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:v1.8.3.1/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.1]
  47
  48* release notes for
  49  link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
  50  link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
  51
  52* link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
  53
  54* release notes for
  55  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3],
  56  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2],
  57  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1],
  58  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
  59
  60* link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
  61
  62* release notes for
  63  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
  64  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
  65  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
  66  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
  67  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
  68  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
  69  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
  70
  71* link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
  72
  73* release notes for
  74  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
  75  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
  76  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
  77  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
  78
  79* link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
  80
  81* release notes for
  82  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
  83  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
  84  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
  85  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
  86  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
  87
  88* link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
  89
  90* release notes for
  91  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
  92  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
  93  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
  94  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
  95  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
  96  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
  97  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
  98  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
  99
 100* link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
 101
 102* release notes for
 103  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
 104  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
 105  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
 106  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
 107  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
 108  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
 109
 110* link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
 111
 112* release notes for
 113  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
 114  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
 115  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
 116  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
 117  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
 118  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
 119  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
 120  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
 121
 122* link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
 123
 124* release notes for
 125  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
 126  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
 127  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
 128  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
 129  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
 130  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
 131  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
 132
 133* link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
 134
 135* release notes for
 136  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
 137  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
 138  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
 139  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
 140  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
 141  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
 142  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
 143  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
 144
 145* link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
 146
 147* release notes for
 148  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
 149  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
 150  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
 151  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
 152  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
 153  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
 154  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
 155
 156* link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
 157
 158* release notes for
 159  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
 160  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
 161  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
 162  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
 163  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
 164
 165* link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
 166
 167* release notes for
 168  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
 169  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
 170  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
 171  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
 172  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
 173  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
 174
 175* link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
 176
 177* release notes for
 178  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
 179  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
 180  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
 181  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
 182  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
 183  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
 184
 185* link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
 186
 187* release notes for
 188  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
 189  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
 190  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
 191  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
 192  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
 193  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
 194
 195* link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
 196
 197* release notes for
 198  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
 199  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
 200  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
 201  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
 202  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
 203
 204* link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
 205
 206* release notes for
 207  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
 208  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
 209  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
 210  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
 211  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
 212  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
 213  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
 214  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
 215  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
 216  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
 217
 218* link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
 219
 220* release notes for
 221  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
 222  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
 223  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
 224  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
 225
 226* link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
 227
 228* release notes for
 229  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
 230  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
 231  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
 232  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
 233  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
 234  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
 235  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
 236  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
 237  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
 238  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
 239
 240* link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
 241
 242* release notes for
 243  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
 244  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
 245  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
 246  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
 247  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
 248  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
 249
 250* link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
 251
 252* release notes for
 253  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
 254  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
 255  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
 256  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
 257  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
 258
 259* release notes for
 260  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
 261  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
 262  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
 263  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
 264  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
 265  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
 266
 267* link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
 268
 269* release notes for
 270  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
 271  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
 272  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
 273  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
 274
 275* link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
 276
 277* release notes for
 278  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
 279  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
 280  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
 281  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
 282  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
 283  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
 284  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
 285
 286* link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
 287
 288* release notes for
 289  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
 290  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
 291  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
 292  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
 293  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
 294  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
 295  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
 296
 297* link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
 298
 299* release notes for
 300  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
 301  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
 302  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
 303  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
 304  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
 305  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
 306  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
 307
 308* link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
 309
 310* release notes for
 311  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
 312  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
 313  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
 314  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
 315  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
 316  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
 317  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
 318  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
 319
 320* link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
 321
 322* release notes for
 323  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
 324  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
 325  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
 326  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
 327  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
 328  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
 329  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
 330  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
 331  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
 332
 333* link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
 334
 335* release notes for
 336  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
 337  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
 338  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
 339  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
 340  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
 341  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
 342
 343* link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
 344
 345* release notes for
 346  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
 347  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
 348  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
 349  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
 350  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
 351  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
 352  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
 353
 354* link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
 355
 356* release notes for
 357  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
 358  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
 359  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
 360  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
 361  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
 362  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
 363  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
 364
 365* documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
 366  link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
 367  link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
 368  link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
 369
 370============
 371
 372endif::stalenotes[]
 373
 374OPTIONS
 375-------
 376--version::
 377        Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
 378
 379--help::
 380        Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
 381        commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
 382        available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
 383        option will bring up the manual page for that command.
 384+
 385Other options are available to control how the manual page is
 386displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
 387because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
 388help ...`.
 389
 390-c <name>=<value>::
 391        Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
 392        given will override values from configuration files.
 393        The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
 394        'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
 395
 396--exec-path[=<path>]::
 397        Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
 398        This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
 399        environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
 400        the current setting and then exit.
 401
 402--html-path::
 403        Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
 404        documentation is installed and exit.
 405
 406--man-path::
 407        Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
 408        this version of Git and exit.
 409
 410--info-path::
 411        Print the path where the Info files documenting this
 412        version of Git are installed and exit.
 413
 414-p::
 415--paginate::
 416        Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
 417        output is a terminal.  This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
 418        configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
 419        below).
 420
 421--no-pager::
 422        Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
 423
 424--git-dir=<path>::
 425        Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
 426        setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
 427        path or relative path to current working directory.
 428
 429--work-tree=<path>::
 430        Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
 431        or a path relative to the current working directory.
 432        This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
 433        environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
 434        variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 435        more detailed discussion).
 436
 437--namespace=<path>::
 438        Set the Git namespace.  See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
 439        details.  Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
 440        variable.
 441
 442--bare::
 443        Treat the repository as a bare repository.  If GIT_DIR
 444        environment is not set, it is set to the current working
 445        directory.
 446
 447--no-replace-objects::
 448        Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
 449        linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
 450
 451--literal-pathspecs::
 452        Treat pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. This is
 453        equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
 454        variable to `1`.
 455
 456
 457GIT COMMANDS
 458------------
 459
 460We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
 461("plumbing") commands.
 462
 463High-level commands (porcelain)
 464-------------------------------
 465
 466We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
 467ancillary user utilities.
 468
 469Main porcelain commands
 470~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 471
 472include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
 473
 474Ancillary Commands
 475~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 476Manipulators:
 477
 478include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
 479
 480Interrogators:
 481
 482include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
 483
 484
 485Interacting with Others
 486~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 487
 488These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
 489people via patch over e-mail.
 490
 491include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
 492
 493
 494Low-level commands (plumbing)
 495-----------------------------
 496
 497Although Git includes its
 498own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
 499development of alternative porcelains.  Developers of such porcelains
 500might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
 501linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
 502
 503The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
 504to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
 505than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
 506primarily for scripted use.  The interface to Porcelain commands
 507on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
 508end user experience.
 509
 510The following description divides
 511the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
 512the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
 513compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
 514repositories.
 515
 516
 517Manipulation commands
 518~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 519
 520include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
 521
 522
 523Interrogation commands
 524~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 525
 526include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
 527
 528In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
 529the working tree.
 530
 531
 532Synching repositories
 533~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 534
 535include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
 536
 537The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
 538typically do not use them directly.
 539
 540include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
 541
 542
 543Internal helper commands
 544~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 545
 546These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
 547users typically do not use them directly.
 548
 549include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
 550
 551
 552Configuration Mechanism
 553-----------------------
 554
 555Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
 556repository and are per user.  Such a configuration file may look
 557like this:
 558
 559------------
 560#
 561# A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
 562#
 563
 564; core variables
 565[core]
 566        ; Don't trust file modes
 567        filemode = false
 568
 569; user identity
 570[user]
 571        name = "Junio C Hamano"
 572        email = "gitster@pobox.com"
 573
 574------------
 575
 576Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
 577their operation accordingly.  See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 578list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
 579
 580
 581Identifier Terminology
 582----------------------
 583<object>::
 584        Indicates the object name for any type of object.
 585
 586<blob>::
 587        Indicates a blob object name.
 588
 589<tree>::
 590        Indicates a tree object name.
 591
 592<commit>::
 593        Indicates a commit object name.
 594
 595<tree-ish>::
 596        Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name.  A
 597        command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 598        operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
 599        <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
 600
 601<commit-ish>::
 602        Indicates a commit or tag object name.  A
 603        command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 604        operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
 605        <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
 606
 607<type>::
 608        Indicates that an object type is required.
 609        Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
 610
 611<file>::
 612        Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
 613        root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
 614
 615Symbolic Identifiers
 616--------------------
 617Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
 618symbolic notation:
 619
 620HEAD::
 621        indicates the head of the current branch.
 622
 623<tag>::
 624        a valid tag 'name'
 625        (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
 626
 627<head>::
 628        a valid head 'name'
 629        (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
 630
 631For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
 632"SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
 633
 634
 635File/Directory Structure
 636------------------------
 637
 638Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
 639
 640Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
 641
 642Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
 643`$GIT_DIR`.
 644
 645
 646Terminology
 647-----------
 648Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
 649
 650
 651Environment Variables
 652---------------------
 653Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
 654
 655The Git Repository
 656~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 657These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
 658is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
 659Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
 660
 661'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
 662        This environment allows the specification of an alternate
 663        index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
 664        is used.
 665
 666'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
 667        If the object storage directory is specified via this
 668        environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
 669        underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
 670        directory is used.
 671
 672'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
 673        Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
 674        archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
 675        specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
 676        of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
 677        objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
 678
 679'GIT_DIR'::
 680        If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
 681        specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
 682        for the base of the repository.
 683        The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
 684
 685'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
 686        Set the path to the root of the working tree.
 687        This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
 688        option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
 689
 690'GIT_NAMESPACE'::
 691        Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
 692        The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
 693
 694'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
 695        This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths.  If
 696        set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
 697        into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
 698        excluding slow-loading network directories).  It will not
 699        exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
 700        command line or in the environment.  Normally, Git has to read
 701        the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
 702        might be present in order to compare them with the current
 703        directory.  However, if even this access is slow, you
 704        can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
 705        subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
 706        e.g.,
 707        'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
 708
 709'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
 710        When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
 711        directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
 712        directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
 713        does not cross filesystem boundaries.  This environment variable
 714        can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
 715        boundaries.  Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
 716        an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
 717        command line.
 718
 719Git Commits
 720~~~~~~~~~~~
 721'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
 722'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
 723'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
 724'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
 725'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
 726'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
 727'EMAIL'::
 728        see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
 729
 730Git Diffs
 731~~~~~~~~~
 732'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
 733        Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
 734        number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
 735        This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
 736        value passed on the Git diff command line.
 737
 738'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
 739        When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
 740        program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
 741        described above.  For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
 742        'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
 743
 744        path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
 745+
 746where:
 747
 748        <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
 749                         contents of <old|new>,
 750        <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
 751        <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
 752+
 753The file parameters can point at the user's working file
 754(e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
 755when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
 756index).  'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
 757temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
 758+
 759For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
 760parameter, <path>.
 761
 762other
 763~~~~~
 764'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
 765        A number controlling the amount of output shown by
 766        the recursive merge strategy.  Overrides merge.verbosity.
 767        See linkgit:git-merge[1]
 768
 769'GIT_PAGER'::
 770        This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
 771        to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
 772        a pager.  See also the `core.pager` option in
 773        linkgit:git-config[1].
 774
 775'GIT_EDITOR'::
 776        This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
 777        It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
 778        an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
 779        and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 780
 781'GIT_SSH'::
 782        If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
 783        and 'git push' will use this command instead
 784        of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
 785        The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
 786        four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
 787        from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
 788        remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
 789        the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
 790        than the default SSH port.
 791+
 792To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
 793you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
 794then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
 795+
 796Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
 797personal `.ssh/config` file.  Please consult your ssh documentation
 798for further details.
 799
 800'GIT_ASKPASS'::
 801        If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
 802        acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
 803        will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
 804        and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
 805        option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 806
 807'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
 808        Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
 809        `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file.  This environment variable can
 810        be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
 811        predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
 812        temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
 813        waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
 814
 815'GIT_FLUSH'::
 816        If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
 817        as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
 818        'git check-attr', 'git check-ignore', and 'git whatchanged' will
 819        force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
 820        flushed. If this
 821        variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
 822        using completely buffered I/O.   If this environment variable is
 823        not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
 824        based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
 825
 826'GIT_TRACE'::
 827        If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
 828        is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
 829        stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
 830        execution and external command execution.
 831        If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
 832        and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
 833        value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
 834        trace messages into this file descriptor.
 835        Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
 836        (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
 837        as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
 838        into it.
 839
 840'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
 841        If this variable is set to a path, a file will be created at
 842        the given path logging all accesses to any packs. For each
 843        access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
 844        recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
 845        pack-related performance problems.
 846
 847'GIT_TRACE_PACKET'::
 848        If this variable is set, it shows a trace of all packets
 849        coming in or out of a given program. This can help with
 850        debugging object negotiation or other protocol issues. Tracing
 851        is turned off at a packet starting with "PACK".
 852
 853GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
 854        Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
 855        pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
 856        running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
 857        for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
 858        glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
 859        literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
 860        `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
 861
 862
 863Discussion[[Discussion]]
 864------------------------
 865
 866More detail on the following is available from the
 867link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
 868user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
 869
 870A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
 871subdirectory at the top level.  The .git directory contains, among other
 872things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
 873of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
 874contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
 875as tags and branch heads.
 876
 877The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
 878hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
 879directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
 880and some number of parent commits.
 881
 882The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
 883"version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
 884represents an immediately preceding step.  Commits with more than one
 885parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
 886
 887All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
 888written as a string of 40 hex digits.  Such names are globally unique.
 889The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
 890just that commit.  A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
 891purpose.
 892
 893When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
 894efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
 895
 896Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history.  A ref
 897may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref.  Refs
 898with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
 899recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development.  SHA-1 names of
 900tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`.  A special ref named
 901`HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
 902
 903The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
 904path, a blob object and a set of attributes.  The blob object represents
 905the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch.  The
 906attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
 907corresponding file in the working tree.  Subsequent changes to the
 908working tree can be found by comparing these attributes.  The index may
 909be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
 910content stored in the index.
 911
 912The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
 913for a given pathname.  These stages are used to hold the various
 914unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
 915
 916FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
 917---------------------
 918
 919See the references in the "description" section to get started
 920using Git.  The following is probably more detail than necessary
 921for a first-time user.
 922
 923The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
 924user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
 925introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
 926
 927See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
 928
 929See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
 930examples.
 931
 932The internals are documented in the
 933link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
 934
 935Users migrating from CVS may also want to
 936read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
 937
 938
 939Authors
 940-------
 941Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
 942C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
 943<git@vger.kernel.org>.  http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
 944gives you a more complete list of contributors.
 945
 946If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
 947output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
 948the authors for specific parts of the project.
 949
 950Reporting Bugs
 951--------------
 952
 953Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
 954development and maintenance is primarily done.  You do not have to be
 955subscribed to the list to send a message there.
 956
 957SEE ALSO
 958--------
 959linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
 960link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
 961linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
 962linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
 963linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
 964
 965GIT
 966---
 967Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite