Documentation / git-push.txton commit Merge branch 'maint-1.7.0' into maint (6774e2b)
   1git-push(1)
   2===========
   3
   4NAME
   5----
   6git-push - Update remote refs along with associated objects
   7
   8
   9SYNOPSIS
  10--------
  11[verse]
  12'git push' [--all | --mirror | --tags] [-n | --dry-run] [--receive-pack=<git-receive-pack>]
  13           [--repo=<repository>] [-f | --force] [-v | --verbose] [-u | --set-upstream]
  14           [<repository> [<refspec>...]]
  15
  16DESCRIPTION
  17-----------
  18
  19Updates remote refs using local refs, while sending objects
  20necessary to complete the given refs.
  21
  22You can make interesting things happen to a repository
  23every time you push into it, by setting up 'hooks' there.  See
  24documentation for linkgit:git-receive-pack[1].
  25
  26
  27OPTIONS[[OPTIONS]]
  28------------------
  29<repository>::
  30        The "remote" repository that is destination of a push
  31        operation.  This parameter can be either a URL
  32        (see the section <<URLS,GIT URLS>> below) or the name
  33        of a remote (see the section <<REMOTES,REMOTES>> below).
  34
  35<refspec>...::
  36        The format of a <refspec> parameter is an optional plus
  37        `{plus}`, followed by the source ref <src>, followed
  38        by a colon `:`, followed by the destination ref <dst>.
  39        It is used to specify with what <src> object the <dst> ref
  40        in the remote repository is to be updated.
  41+
  42The <src> is often the name of the branch you would want to push, but
  43it can be any arbitrary "SHA-1 expression", such as `master~4` or
  44`HEAD` (see linkgit:git-rev-parse[1]).
  45+
  46The <dst> tells which ref on the remote side is updated with this
  47push. Arbitrary expressions cannot be used here, an actual ref must
  48be named. If `:`<dst> is omitted, the same ref as <src> will be
  49updated.
  50+
  51The object referenced by <src> is used to update the <dst> reference
  52on the remote side, but by default this is only allowed if the
  53update can fast-forward <dst>.  By having the optional leading `{plus}`,
  54you can tell git to update the <dst> ref even when the update is not a
  55fast-forward.  This does *not* attempt to merge <src> into <dst>.  See
  56EXAMPLES below for details.
  57+
  58`tag <tag>` means the same as `refs/tags/<tag>:refs/tags/<tag>`.
  59+
  60Pushing an empty <src> allows you to delete the <dst> ref from
  61the remote repository.
  62+
  63The special refspec `:` (or `{plus}:` to allow non-fast-forward updates)
  64directs git to push "matching" branches: for every branch that exists on
  65the local side, the remote side is updated if a branch of the same name
  66already exists on the remote side.  This is the default operation mode
  67if no explicit refspec is found (that is neither on the command line
  68nor in any Push line of the corresponding remotes file---see below).
  69
  70--all::
  71        Instead of naming each ref to push, specifies that all
  72        refs under `refs/heads/` be pushed.
  73
  74--mirror::
  75        Instead of naming each ref to push, specifies that all
  76        refs under `refs/` (which includes but is not
  77        limited to `refs/heads/`, `refs/remotes/`, and `refs/tags/`)
  78        be mirrored to the remote repository.  Newly created local
  79        refs will be pushed to the remote end, locally updated refs
  80        will be force updated on the remote end, and deleted refs
  81        will be removed from the remote end.  This is the default
  82        if the configuration option `remote.<remote>.mirror` is
  83        set.
  84
  85-n::
  86--dry-run::
  87        Do everything except actually send the updates.
  88
  89--porcelain::
  90        Produce machine-readable output.  The output status line for each ref
  91        will be tab-separated and sent to stdout instead of stderr.  The full
  92        symbolic names of the refs will be given.
  93
  94--delete::
  95        All listed refs are deleted from the remote repository. This is
  96        the same as prefixing all refs with a colon.
  97
  98--tags::
  99        All refs under `refs/tags` are pushed, in
 100        addition to refspecs explicitly listed on the command
 101        line.
 102
 103--receive-pack=<git-receive-pack>::
 104--exec=<git-receive-pack>::
 105        Path to the 'git-receive-pack' program on the remote
 106        end.  Sometimes useful when pushing to a remote
 107        repository over ssh, and you do not have the program in
 108        a directory on the default $PATH.
 109
 110-f::
 111--force::
 112        Usually, the command refuses to update a remote ref that is
 113        not an ancestor of the local ref used to overwrite it.
 114        This flag disables the check.  This can cause the
 115        remote repository to lose commits; use it with care.
 116
 117--repo=<repository>::
 118        This option is only relevant if no <repository> argument is
 119        passed in the invocation. In this case, 'git push' derives the
 120        remote name from the current branch: If it tracks a remote
 121        branch, then that remote repository is pushed to. Otherwise,
 122        the name "origin" is used. For this latter case, this option
 123        can be used to override the name "origin". In other words,
 124        the difference between these two commands
 125+
 126--------------------------
 127git push public         #1
 128git push --repo=public  #2
 129--------------------------
 130+
 131is that #1 always pushes to "public" whereas #2 pushes to "public"
 132only if the current branch does not track a remote branch. This is
 133useful if you write an alias or script around 'git push'.
 134
 135-u::
 136--set-upstream::
 137        For every branch that is up to date or successfully pushed, add
 138        upstream (tracking) reference, used by argument-less
 139        linkgit:git-pull[1] and other commands. For more information,
 140        see 'branch.<name>.merge' in linkgit:git-config[1].
 141
 142--thin::
 143--no-thin::
 144        These options are passed to linkgit:git-send-pack[1]. A thin transfer
 145        significantly reduces the amount of sent data when the sender and
 146        receiver share many of the same objects in common. The default is
 147        \--thin.
 148
 149-q::
 150--quiet::
 151        Suppress all output, including the listing of updated refs,
 152        unless an error occurs. Progress is not reported to the standard
 153        error stream.
 154
 155-v::
 156--verbose::
 157        Run verbosely.
 158
 159--progress::
 160        Progress status is reported on the standard error stream
 161        by default when it is attached to a terminal, unless -q
 162        is specified. This flag forces progress status even if the
 163        standard error stream is not directed to a terminal.
 164
 165include::urls-remotes.txt[]
 166
 167OUTPUT
 168------
 169
 170The output of "git push" depends on the transport method used; this
 171section describes the output when pushing over the git protocol (either
 172locally or via ssh).
 173
 174The status of the push is output in tabular form, with each line
 175representing the status of a single ref. Each line is of the form:
 176
 177-------------------------------
 178 <flag> <summary> <from> -> <to> (<reason>)
 179-------------------------------
 180
 181If --porcelain is used, then each line of the output is of the form:
 182
 183-------------------------------
 184 <flag> \t <from>:<to> \t <summary> (<reason>)
 185-------------------------------
 186
 187The status of up-to-date refs is shown only if --porcelain or --verbose
 188option is used.
 189
 190flag::
 191        A single character indicating the status of the ref:
 192(space);; for a successfully pushed fast-forward;
 193`{plus}`;; for a successful forced update;
 194`-`;; for a successfully deleted ref;
 195`*`;; for a successfully pushed new ref;
 196`!`;; for a ref that was rejected or failed to push; and
 197`=`;; for a ref that was up to date and did not need pushing.
 198
 199summary::
 200        For a successfully pushed ref, the summary shows the old and new
 201        values of the ref in a form suitable for using as an argument to
 202        `git log` (this is `<old>..<new>` in most cases, and
 203        `<old>...<new>` for forced non-fast-forward updates). For a
 204        failed update, more details are given for the failure.
 205        The string `rejected` indicates that git did not try to send the
 206        ref at all (typically because it is not a fast-forward). The
 207        string `remote rejected` indicates that the remote end refused
 208        the update; this rejection is typically caused by a hook on the
 209        remote side. The string `remote failure` indicates that the
 210        remote end did not report the successful update of the ref
 211        (perhaps because of a temporary error on the remote side, a
 212        break in the network connection, or other transient error).
 213
 214from::
 215        The name of the local ref being pushed, minus its
 216        `refs/<type>/` prefix. In the case of deletion, the
 217        name of the local ref is omitted.
 218
 219to::
 220        The name of the remote ref being updated, minus its
 221        `refs/<type>/` prefix.
 222
 223reason::
 224        A human-readable explanation. In the case of successfully pushed
 225        refs, no explanation is needed. For a failed ref, the reason for
 226        failure is described.
 227
 228Note about fast-forwards
 229------------------------
 230
 231When an update changes a branch (or more in general, a ref) that used to
 232point at commit A to point at another commit B, it is called a
 233fast-forward update if and only if B is a descendant of A.
 234
 235In a fast-forward update from A to B, the set of commits that the original
 236commit A built on top of is a subset of the commits the new commit B
 237builds on top of.  Hence, it does not lose any history.
 238
 239In contrast, a non-fast-forward update will lose history.  For example,
 240suppose you and somebody else started at the same commit X, and you built
 241a history leading to commit B while the other person built a history
 242leading to commit A.  The history looks like this:
 243
 244----------------
 245
 246      B
 247     /
 248 ---X---A
 249
 250----------------
 251
 252Further suppose that the other person already pushed changes leading to A
 253back to the original repository you two obtained the original commit X.
 254
 255The push done by the other person updated the branch that used to point at
 256commit X to point at commit A.  It is a fast-forward.
 257
 258But if you try to push, you will attempt to update the branch (that
 259now points at A) with commit B.  This does _not_ fast-forward.  If you did
 260so, the changes introduced by commit A will be lost, because everybody
 261will now start building on top of B.
 262
 263The command by default does not allow an update that is not a fast-forward
 264to prevent such loss of history.
 265
 266If you do not want to lose your work (history from X to B) nor the work by
 267the other person (history from X to A), you would need to first fetch the
 268history from the repository, create a history that contains changes done
 269by both parties, and push the result back.
 270
 271You can perform "git pull", resolve potential conflicts, and "git push"
 272the result.  A "git pull" will create a merge commit C between commits A
 273and B.
 274
 275----------------
 276
 277      B---C
 278     /   /
 279 ---X---A
 280
 281----------------
 282
 283Updating A with the resulting merge commit will fast-forward and your
 284push will be accepted.
 285
 286Alternatively, you can rebase your change between X and B on top of A,
 287with "git pull --rebase", and push the result back.  The rebase will
 288create a new commit D that builds the change between X and B on top of
 289A.
 290
 291----------------
 292
 293      B   D
 294     /   /
 295 ---X---A
 296
 297----------------
 298
 299Again, updating A with this commit will fast-forward and your push will be
 300accepted.
 301
 302There is another common situation where you may encounter non-fast-forward
 303rejection when you try to push, and it is possible even when you are
 304pushing into a repository nobody else pushes into. After you push commit
 305A yourself (in the first picture in this section), replace it with "git
 306commit --amend" to produce commit B, and you try to push it out, because
 307forgot that you have pushed A out already. In such a case, and only if
 308you are certain that nobody in the meantime fetched your earlier commit A
 309(and started building on top of it), you can run "git push --force" to
 310overwrite it. In other words, "git push --force" is a method reserved for
 311a case where you do mean to lose history.
 312
 313
 314Examples
 315--------
 316
 317git push::
 318        Works like `git push <remote>`, where <remote> is the
 319        current branch's remote (or `origin`, if no remote is
 320        configured for the current branch).
 321
 322git push origin::
 323        Without additional configuration, works like
 324        `git push origin :`.
 325+
 326The default behavior of this command when no <refspec> is given can be
 327configured by setting the `push` option of the remote.
 328+
 329For example, to default to pushing only the current branch to `origin`
 330use `git config remote.origin.push HEAD`.  Any valid <refspec> (like
 331the ones in the examples below) can be configured as the default for
 332`git push origin`.
 333
 334git push origin :::
 335        Push "matching" branches to `origin`. See
 336        <refspec> in the <<OPTIONS,OPTIONS>> section above for a
 337        description of "matching" branches.
 338
 339git push origin master::
 340        Find a ref that matches `master` in the source repository
 341        (most likely, it would find `refs/heads/master`), and update
 342        the same ref (e.g. `refs/heads/master`) in `origin` repository
 343        with it.  If `master` did not exist remotely, it would be
 344        created.
 345
 346git push origin HEAD::
 347        A handy way to push the current branch to the same name on the
 348        remote.
 349
 350git push origin master:satellite/master dev:satellite/dev::
 351        Use the source ref that matches `master` (e.g. `refs/heads/master`)
 352        to update the ref that matches `satellite/master` (most probably
 353        `refs/remotes/satellite/master`) in the `origin` repository, then
 354        do the same for `dev` and `satellite/dev`.
 355
 356git push origin HEAD:master::
 357        Push the current branch to the remote ref matching `master` in the
 358        `origin` repository. This form is convenient to push the current
 359        branch without thinking about its local name.
 360
 361git push origin master:refs/heads/experimental::
 362        Create the branch `experimental` in the `origin` repository
 363        by copying the current `master` branch.  This form is only
 364        needed to create a new branch or tag in the remote repository when
 365        the local name and the remote name are different; otherwise,
 366        the ref name on its own will work.
 367
 368git push origin :experimental::
 369        Find a ref that matches `experimental` in the `origin` repository
 370        (e.g. `refs/heads/experimental`), and delete it.
 371
 372git push origin {plus}dev:master::
 373        Update the origin repository's master branch with the dev branch,
 374        allowing non-fast-forward updates.  *This can leave unreferenced
 375        commits dangling in the origin repository.*  Consider the
 376        following situation, where a fast-forward is not possible:
 377+
 378----
 379            o---o---o---A---B  origin/master
 380                     \
 381                      X---Y---Z  dev
 382----
 383+
 384The above command would change the origin repository to
 385+
 386----
 387                      A---B  (unnamed branch)
 388                     /
 389            o---o---o---X---Y---Z  master
 390----
 391+
 392Commits A and B would no longer belong to a branch with a symbolic name,
 393and so would be unreachable.  As such, these commits would be removed by
 394a `git gc` command on the origin repository.
 395
 396
 397Author
 398------
 399Written by Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>, later rewritten in C
 400by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>
 401
 402Documentation
 403--------------
 404Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
 405
 406GIT
 407---
 408Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite