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:v1.8.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.4]
  47
  48* release notes for
  49  link:RelNotes/1.8.4.txt[1.8.4].
  50
  51* link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4]
  52
  53* release notes for
  54  link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4],
  55  link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3],
  56  link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
  57  link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
  58  link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
  59
  60* link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
  61
  62* release notes for
  63  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3],
  64  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2],
  65  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1],
  66  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
  67
  68* link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
  69
  70* release notes for
  71  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
  72  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
  73  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
  74  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
  75  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
  76  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
  77  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
  78
  79* link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
  80
  81* release notes for
  82  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
  83  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
  84  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
  85  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
  86
  87* link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
  88
  89* release notes for
  90  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
  91  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
  92  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
  93  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
  94  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
  95
  96* link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
  97
  98* release notes for
  99  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
 100  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
 101  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
 102  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
 103  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
 104  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
 105  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
 106  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
 107
 108* link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
 109
 110* release notes for
 111  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
 112  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
 113  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
 114  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
 115  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
 116  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
 117
 118* link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
 119
 120* release notes for
 121  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
 122  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
 123  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
 124  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
 125  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
 126  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
 127  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
 128  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
 129
 130* link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
 131
 132* release notes for
 133  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
 134  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
 135  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
 136  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
 137  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
 138  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
 139  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
 140
 141* link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
 142
 143* release notes for
 144  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
 145  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
 146  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
 147  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
 148  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
 149  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
 150  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
 151  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
 152
 153* link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
 154
 155* release notes for
 156  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
 157  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
 158  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
 159  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
 160  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
 161  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
 162  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
 163
 164* link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
 165
 166* release notes for
 167  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
 168  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
 169  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
 170  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
 171  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
 172
 173* link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
 174
 175* release notes for
 176  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
 177  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
 178  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
 179  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
 180  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
 181  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
 182
 183* link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
 184
 185* release notes for
 186  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
 187  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
 188  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
 189  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
 190  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
 191  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
 192
 193* link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
 194
 195* release notes for
 196  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
 197  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
 198  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
 199  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
 200  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
 201  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
 202
 203* link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
 204
 205* release notes for
 206  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
 207  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
 208  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
 209  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
 210  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
 211
 212* link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
 213
 214* release notes for
 215  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
 216  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
 217  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
 218  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
 219  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
 220  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
 221  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
 222  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
 223  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
 224  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
 225
 226* link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
 227
 228* release notes for
 229  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
 230  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
 231  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
 232  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
 233
 234* link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
 235
 236* release notes for
 237  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
 238  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
 239  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
 240  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
 241  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
 242  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
 243  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
 244  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
 245  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
 246  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
 247
 248* link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
 249
 250* release notes for
 251  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
 252  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
 253  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
 254  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
 255  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
 256  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
 257
 258* link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
 259
 260* release notes for
 261  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
 262  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
 263  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
 264  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
 265  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
 266
 267* release notes for
 268  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
 269  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
 270  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
 271  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
 272  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
 273  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
 274
 275* link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
 276
 277* release notes for
 278  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
 279  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
 280  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
 281  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
 282
 283* link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
 284
 285* release notes for
 286  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
 287  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
 288  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
 289  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
 290  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
 291  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
 292  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
 293
 294* link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
 295
 296* release notes for
 297  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
 298  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
 299  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
 300  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
 301  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
 302  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
 303  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
 304
 305* link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
 306
 307* release notes for
 308  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
 309  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
 310  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
 311  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
 312  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
 313  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
 314  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
 315
 316* link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
 317
 318* release notes for
 319  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
 320  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
 321  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
 322  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
 323  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
 324  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
 325  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
 326  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
 327
 328* link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
 329
 330* release notes for
 331  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
 332  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
 333  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
 334  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
 335  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
 336  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
 337  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
 338  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
 339  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
 340
 341* link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
 342
 343* release notes for
 344  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
 345  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
 346  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
 347  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
 348  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
 349  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
 350
 351* link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
 352
 353* release notes for
 354  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
 355  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
 356  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
 357  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
 358  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
 359  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
 360  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
 361
 362* link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
 363
 364* release notes for
 365  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
 366  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
 367  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
 368  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
 369  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
 370  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
 371  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
 372
 373* documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
 374  link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
 375  link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
 376  link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
 377
 378============
 379
 380endif::stalenotes[]
 381
 382OPTIONS
 383-------
 384--version::
 385        Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
 386
 387--help::
 388        Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
 389        commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
 390        available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
 391        option will bring up the manual page for that command.
 392+
 393Other options are available to control how the manual page is
 394displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
 395because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
 396help ...`.
 397
 398-c <name>=<value>::
 399        Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
 400        given will override values from configuration files.
 401        The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
 402        'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
 403
 404--exec-path[=<path>]::
 405        Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
 406        This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
 407        environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
 408        the current setting and then exit.
 409
 410--html-path::
 411        Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
 412        documentation is installed and exit.
 413
 414--man-path::
 415        Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
 416        this version of Git and exit.
 417
 418--info-path::
 419        Print the path where the Info files documenting this
 420        version of Git are installed and exit.
 421
 422-p::
 423--paginate::
 424        Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
 425        output is a terminal.  This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
 426        configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
 427        below).
 428
 429--no-pager::
 430        Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
 431
 432--git-dir=<path>::
 433        Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
 434        setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
 435        path or relative path to current working directory.
 436
 437--work-tree=<path>::
 438        Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
 439        or a path relative to the current working directory.
 440        This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
 441        environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
 442        variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 443        more detailed discussion).
 444
 445--namespace=<path>::
 446        Set the Git namespace.  See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
 447        details.  Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
 448        variable.
 449
 450--bare::
 451        Treat the repository as a bare repository.  If GIT_DIR
 452        environment is not set, it is set to the current working
 453        directory.
 454
 455--no-replace-objects::
 456        Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
 457        linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
 458
 459--literal-pathspecs::
 460        Treat pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. This is
 461        equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
 462        variable to `1`.
 463
 464
 465GIT COMMANDS
 466------------
 467
 468We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
 469("plumbing") commands.
 470
 471High-level commands (porcelain)
 472-------------------------------
 473
 474We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
 475ancillary user utilities.
 476
 477Main porcelain commands
 478~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 479
 480include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
 481
 482Ancillary Commands
 483~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 484Manipulators:
 485
 486include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
 487
 488Interrogators:
 489
 490include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
 491
 492
 493Interacting with Others
 494~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 495
 496These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
 497people via patch over e-mail.
 498
 499include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
 500
 501
 502Low-level commands (plumbing)
 503-----------------------------
 504
 505Although Git includes its
 506own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
 507development of alternative porcelains.  Developers of such porcelains
 508might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
 509linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
 510
 511The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
 512to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
 513than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
 514primarily for scripted use.  The interface to Porcelain commands
 515on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
 516end user experience.
 517
 518The following description divides
 519the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
 520the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
 521compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
 522repositories.
 523
 524
 525Manipulation commands
 526~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 527
 528include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
 529
 530
 531Interrogation commands
 532~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 533
 534include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
 535
 536In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
 537the working tree.
 538
 539
 540Synching repositories
 541~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 542
 543include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
 544
 545The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
 546typically do not use them directly.
 547
 548include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
 549
 550
 551Internal helper commands
 552~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 553
 554These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
 555users typically do not use them directly.
 556
 557include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
 558
 559
 560Configuration Mechanism
 561-----------------------
 562
 563Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
 564repository and are per user.  Such a configuration file may look
 565like this:
 566
 567------------
 568#
 569# A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
 570#
 571
 572; core variables
 573[core]
 574        ; Don't trust file modes
 575        filemode = false
 576
 577; user identity
 578[user]
 579        name = "Junio C Hamano"
 580        email = "gitster@pobox.com"
 581
 582------------
 583
 584Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
 585their operation accordingly.  See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 586list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
 587
 588
 589Identifier Terminology
 590----------------------
 591<object>::
 592        Indicates the object name for any type of object.
 593
 594<blob>::
 595        Indicates a blob object name.
 596
 597<tree>::
 598        Indicates a tree object name.
 599
 600<commit>::
 601        Indicates a commit object name.
 602
 603<tree-ish>::
 604        Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name.  A
 605        command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 606        operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
 607        <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
 608
 609<commit-ish>::
 610        Indicates a commit or tag object name.  A
 611        command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 612        operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
 613        <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
 614
 615<type>::
 616        Indicates that an object type is required.
 617        Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
 618
 619<file>::
 620        Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
 621        root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
 622
 623Symbolic Identifiers
 624--------------------
 625Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
 626symbolic notation:
 627
 628HEAD::
 629        indicates the head of the current branch.
 630
 631<tag>::
 632        a valid tag 'name'
 633        (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
 634
 635<head>::
 636        a valid head 'name'
 637        (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
 638
 639For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
 640"SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
 641
 642
 643File/Directory Structure
 644------------------------
 645
 646Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
 647
 648Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
 649
 650Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
 651`$GIT_DIR`.
 652
 653
 654Terminology
 655-----------
 656Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
 657
 658
 659Environment Variables
 660---------------------
 661Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
 662
 663The Git Repository
 664~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 665These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
 666is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
 667Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
 668
 669'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
 670        This environment allows the specification of an alternate
 671        index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
 672        is used.
 673
 674'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
 675        If the object storage directory is specified via this
 676        environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
 677        underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
 678        directory is used.
 679
 680'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
 681        Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
 682        archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
 683        specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
 684        of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
 685        objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
 686
 687'GIT_DIR'::
 688        If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
 689        specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
 690        for the base of the repository.
 691        The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
 692
 693'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
 694        Set the path to the root of the working tree.
 695        This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
 696        option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
 697
 698'GIT_NAMESPACE'::
 699        Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
 700        The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
 701
 702'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
 703        This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths.  If
 704        set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
 705        into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
 706        excluding slow-loading network directories).  It will not
 707        exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
 708        command line or in the environment.  Normally, Git has to read
 709        the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
 710        might be present in order to compare them with the current
 711        directory.  However, if even this access is slow, you
 712        can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
 713        subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
 714        e.g.,
 715        'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
 716
 717'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
 718        When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
 719        directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
 720        directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
 721        does not cross filesystem boundaries.  This environment variable
 722        can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
 723        boundaries.  Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
 724        an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
 725        command line.
 726
 727Git Commits
 728~~~~~~~~~~~
 729'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
 730'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
 731'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
 732'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
 733'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
 734'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
 735'EMAIL'::
 736        see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
 737
 738Git Diffs
 739~~~~~~~~~
 740'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
 741        Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
 742        number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
 743        This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
 744        value passed on the Git diff command line.
 745
 746'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
 747        When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
 748        program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
 749        described above.  For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
 750        'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
 751
 752        path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
 753+
 754where:
 755
 756        <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
 757                         contents of <old|new>,
 758        <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
 759        <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
 760+
 761The file parameters can point at the user's working file
 762(e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
 763when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
 764index).  'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
 765temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
 766+
 767For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
 768parameter, <path>.
 769
 770other
 771~~~~~
 772'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
 773        A number controlling the amount of output shown by
 774        the recursive merge strategy.  Overrides merge.verbosity.
 775        See linkgit:git-merge[1]
 776
 777'GIT_PAGER'::
 778        This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
 779        to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
 780        a pager.  See also the `core.pager` option in
 781        linkgit:git-config[1].
 782
 783'GIT_EDITOR'::
 784        This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
 785        It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
 786        an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
 787        and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 788
 789'GIT_SSH'::
 790        If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
 791        and 'git push' will use this command instead
 792        of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
 793        The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
 794        four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
 795        from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
 796        remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
 797        the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
 798        than the default SSH port.
 799+
 800To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
 801you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
 802then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
 803+
 804Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
 805personal `.ssh/config` file.  Please consult your ssh documentation
 806for further details.
 807
 808'GIT_ASKPASS'::
 809        If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
 810        acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
 811        will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
 812        and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
 813        option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 814
 815'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
 816        Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
 817        `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file.  This environment variable can
 818        be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
 819        predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
 820        temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
 821        waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
 822
 823'GIT_FLUSH'::
 824        If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
 825        as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
 826        'git check-attr', 'git check-ignore', and 'git whatchanged' will
 827        force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
 828        flushed. If this
 829        variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
 830        using completely buffered I/O.   If this environment variable is
 831        not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
 832        based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
 833
 834'GIT_TRACE'::
 835        If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
 836        is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
 837        stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
 838        execution and external command execution.
 839        If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
 840        and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
 841        value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
 842        trace messages into this file descriptor.
 843        Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
 844        (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
 845        as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
 846        into it.
 847
 848'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
 849        If this variable is set to a path, a file will be created at
 850        the given path logging all accesses to any packs. For each
 851        access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
 852        recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
 853        pack-related performance problems.
 854
 855'GIT_TRACE_PACKET'::
 856        If this variable is set, it shows a trace of all packets
 857        coming in or out of a given program. This can help with
 858        debugging object negotiation or other protocol issues. Tracing
 859        is turned off at a packet starting with "PACK".
 860
 861GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
 862        Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
 863        pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
 864        running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
 865        for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
 866        glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
 867        literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
 868        `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
 869
 870
 871Discussion[[Discussion]]
 872------------------------
 873
 874More detail on the following is available from the
 875link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
 876user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
 877
 878A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
 879subdirectory at the top level.  The .git directory contains, among other
 880things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
 881of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
 882contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
 883as tags and branch heads.
 884
 885The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
 886hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
 887directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
 888and some number of parent commits.
 889
 890The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
 891"version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
 892represents an immediately preceding step.  Commits with more than one
 893parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
 894
 895All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
 896written as a string of 40 hex digits.  Such names are globally unique.
 897The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
 898just that commit.  A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
 899purpose.
 900
 901When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
 902efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
 903
 904Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history.  A ref
 905may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref.  Refs
 906with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
 907recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development.  SHA-1 names of
 908tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`.  A special ref named
 909`HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
 910
 911The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
 912path, a blob object and a set of attributes.  The blob object represents
 913the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch.  The
 914attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
 915corresponding file in the working tree.  Subsequent changes to the
 916working tree can be found by comparing these attributes.  The index may
 917be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
 918content stored in the index.
 919
 920The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
 921for a given pathname.  These stages are used to hold the various
 922unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
 923
 924FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
 925---------------------
 926
 927See the references in the "description" section to get started
 928using Git.  The following is probably more detail than necessary
 929for a first-time user.
 930
 931The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
 932user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
 933introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
 934
 935See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
 936
 937See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
 938examples.
 939
 940The internals are documented in the
 941link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
 942
 943Users migrating from CVS may also want to
 944read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
 945
 946
 947Authors
 948-------
 949Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
 950C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
 951<git@vger.kernel.org>.  http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
 952gives you a more complete list of contributors.
 953
 954If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
 955output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
 956the authors for specific parts of the project.
 957
 958Reporting Bugs
 959--------------
 960
 961Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
 962development and maintenance is primarily done.  You do not have to be
 963subscribed to the list to send a message there.
 964
 965SEE ALSO
 966--------
 967linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
 968link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
 969linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
 970linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
 971linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
 972
 973GIT
 974---
 975Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite