 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1], 361 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6]. 362 363* link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9] 364 365* release notes for 366 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9], 367 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8], 368 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7], 369 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6], 370 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5], 371 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4], 372 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3], 373 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2], 374 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1], 375 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5]. 376 377* link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5] 378 379* release notes for 380 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5], 381 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4], 382 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3], 383 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2], 384 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1], 385 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4]. 386 387* link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4] 388 389* release notes for 390 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4], 391 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3], 392 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2], 393 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1], 394 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3]. 395 396* release notes for 397 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5], 398 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4], 399 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3], 400 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2], 401 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1], 402 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2]. 403 404* link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3] 405 406* release notes for 407 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3], 408 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2], 409 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1], 410 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1]. 411 412* link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6] 413 414* release notes for 415 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6], 416 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5], 417 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4], 418 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3], 419 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2], 420 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1], 421 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0]. 422 423* link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6] 424 425* release notes for 426 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6], 427 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5], 428 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4], 429 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3], 430 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2], 431 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1], 432 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6]. 433 434* link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6] 435 436* release notes for 437 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6], 438 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5], 439 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4], 440 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3], 441 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2], 442 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1], 443 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5]. 444 445* link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7] 446 447* release notes for 448 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7], 449 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6], 450 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5], 451 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4], 452 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3], 453 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2], 454 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1], 455 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4]. 456 457* link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8] 458 459* release notes for 460 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8], 461 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7], 462 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6], 463 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5], 464 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4], 465 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3], 466 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2], 467 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1], 468 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3]. 469 470* link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5] 471 472* release notes for 473 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5], 474 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4], 475 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3], 476 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2], 477 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1], 478 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2]. 479 480* link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6] 481 482* release notes for 483 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6], 484 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5], 485 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4], 486 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3], 487 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2], 488 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1], 489 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1]. 490 491* link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7] 492 493* release notes for 494 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7], 495 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6], 496 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5], 497 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3], 498 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2], 499 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1], 500 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0]. 501 502* documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4], 503 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3], 504 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6], 505 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13]. 506 507============ 508 509endif::stalenotes[] 510 511OPTIONS 512------- 513--version:: 514 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from. 515 516--help:: 517 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used 518 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all 519 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this 520 option will bring up the manual page for that command. 521+ 522Other options are available to control how the manual page is 523displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information, 524because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git 525help ...`. 526 527-C <path>:: 528 Run as if git was started in '<path>' instead of the current working 529 directory. When multiple `-C` options are given, each subsequent 530 non-absolute `-C <path>` is interpreted relative to the preceding `-C 531 <path>`. 532+ 533This option affects options that expect path name like `--git-dir` and 534`--work-tree` in that their interpretations of the path names would be 535made relative to the working directory caused by the `-C` option. For 536example the following invocations are equivalent: 537 538 git --git-dir=a.git --work-tree=b -C c status 539 git --git-dir=c/a.git --work-tree=c/b status 540 541-c <name>=<value>:: 542 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value 543 given will override values from configuration files. 544 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by 545 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots). 546+ 547Note that omitting the `=` in `git -c foo.bar ...` is allowed and sets 548`foo.bar` to the boolean true value (just like `[foo]bar` would in a 549config file). Including the equals but with an empty value (like `git -c 550foo.bar= ...`) sets `foo.bar` to the empty string. 551 552--exec-path[=<path>]:: 553 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed. 554 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH 555 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print 556 the current setting and then exit. 557 558--html-path:: 559 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML 560 documentation is installed and exit. 561 562--man-path:: 563 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for 564 this version of Git and exit. 565 566--info-path:: 567 Print the path where the Info files documenting this 568 version of Git are installed and exit. 569 570-p:: 571--paginate:: 572 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard 573 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>` 574 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section 575 below). 576 577--no-pager:: 578 Do not pipe Git output into a pager. 579 580--git-dir=<path>:: 581 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by 582 setting the `GIT_DIR` environment variable. It can be an absolute 583 path or relative path to current working directory. 584 585--work-tree=<path>:: 586 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path 587 or a path relative to the current working directory. 588 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE 589 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration 590 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a 591 more detailed discussion). 592 593--namespace=<path>:: 594 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more 595 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment 596 variable. 597 598--bare:: 599 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR 600 environment is not set, it is set to the current working 601 directory. 602 603--no-replace-objects:: 604 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See 605 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information. 606 607--literal-pathspecs:: 608 Treat pathspecs literally (i.e. no globbing, no pathspec magic). 609 This is equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment 610 variable to `1`. 611 612--glob-pathspecs:: 613 Add "glob" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting 614 the `GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Disabling 615 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec 616 magic ":(literal)" 617 618--noglob-pathspecs:: 619 Add "literal" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting 620 the `GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Enabling 621 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec 622 magic ":(glob)" 623 624--icase-pathspecs:: 625 Add "icase" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting 626 the `GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. 627 628GIT COMMANDS 629------------ 630 631We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level 632("plumbing") commands. 633 634High-level commands (porcelain) 635------------------------------- 636 637We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some 638ancillary user utilities. 639 640Main porcelain commands 641~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 642 643include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[] 644 645Ancillary Commands 646~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 647Manipulators: 648 649include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[] 650 651Interrogators: 652 653include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[] 654 655 656Interacting with Others 657~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 658 659These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other 660people via patch over e-mail. 661 662include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[] 663 664 665Low-level commands (plumbing) 666----------------------------- 667 668Although Git includes its 669own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support 670development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains 671might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and 672linkgit:git-read-tree[1]. 673 674The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics) 675to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable 676than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are 677primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands 678on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the 679end user experience. 680 681The following description divides 682the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in 683the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and 684compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between 685repositories. 686 687 688Manipulation commands 689~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 690 691include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[] 692 693 694Interrogation commands 695~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 696 697include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[] 698 699In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in 700the working tree. 701 702 703Synching repositories 704~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 705 706include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[] 707 708The following are helper commands used by the above; end users 709typically do not use them directly. 710 711include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[] 712 713 714Internal helper commands 715~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 716 717These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end 718users typically do not use them directly. 719 720include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[] 721 722 723Configuration Mechanism 724----------------------- 725 726Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per 727repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look 728like this: 729 730------------ 731# 732# A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment. 733# 734 735; core variables 736[core] 737 ; Don't trust file modes 738 filemode = false 739 740; user identity 741[user] 742 name = "Junio C Hamano" 743 email = "gitster@pobox.com" 744 745------------ 746 747Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust 748their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a 749list and more details about the configuration mechanism. 750 751 752Identifier Terminology 753---------------------- 754<object>:: 755 Indicates the object name for any type of object. 756 757<blob>:: 758 Indicates a blob object name. 759 760<tree>:: 761 Indicates a tree object name. 762 763<commit>:: 764 Indicates a commit object name. 765 766<tree-ish>:: 767 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A 768 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to 769 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences 770 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>. 771 772<commit-ish>:: 773 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A 774 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to 775 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences 776 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>. 777 778<type>:: 779 Indicates that an object type is required. 780 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`. 781 782<file>:: 783 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the 784 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes. 785 786Symbolic Identifiers 787-------------------- 788Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following 789symbolic notation: 790 791HEAD:: 792 indicates the head of the current branch. 793 794<tag>:: 795 a valid tag 'name' 796 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference). 797 798<head>:: 799 a valid head 'name' 800 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference). 801 802For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see 803"SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7]. 804 805 806File/Directory Structure 807------------------------ 808 809Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document. 810 811Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook. 812 813Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the 814`$GIT_DIR`. 815 816 817Terminology 818----------- 819Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7]. 820 821 822Environment Variables 823--------------------- 824Various Git commands use the following environment variables: 825 826The Git Repository 827~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 828These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it 829is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above 830Git so take care if using a foreign front-end. 831 832`GIT_INDEX_FILE`:: 833 This environment allows the specification of an alternate 834 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index` 835 is used. 836 837`GIT_INDEX_VERSION`:: 838 This environment variable allows the specification of an index 839 version for new repositories. It won't affect existing index 840 files. By default index file version 2 or 3 is used. See 841 linkgit:git-update-index[1] for more information. 842 843`GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY`:: 844 If the object storage directory is specified via this 845 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created 846 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects` 847 directory is used. 848 849`GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES`:: 850 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be 851 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable 852 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list 853 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git 854 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories. 855 856`GIT_DIR`:: 857 If the `GIT_DIR` environment variable is set then it 858 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git` 859 for the base of the repository. 860 The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value. 861 862`GIT_WORK_TREE`:: 863 Set the path to the root of the working tree. 864 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command-line 865 option and the core.worktree configuration variable. 866 867`GIT_NAMESPACE`:: 868 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details. 869 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value. 870 871`GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES`:: 872 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If 873 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up 874 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for 875 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not 876 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the 877 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read 878 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that 879 might be present in order to compare them with the current 880 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you 881 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the 882 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved; 883 e.g., 884 `GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink`. 885 886`GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM`:: 887 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository 888 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent 889 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it 890 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable 891 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem 892 boundaries. Like `GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES`, this will not affect 893 an explicit repository directory set via `GIT_DIR` or on the 894 command line. 895 896`GIT_COMMON_DIR`:: 897 If this variable is set to a path, non-worktree files that are 898 normally in $GIT_DIR will be taken from this path 899 instead. Worktree-specific files such as HEAD or index are 900 taken from $GIT_DIR. See linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] and 901 linkgit:git-worktree[1] for 902 details. This variable has lower precedence than other path 903 variables such as GIT_INDEX_FILE, GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY... 904 905Git Commits 906~~~~~~~~~~~ 907`GIT_AUTHOR_NAME`:: 908`GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL`:: 909`GIT_AUTHOR_DATE`:: 910`GIT_COMMITTER_NAME`:: 911`GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL`:: 912`GIT_COMMITTER_DATE`:: 913'EMAIL':: 914 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1] 915 916Git Diffs 917~~~~~~~~~ 918`GIT_DIFF_OPTS`:: 919 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the 920 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created. 921 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option 922 value passed on the Git diff command line. 923 924`GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF`:: 925 When the environment variable `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` is set, the 926 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation 927 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified, 928 `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` is called with 7 parameters: 929 930 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode 931+ 932where: 933 934 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the 935 contents of <old|new>, 936 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes, 937 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes. 938+ 939The file parameters can point at the user's working file 940(e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file` 941when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the 942index). `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` should not worry about unlinking the 943temporary file --- it is removed when `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` exits. 944+ 945For a path that is unmerged, `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` is called with 1 946parameter, <path>. 947+ 948For each path `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` is called, two environment variables, 949`GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER` and `GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL` are set. 950 951`GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER`:: 952 A 1-based counter incremented by one for every path. 953 954`GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL`:: 955 The total number of paths. 956 957other 958~~~~~ 959`GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY`:: 960 A number controlling the amount of output shown by 961 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity. 962 See linkgit:git-merge[1] 963 964`GIT_PAGER`:: 965 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set 966 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch 967 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in 968 linkgit:git-config[1]. 969 970`GIT_EDITOR`:: 971 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`. 972 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode, 973 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1] 974 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1]. 975 976`GIT_SSH`:: 977`GIT_SSH_COMMAND`:: 978 If either of these environment variables is set then 'git fetch' 979 and 'git push' will use the specified command instead of 'ssh' 980 when they need to connect to a remote system. 981 The command will be given exactly two or four arguments: the 982 'username@host' (or just 'host') from the URL and the shell 983 command to execute on that remote system, optionally preceded by 984 '-p' (literally) and the 'port' from the URL when it specifies 985 something other than the default SSH port. 986+ 987`$GIT_SSH_COMMAND` takes precedence over `$GIT_SSH`, and is interpreted 988by the shell, which allows additional arguments to be included. 989`$GIT_SSH` on the other hand must be just the path to a program 990(which can be a wrapper shell script, if additional arguments are 991needed). 992+ 993Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your 994personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation 995for further details. 996 997`GIT_ASKPASS`:: 998 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to 999 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)1000 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command-line argument1001 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the `core.askPass`1002 option in linkgit:git-config[1].10031004`GIT_TERMINAL_PROMPT`::1005 If this environment variable is set to `0`, git will not prompt1006 on the terminal (e.g., when asking for HTTP authentication).10071008`GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM`::1009 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide1010 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This environment variable can1011 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a1012 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it1013 temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while1014 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.10151016`GIT_FLUSH`::1017 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such1018 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',1019 'git check-attr' and 'git check-ignore' will1020 force a flush of the output stream after each record have been1021 flushed. If this1022 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done1023 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is1024 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing1025 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.10261027`GIT_TRACE`::1028 Enables general trace messages, e.g. alias expansion, built-in1029 command execution and external command execution.1030+1031If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison1032is case insensitive), trace messages will be printed to1033stderr.1034+1035If the variable is set to an integer value greater than 21036and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this1037value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the1038trace messages into this file descriptor.1039+1040Alternatively, if the variable is set to an absolute path1041(starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this1042as a file path and will try to write the trace messages1043into it.1044+1045Unsetting the variable, or setting it to empty, "0" or1046"false" (case insensitive) disables trace messages.10471048`GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS`::1049 Enables trace messages for all accesses to any packs. For each1050 access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is1051 recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some1052 pack-related performance problems.1053 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.10541055`GIT_TRACE_PACKET`::1056 Enables trace messages for all packets coming in or out of a1057 given program. This can help with debugging object negotiation1058 or other protocol issues. Tracing is turned off at a packet1059 starting with "PACK" (but see `GIT_TRACE_PACKFILE` below).1060 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.10611062`GIT_TRACE_PACKFILE`::1063 Enables tracing of packfiles sent or received by a1064 given program. Unlike other trace output, this trace is1065 verbatim: no headers, and no quoting of binary data. You almost1066 certainly want to direct into a file (e.g.,1067 `GIT_TRACE_PACKFILE=/tmp/my.pack`) rather than displaying it on1068 the terminal or mixing it with other trace output.1069+1070Note that this is currently only implemented for the client side1071of clones and fetches.10721073`GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE`::1074 Enables performance related trace messages, e.g. total execution1075 time of each Git command.1076 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.10771078`GIT_TRACE_SETUP`::1079 Enables trace messages printing the .git, working tree and current1080 working directory after Git has completed its setup phase.1081 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.10821083`GIT_TRACE_SHALLOW`::1084 Enables trace messages that can help debugging fetching /1085 cloning of shallow repositories.1086 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.10871088`GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS`::1089 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all1090 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,1091 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search1092 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the1093 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding1094 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by1095 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).10961097`GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS`::1098 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all1099 pathspecs as glob patterns (aka "glob" magic).11001101`GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS`::1102 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all1103 pathspecs as literal (aka "literal" magic).11041105`GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS`::1106 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all1107 pathspecs as case-insensitive.11081109`GIT_REFLOG_ACTION`::1110 When a ref is updated, reflog entries are created to keep1111 track of the reason why the ref was updated (which is1112 typically the name of the high-level command that updated1113 the ref), in addition to the old and new values of the ref.1114 A scripted Porcelain command can use set_reflog_action1115 helper function in `git-sh-setup` to set its name to this1116 variable when it is invoked as the top level command by the1117 end user, to be recorded in the body of the reflog.11181119`GIT_REF_PARANOIA`::1120 If set to `1`, include broken or badly named refs when iterating1121 over lists of refs. In a normal, non-corrupted repository, this1122 does nothing. However, enabling it may help git to detect and1123 abort some operations in the presence of broken refs. Git sets1124 this variable automatically when performing destructive1125 operations like linkgit:git-prune[1]. You should not need to set1126 it yourself unless you want to be paranoid about making sure1127 an operation has touched every ref (e.g., because you are1128 cloning a repository to make a backup).11291130`GIT_ALLOW_PROTOCOL`::1131 If set, provide a colon-separated list of protocols which are1132 allowed to be used with fetch/push/clone. This is useful to1133 restrict recursive submodule initialization from an untrusted1134 repository. Any protocol not mentioned will be disallowed (i.e.,1135 this is a whitelist, not a blacklist). If the variable is not1136 set at all, all protocols are enabled. The protocol names1137 currently used by git are:11381139 - `file`: any local file-based path (including `file://` URLs,1140 or local paths)11411142 - `git`: the anonymous git protocol over a direct TCP1143 connection (or proxy, if configured)11441145 - `ssh`: git over ssh (including `host:path` syntax,1146 `ssh://`, etc).11471148 - `http`: git over http, both "smart http" and "dumb http".1149 Note that this does _not_ include `https`; if you want both,1150 you should specify both as `http:https`.11511152 - any external helpers are named by their protocol (e.g., use1153 `hg` to allow the `git-remote-hg` helper)115411551156Discussion[[Discussion]]1157------------------------11581159More detail on the following is available from the1160link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the1161user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].11621163A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"1164subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other1165things, a compressed object database representing the complete history1166of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current1167contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such1168as tags and branch heads.11691170The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which1171hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up1172directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree1173and some number of parent commits.11741175The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or1176"version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent1177represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one1178parent represent merges of independent lines of development.11791180All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally1181written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.1182The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing1183just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this1184purpose.11851186When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for1187efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".11881189Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref1190may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs1191with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most1192recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of1193tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named1194`HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.11951196The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each1197path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents1198the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The1199attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the1200corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the1201working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may1202be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the1203content stored in the index.12041205The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")1206for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various1207unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.12081209FURTHER DOCUMENTATION1210---------------------12111212See the references in the "description" section to get started1213using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary1214for a first-time user.12151216The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the1217user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide1218introductions to the underlying Git architecture.12191220See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.12211222See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful1223examples.12241225The internals are documented in the1226link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].12271228Users migrating from CVS may also want to1229read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].123012311232Authors1233-------1234Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio1235C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list1236<git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.openhub.net/p/git/contributors/summary1237gives you a more complete list of contributors.12381239If you have a clone of git.git itself, the1240output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you1241the authors for specific parts of the project.12421243Reporting Bugs1244--------------12451246Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the1247development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be1248subscribed to the list to send a message there.12491250SEE ALSO1251--------1252linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],1253linkgit:giteveryday[7], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],1254linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],1255linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],1256linkgit:gitworkflows[7]12571258GIT1259---1260Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite