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