1[[def_alternate_object_database]]alternate object database:: 2 Via the alternates mechanism, a <<def_repository,repository>> 3 can inherit part of its <<def_object_database,object database>> 4 from another object database, which is called "alternate". 5 6[[def_bare_repository]]bare repository:: 7 A bare repository is normally an appropriately 8 named <<def_directory,directory>> with a `.git` suffix that does not 9 have a locally checked-out copy of any of the files under 10 revision control. That is, all of the `git` 11 administrative and control files that would normally be present in the 12 hidden `.git` sub-directory are directly present in the 13 `repository.git` directory instead, 14 and no other files are present and checked out. Usually publishers of 15 public repositories make bare repositories available. 16 17[[def_blob_object]]blob object:: 18 Untyped <<def_object,object>>, e.g. the contents of a file. 19 20[[def_branch]]branch:: 21 A "branch" is an active line of development. The most recent 22 <<def_commit,commit>> on a branch is referred to as the tip of 23 that branch. The tip of the branch is referenced by a branch 24 <<def_head,head>>, which moves forward as additional development 25 is done on the branch. A single git 26 <<def_repository,repository>> can track an arbitrary number of 27 branches, but your <<def_working_tree,working tree>> is 28 associated with just one of them (the "current" or "checked out" 29 branch), and <<def_HEAD,HEAD>> points to that branch. 30 31[[def_cache]]cache:: 32 Obsolete for: <<def_index,index>>. 33 34[[def_chain]]chain:: 35 A list of objects, where each <<def_object,object>> in the list contains 36 a reference to its successor (for example, the successor of a 37 <<def_commit,commit>> could be one of its <<def_parent,parents>>). 38 39[[def_changeset]]changeset:: 40 BitKeeper/cvsps speak for "<<def_commit,commit>>". Since git does not 41 store changes, but states, it really does not make sense to use the term 42 "changesets" with git. 43 44[[def_checkout]]checkout:: 45 The action of updating all or part of the 46 <<def_working_tree,working tree>> with a <<def_tree_object,tree object>> 47 or <<def_blob_object,blob>> from the 48 <<def_object_database,object database>>, and updating the 49 <<def_index,index>> and <<def_HEAD,HEAD>> if the whole working tree has 50 been pointed at a new <<def_branch,branch>>. 51 52[[def_cherry-picking]]cherry-picking:: 53 In <<def_SCM,SCM>> jargon, "cherry pick" means to choose a subset of 54 changes out of a series of changes (typically commits) and record them 55 as a new series of changes on top of a different codebase. In GIT, this is 56 performed by the "git cherry-pick" command to extract the change introduced 57 by an existing <<def_commit,commit>> and to record it based on the tip 58 of the current <<def_branch,branch>> as a new commit. 59 60[[def_clean]]clean:: 61 A <<def_working_tree,working tree>> is clean, if it 62 corresponds to the <<def_revision,revision>> referenced by the current 63 <<def_head,head>>. Also see "<<def_dirty,dirty>>". 64 65[[def_commit]]commit:: 66 As a noun: A single point in the 67 git history; the entire history of a project is represented as a 68 set of interrelated commits. The word "commit" is often 69 used by git in the same places other revision control systems 70 use the words "revision" or "version". Also used as a short 71 hand for <<def_commit_object,commit object>>. 72+ 73As a verb: The action of storing a new snapshot of the project's 74state in the git history, by creating a new commit representing the current 75state of the <<def_index,index>> and advancing <<def_HEAD,HEAD>> 76to point at the new commit. 77 78[[def_commit_object]]commit object:: 79 An <<def_object,object>> which contains the information about a 80 particular <<def_revision,revision>>, such as <<def_parent,parents>>, committer, 81 author, date and the <<def_tree_object,tree object>> which corresponds 82 to the top <<def_directory,directory>> of the stored 83 revision. 84 85[[def_core_git]]core git:: 86 Fundamental data structures and utilities of git. Exposes only limited 87 source code management tools. 88 89[[def_DAG]]DAG:: 90 Directed acyclic graph. The <<def_commit_object,commit objects>> form a 91 directed acyclic graph, because they have parents (directed), and the 92 graph of commit objects is acyclic (there is no <<def_chain,chain>> 93 which begins and ends with the same <<def_object,object>>). 94 95[[def_dangling_object]]dangling object:: 96 An <<def_unreachable_object,unreachable object>> which is not 97 <<def_reachable,reachable>> even from other unreachable objects; a 98 dangling object has no references to it from any 99 reference or <<def_object,object>> in the <<def_repository,repository>>. 100 101[[def_detached_HEAD]]detached HEAD:: 102 Normally the <<def_HEAD,HEAD>> stores the name of a 103 <<def_branch,branch>>. However, git also allows you to <<def_checkout,check out>> 104 an arbitrary <<def_commit,commit>> that isn't necessarily the tip of any 105 particular branch. In this case HEAD is said to be "detached". 106 107[[def_dircache]]dircache:: 108 You are *waaaaay* behind. See <<def_index,index>>. 109 110[[def_directory]]directory:: 111 The list you get with "ls" :-) 112 113[[def_dirty]]dirty:: 114 A <<def_working_tree,working tree>> is said to be "dirty" if 115 it contains modifications which have not been <<def_commit,committed>> to the current 116 <<def_branch,branch>>. 117 118[[def_ent]]ent:: 119 Favorite synonym to "<<def_tree-ish,tree-ish>>" by some total geeks. See 120 `http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ent_(Middle-earth)` for an in-depth 121 explanation. Avoid this term, not to confuse people. 122 123[[def_evil_merge]]evil merge:: 124 An evil merge is a <<def_merge,merge>> that introduces changes that 125 do not appear in any <<def_parent,parent>>. 126 127[[def_fast_forward]]fast-forward:: 128 A fast-forward is a special type of <<def_merge,merge>> where you have a 129 <<def_revision,revision>> and you are "merging" another 130 <<def_branch,branch>>'s changes that happen to be a descendant of what 131 you have. In such these cases, you do not make a new <<def_merge,merge>> 132 <<def_commit,commit>> but instead just update to his 133 revision. This will happen frequently on a 134 <<def_remote_tracking_branch,remote-tracking branch>> of a remote 135 <<def_repository,repository>>. 136 137[[def_fetch]]fetch:: 138 Fetching a <<def_branch,branch>> means to get the 139 branch's <<def_head_ref,head ref>> from a remote 140 <<def_repository,repository>>, to find out which objects are 141 missing from the local <<def_object_database,object database>>, 142 and to get them, too. See also linkgit:git-fetch[1]. 143 144[[def_file_system]]file system:: 145 Linus Torvalds originally designed git to be a user space file system, 146 i.e. the infrastructure to hold files and directories. That ensured the 147 efficiency and speed of git. 148 149[[def_git_archive]]git archive:: 150 Synonym for <<def_repository,repository>> (for arch people). 151 152[[def_grafts]]grafts:: 153 Grafts enables two otherwise different lines of development to be joined 154 together by recording fake ancestry information for commits. This way 155 you can make git pretend the set of <<def_parent,parents>> a <<def_commit,commit>> has 156 is different from what was recorded when the commit was 157 created. Configured via the `.git/info/grafts` file. 158 159[[def_hash]]hash:: 160 In git's context, synonym to <<def_object_name,object name>>. 161 162[[def_head]]head:: 163 A <<def_ref,named reference>> to the <<def_commit,commit>> at the tip of a 164 <<def_branch,branch>>. Heads are stored in a file in 165 `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads/` directory, except when using packed refs. (See 166 linkgit:git-pack-refs[1].) 167 168[[def_HEAD]]HEAD:: 169 The current <<def_branch,branch>>. In more detail: Your <<def_working_tree, 170 working tree>> is normally derived from the state of the tree 171 referred to by HEAD. HEAD is a reference to one of the 172 <<def_head,heads>> in your repository, except when using a 173 <<def_detached_HEAD,detached HEAD>>, in which case it directly 174 references an arbitrary commit. 175 176[[def_head_ref]]head ref:: 177 A synonym for <<def_head,head>>. 178 179[[def_hook]]hook:: 180 During the normal execution of several git commands, call-outs are made 181 to optional scripts that allow a developer to add functionality or 182 checking. Typically, the hooks allow for a command to be pre-verified 183 and potentially aborted, and allow for a post-notification after the 184 operation is done. The hook scripts are found in the 185 `$GIT_DIR/hooks/` directory, and are enabled by simply 186 removing the `.sample` suffix from the filename. In earlier versions 187 of git you had to make them executable. 188 189[[def_index]]index:: 190 A collection of files with stat information, whose contents are stored 191 as objects. The index is a stored version of your 192 <<def_working_tree,working tree>>. Truth be told, it can also contain a second, and even 193 a third version of a working tree, which are used 194 when <<def_merge,merging>>. 195 196[[def_index_entry]]index entry:: 197 The information regarding a particular file, stored in the 198 <<def_index,index>>. An index entry can be unmerged, if a 199 <<def_merge,merge>> was started, but not yet finished (i.e. if 200 the index contains multiple versions of that file). 201 202[[def_master]]master:: 203 The default development <<def_branch,branch>>. Whenever you 204 create a git <<def_repository,repository>>, a branch named 205 "master" is created, and becomes the active branch. In most 206 cases, this contains the local development, though that is 207 purely by convention and is not required. 208 209[[def_merge]]merge:: 210 As a verb: To bring the contents of another 211 <<def_branch,branch>> (possibly from an external 212 <<def_repository,repository>>) into the current branch. In the 213 case where the merged-in branch is from a different repository, 214 this is done by first <<def_fetch,fetching>> the remote branch 215 and then merging the result into the current branch. This 216 combination of fetch and merge operations is called a 217 <<def_pull,pull>>. Merging is performed by an automatic process 218 that identifies changes made since the branches diverged, and 219 then applies all those changes together. In cases where changes 220 conflict, manual intervention may be required to complete the 221 merge. 222+ 223As a noun: unless it is a <<def_fast_forward,fast-forward>>, a 224successful merge results in the creation of a new <<def_commit,commit>> 225representing the result of the merge, and having as 226<<def_parent,parents>> the tips of the merged <<def_branch,branches>>. 227This commit is referred to as a "merge commit", or sometimes just a 228"merge". 229 230[[def_object]]object:: 231 The unit of storage in git. It is uniquely identified by the 232 <<def_SHA1,SHA1>> of its contents. Consequently, an 233 object can not be changed. 234 235[[def_object_database]]object database:: 236 Stores a set of "objects", and an individual <<def_object,object>> is 237 identified by its <<def_object_name,object name>>. The objects usually 238 live in `$GIT_DIR/objects/`. 239 240[[def_object_identifier]]object identifier:: 241 Synonym for <<def_object_name,object name>>. 242 243[[def_object_name]]object name:: 244 The unique identifier of an <<def_object,object>>. The <<def_hash,hash>> 245 of the object's contents using the Secure Hash Algorithm 246 1 and usually represented by the 40 character hexadecimal encoding of 247 the <<def_hash,hash>> of the object. 248 249[[def_object_type]]object type:: 250 One of the identifiers "<<def_commit_object,commit>>", 251 "<<def_tree_object,tree>>", "<<def_tag_object,tag>>" or 252 "<<def_blob_object,blob>>" describing the type of an 253 <<def_object,object>>. 254 255[[def_octopus]]octopus:: 256 To <<def_merge,merge>> more than two <<def_branch,branches>>. Also denotes an 257 intelligent predator. 258 259[[def_origin]]origin:: 260 The default upstream <<def_repository,repository>>. Most projects have 261 at least one upstream project which they track. By default 262 'origin' is used for that purpose. New upstream updates 263 will be fetched into remote <<def_remote_tracking_branch,remote-tracking branches>> named 264 origin/name-of-upstream-branch, which you can see using 265 `git branch -r`. 266 267[[def_pack]]pack:: 268 A set of objects which have been compressed into one file (to save space 269 or to transmit them efficiently). 270 271[[def_pack_index]]pack index:: 272 The list of identifiers, and other information, of the objects in a 273 <<def_pack,pack>>, to assist in efficiently accessing the contents of a 274 pack. 275 276[[def_pathspec]]pathspec:: 277 Pattern used to specify paths. 278+ 279Pathspecs are used on the command line of "git ls-files", "git 280ls-tree", "git add", "git grep", "git diff", "git checkout", 281and many other commands to 282limit the scope of operations to some subset of the tree or 283worktree. See the documentation of each command for whether 284paths are relative to the current directory or toplevel. The 285pathspec syntax is as follows: 286 287* any path matches itself 288* the pathspec up to the last slash represents a 289 directory prefix. The scope of that pathspec is 290 limited to that subtree. 291* the rest of the pathspec is a pattern for the remainder 292 of the pathname. Paths relative to the directory 293 prefix will be matched against that pattern using fnmatch(3); 294 in particular, '*' and '?' _can_ match directory separators. 295+ 296For example, Documentation/*.jpg will match all .jpg files 297in the Documentation subtree, 298including Documentation/chapter_1/figure_1.jpg. 299 300+ 301A pathspec that begins with a colon `:` has special meaning. In the 302short form, the leading colon `:` is followed by zero or more "magic 303signature" letters (which optionally is terminated by another colon `:`), 304and the remainder is the pattern to match against the path. The optional 305colon that terminates the "magic signature" can be omitted if the pattern 306begins with a character that cannot be a "magic signature" and is not a 307colon. 308+ 309In the long form, the leading colon `:` is followed by a open 310parenthesis `(`, a comma-separated list of zero or more "magic words", 311and a close parentheses `)`, and the remainder is the pattern to match 312against the path. 313+ 314The "magic signature" consists of an ASCII symbol that is not 315alphanumeric. 316+ 317-- 318top `/`;; 319 The magic word `top` (mnemonic: `/`) makes the pattern match 320 from the root of the working tree, even when you are running 321 the command from inside a subdirectory. 322-- 323+ 324Currently only the slash `/` is recognized as the "magic signature", 325but it is envisioned that we will support more types of magic in later 326versions of git. 327+ 328A pathspec with only a colon means "there is no pathspec". This form 329should not be combined with other pathspec. 330 331[[def_parent]]parent:: 332 A <<def_commit_object,commit object>> contains a (possibly empty) list 333 of the logical predecessor(s) in the line of development, i.e. its 334 parents. 335 336[[def_pickaxe]]pickaxe:: 337 The term <<def_pickaxe,pickaxe>> refers to an option to the diffcore 338 routines that help select changes that add or delete a given text 339 string. With the `--pickaxe-all` option, it can be used to view the full 340 <<def_changeset,changeset>> that introduced or removed, say, a 341 particular line of text. See linkgit:git-diff[1]. 342 343[[def_plumbing]]plumbing:: 344 Cute name for <<def_core_git,core git>>. 345 346[[def_porcelain]]porcelain:: 347 Cute name for programs and program suites depending on 348 <<def_core_git,core git>>, presenting a high level access to 349 core git. Porcelains expose more of a <<def_SCM,SCM>> 350 interface than the <<def_plumbing,plumbing>>. 351 352[[def_pull]]pull:: 353 Pulling a <<def_branch,branch>> means to <<def_fetch,fetch>> it and 354 <<def_merge,merge>> it. See also linkgit:git-pull[1]. 355 356[[def_push]]push:: 357 Pushing a <<def_branch,branch>> means to get the branch's 358 <<def_head_ref,head ref>> from a remote <<def_repository,repository>>, 359 find out if it is a direct ancestor to the branch's local 360 head ref, and in that case, putting all 361 objects, which are <<def_reachable,reachable>> from the local 362 head ref, and which are missing from the remote 363 repository, into the remote 364 <<def_object_database,object database>>, and updating the remote 365 head ref. If the remote <<def_head,head>> is not an 366 ancestor to the local head, the push fails. 367 368[[def_reachable]]reachable:: 369 All of the ancestors of a given <<def_commit,commit>> are said to be 370 "reachable" from that commit. More 371 generally, one <<def_object,object>> is reachable from 372 another if we can reach the one from the other by a <<def_chain,chain>> 373 that follows <<def_tag,tags>> to whatever they tag, 374 <<def_commit_object,commits>> to their parents or trees, and 375 <<def_tree_object,trees>> to the trees or <<def_blob_object,blobs>> 376 that they contain. 377 378[[def_rebase]]rebase:: 379 To reapply a series of changes from a <<def_branch,branch>> to a 380 different base, and reset the <<def_head,head>> of that branch 381 to the result. 382 383[[def_ref]]ref:: 384 A 40-byte hex representation of a <<def_SHA1,SHA1>> or a name that 385 denotes a particular <<def_object,object>>. They may be stored in 386 a file under `$GIT_DIR/refs/` directory, or 387 in the `$GIT_DIR/packed-refs` file. 388 389[[def_reflog]]reflog:: 390 A reflog shows the local "history" of a ref. In other words, 391 it can tell you what the 3rd last revision in _this_ repository 392 was, and what was the current state in _this_ repository, 393 yesterday 9:14pm. See linkgit:git-reflog[1] for details. 394 395[[def_refspec]]refspec:: 396 A "refspec" is used by <<def_fetch,fetch>> and 397 <<def_push,push>> to describe the mapping between remote 398 <<def_ref,ref>> and local ref. They are combined with a colon in 399 the format <src>:<dst>, preceded by an optional plus sign, +. 400 For example: `git fetch $URL 401 refs/heads/master:refs/heads/origin` means "grab the master 402 <<def_branch,branch>> <<def_head,head>> from the $URL and store 403 it as my origin branch head". And `git push 404 $URL refs/heads/master:refs/heads/to-upstream` means "publish my 405 master branch head as to-upstream branch at $URL". See also 406 linkgit:git-push[1]. 407 408[[def_remote_tracking_branch]]remote-tracking branch:: 409 A regular git <<def_branch,branch>> that is used to follow changes from 410 another <<def_repository,repository>>. A remote-tracking 411 branch should not contain direct modifications or have local commits 412 made to it. A remote-tracking branch can usually be 413 identified as the right-hand-side <<def_ref,ref>> in a Pull: 414 <<def_refspec,refspec>>. 415 416[[def_repository]]repository:: 417 A collection of <<def_ref,refs>> together with an 418 <<def_object_database,object database>> containing all objects 419 which are <<def_reachable,reachable>> from the refs, possibly 420 accompanied by meta data from one or more <<def_porcelain,porcelains>>. A 421 repository can share an object database with other repositories 422 via <<def_alternate_object_database,alternates mechanism>>. 423 424[[def_resolve]]resolve:: 425 The action of fixing up manually what a failed automatic 426 <<def_merge,merge>> left behind. 427 428[[def_revision]]revision:: 429 A particular state of files and directories which was stored in the 430 <<def_object_database,object database>>. It is referenced by a 431 <<def_commit_object,commit object>>. 432 433[[def_rewind]]rewind:: 434 To throw away part of the development, i.e. to assign the 435 <<def_head,head>> to an earlier <<def_revision,revision>>. 436 437[[def_SCM]]SCM:: 438 Source code management (tool). 439 440[[def_SHA1]]SHA1:: 441 Synonym for <<def_object_name,object name>>. 442 443[[def_shallow_repository]]shallow repository:: 444 A shallow <<def_repository,repository>> has an incomplete 445 history some of whose <<def_commit,commits>> have <<def_parent,parents>> cauterized away (in other 446 words, git is told to pretend that these commits do not have the 447 parents, even though they are recorded in the <<def_commit_object,commit 448 object>>). This is sometimes useful when you are interested only in the 449 recent history of a project even though the real history recorded in the 450 upstream is much larger. A shallow repository 451 is created by giving the `--depth` option to linkgit:git-clone[1], and 452 its history can be later deepened with linkgit:git-fetch[1]. 453 454[[def_symref]]symref:: 455 Symbolic reference: instead of containing the <<def_SHA1,SHA1>> 456 id itself, it is of the format 'ref: refs/some/thing' and when 457 referenced, it recursively dereferences to this reference. 458 '<<def_HEAD,HEAD>>' is a prime example of a symref. Symbolic 459 references are manipulated with the linkgit:git-symbolic-ref[1] 460 command. 461 462[[def_tag]]tag:: 463 A <<def_ref,ref>> under `refs/tags/` namespace that points to an 464 object of an arbitrary type (typically a tag points to either a 465 <<def_tag_object,tag>> or a <<def_commit_object,commit object>>). 466 In contrast to a <<def_head,head>>, a tag is not updated by 467 the `commit` command. A git tag has nothing to do with a Lisp 468 tag (which would be called an <<def_object_type,object type>> 469 in git's context). A tag is most typically used to mark a particular 470 point in the commit ancestry <<def_chain,chain>>. 471 472[[def_tag_object]]tag object:: 473 An <<def_object,object>> containing a <<def_ref,ref>> pointing to 474 another object, which can contain a message just like a 475 <<def_commit_object,commit object>>. It can also contain a (PGP) 476 signature, in which case it is called a "signed tag object". 477 478[[def_topic_branch]]topic branch:: 479 A regular git <<def_branch,branch>> that is used by a developer to 480 identify a conceptual line of development. Since branches are very easy 481 and inexpensive, it is often desirable to have several small branches 482 that each contain very well defined concepts or small incremental yet 483 related changes. 484 485[[def_tree]]tree:: 486 Either a <<def_working_tree,working tree>>, or a <<def_tree_object,tree 487 object>> together with the dependent <<def_blob_object,blob>> and tree objects 488 (i.e. a stored representation of a working tree). 489 490[[def_tree_object]]tree object:: 491 An <<def_object,object>> containing a list of file names and modes along 492 with refs to the associated blob and/or tree objects. A 493 <<def_tree,tree>> is equivalent to a <<def_directory,directory>>. 494 495[[def_tree-ish]]tree-ish:: 496 A <<def_ref,ref>> pointing to either a <<def_commit_object,commit 497 object>>, a <<def_tree_object,tree object>>, or a <<def_tag_object,tag 498 object>> pointing to a tag or commit or tree object. 499 500[[def_unmerged_index]]unmerged index:: 501 An <<def_index,index>> which contains unmerged 502 <<def_index_entry,index entries>>. 503 504[[def_unreachable_object]]unreachable object:: 505 An <<def_object,object>> which is not <<def_reachable,reachable>> from a 506 <<def_branch,branch>>, <<def_tag,tag>>, or any other reference. 507 508[[def_upstream_branch]]upstream branch:: 509 The default <<def_branch,branch>> that is merged into the branch in 510 question (or the branch in question is rebased onto). It is configured 511 via branch.<name>.remote and branch.<name>.merge. If the upstream branch 512 of 'A' is 'origin/B' sometimes we say "'A' is tracking 'origin/B'". 513 514[[def_working_tree]]working tree:: 515 The tree of actual checked out files. The working tree normally 516 contains the contents of the <<def_HEAD,HEAD>> commit's tree, 517 plus any local changes that you have made but not yet committed.