1git(1) 2====== 3 4NAME 5---- 6git - the stupid content tracker 7 8 9SYNOPSIS 10-------- 11[verse] 12'git' [--version] [--help] [-C <path>] [-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 25linkgit:giteveryday[7] 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 34A formatted and hyperlinked copy of the latest Git documentation 35can be viewed at `https://git.github.io/htmldocs/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 the 'master' 43branch of the `git.git` repository. 44Documentation for older releases are available here: 45 46* link:v2.9.1/git.html[documentation for release 2.9.1] 47 48* release notes for 49 link:RelNotes/2.9.1.txt[2.9.1], 50 link:RelNotes/2.9.0.txt[2.9]. 51 52* link:v2.8.4/git.html[documentation for release 2.8.4] 53 54* release notes for 55 link:RelNotes/2.8.4.txt[2.8.4], 56 link:RelNotes/2.8.3.txt[2.8.3], 57 link:RelNotes/2.8.2.txt[2.8.2], 58 link:RelNotes/2.8.1.txt[2.8.1], 59 link:RelNotes/2.8.0.txt[2.8]. 60 61* link:v2.7.3/git.html[documentation for release 2.7.3] 62 63* release notes for 64 link:RelNotes/2.7.3.txt[2.7.3], 65 link:RelNotes/2.7.2.txt[2.7.2], 66 link:RelNotes/2.7.1.txt[2.7.1], 67 link:RelNotes/2.7.0.txt[2.7]. 68 69* link:v2.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 2.6.6] 70 71* release notes for 72 link:RelNotes/2.6.6.txt[2.6.6], 73 link:RelNotes/2.6.5.txt[2.6.5], 74 link:RelNotes/2.6.4.txt[2.6.4], 75 link:RelNotes/2.6.3.txt[2.6.3], 76 link:RelNotes/2.6.2.txt[2.6.2], 77 link:RelNotes/2.6.1.txt[2.6.1], 78 link:RelNotes/2.6.0.txt[2.6]. 79 80* link:v2.5.5/git.html[documentation for release 2.5.5] 81 82* release notes for 83 link:RelNotes/2.5.5.txt[2.5.5], 84 link:RelNotes/2.5.4.txt[2.5.4], 85 link:RelNotes/2.5.3.txt[2.5.3], 86 link:RelNotes/2.5.2.txt[2.5.2], 87 link:RelNotes/2.5.1.txt[2.5.1], 88 link:RelNotes/2.5.0.txt[2.5]. 89 90* link:v2.4.11/git.html[documentation for release 2.4.11] 91 92* release notes for 93 link:RelNotes/2.4.11.txt[2.4.11], 94 link:RelNotes/2.4.10.txt[2.4.10], 95 link:RelNotes/2.4.9.txt[2.4.9], 96 link:RelNotes/2.4.8.txt[2.4.8], 97 link:RelNotes/2.4.7.txt[2.4.7], 98 link:RelNotes/2.4.6.txt[2.4.6], 99 link:RelNotes/2.4.5.txt[2.4.5], 100 link:RelNotes/2.4.4.txt[2.4.4], 101 link:RelNotes/2.4.3.txt[2.4.3], 102 link:RelNotes/2.4.2.txt[2.4.2], 103 link:RelNotes/2.4.1.txt[2.4.1], 104 link:RelNotes/2.4.0.txt[2.4]. 105 106* link:v2.3.10/git.html[documentation for release 2.3.10] 107 108* release notes for 109 link:RelNotes/2.3.10.txt[2.3.10], 110 link:RelNotes/2.3.9.txt[2.3.9], 111 link:RelNotes/2.3.8.txt[2.3.8], 112 link:RelNotes/2.3.7.txt[2.3.7], 113 link:RelNotes/2.3.6.txt[2.3.6], 114 link:RelNotes/2.3.5.txt[2.3.5], 115 link:RelNotes/2.3.4.txt[2.3.4], 116 link:RelNotes/2.3.3.txt[2.3.3], 117 link:RelNotes/2.3.2.txt[2.3.2], 118 link:RelNotes/2.3.1.txt[2.3.1], 119 link:RelNotes/2.3.0.txt[2.3]. 120 121* link:v2.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 2.2.3] 122 123* release notes for 124 link:RelNotes/2.2.3.txt[2.2.3], 125 link:RelNotes/2.2.2.txt[2.2.2], 126 link:RelNotes/2.2.1.txt[2.2.1], 127 link:RelNotes/2.2.0.txt[2.2]. 128 129* link:v2.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 2.1.4] 130 131* release notes for 132 link:RelNotes/2.1.4.txt[2.1.4], 133 link:RelNotes/2.1.3.txt[2.1.3], 134 link:RelNotes/2.1.2.txt[2.1.2], 135 link:RelNotes/2.1.1.txt[2.1.1], 136 link:RelNotes/2.1.0.txt[2.1]. 137 138* link:v2.0.5/git.html[documentation for release 2.0.5] 139 140* release notes for 141 link:RelNotes/2.0.5.txt[2.0.5], 142 link:RelNotes/2.0.4.txt[2.0.4], 143 link:RelNotes/2.0.3.txt[2.0.3], 144 link:RelNotes/2.0.2.txt[2.0.2], 145 link:RelNotes/2.0.1.txt[2.0.1], 146 link:RelNotes/2.0.0.txt[2.0.0]. 147 148* link:v1.9.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.9.5] 149 150* release notes for 151 link:RelNotes/1.9.5.txt[1.9.5], 152 link:RelNotes/1.9.4.txt[1.9.4], 153 link:RelNotes/1.9.3.txt[1.9.3], 154 link:RelNotes/1.9.2.txt[1.9.2], 155 link:RelNotes/1.9.1.txt[1.9.1], 156 link:RelNotes/1.9.0.txt[1.9.0]. 157 158* link:v1.8.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.5.6] 159 160* release notes for 161 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.6.txt[1.8.5.6], 162 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.5.txt[1.8.5.5], 163 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.4.txt[1.8.5.4], 164 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.3.txt[1.8.5.3], 165 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.2.txt[1.8.5.2], 166 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.1.txt[1.8.5.1], 167 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.txt[1.8.5]. 168 169* link:v1.8.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.4.5] 170 171* release notes for 172 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.5.txt[1.8.4.5], 173 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.4.txt[1.8.4.4], 174 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.3.txt[1.8.4.3], 175 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.2.txt[1.8.4.2], 176 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.1.txt[1.8.4.1], 177 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.txt[1.8.4]. 178 179* link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4] 180 181* release notes for 182 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4], 183 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3], 184 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2], 185 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1], 186 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3]. 187 188* link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3] 189 190* release notes for 191 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3], 192 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2], 193 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1], 194 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2]. 195 196* link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6] 197 198* release notes for 199 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6], 200 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5], 201 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4], 202 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3], 203 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2], 204 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1], 205 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1]. 206 207* link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3] 208 209* release notes for 210 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3], 211 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2], 212 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1], 213 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0]. 214 215* link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4] 216 217* release notes for 218 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4], 219 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3], 220 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2], 221 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1], 222 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12]. 223 224* link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7] 225 226* release notes for 227 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7], 228 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6], 229 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5], 230 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4], 231 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3], 232 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2], 233 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1], 234 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11]. 235 236* link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5] 237 238* release notes for 239 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5], 240 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4], 241 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3], 242 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2], 243 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1], 244 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10]. 245 246* link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7] 247 248* release notes for 249 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7], 250 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6], 251 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5], 252 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4], 253 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3], 254 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2], 255 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1], 256 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9]. 257 258* link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6] 259 260* release notes for 261 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6], 262 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5], 263 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4], 264 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3], 265 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2], 266 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1], 267 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8]. 268 269* link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7] 270 271* release notes for 272 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7], 273 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6], 274 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5], 275 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4], 276 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3], 277 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2], 278 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1], 279 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7]. 280 281* link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6] 282 283* release notes for 284 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6], 285 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5], 286 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4], 287 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3], 288 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2], 289 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1], 290 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6]. 291 292* link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4] 293 294* release notes for 295 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4], 296 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3], 297 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2], 298 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1], 299 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5]. 300 301* link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5] 302 303* release notes for 304 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5], 305 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4], 306 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3], 307 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2], 308 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1], 309 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4]. 310 311* link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5] 312 313* release notes for 314 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5], 315 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4], 316 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3], 317 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2], 318 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1], 319 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3]. 320 321* link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5] 322 323* release notes for 324 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5], 325 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4], 326 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3], 327 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2], 328 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1], 329 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2]. 330 331* link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4] 332 333* release notes for 334 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4], 335 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3], 336 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2], 337 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1], 338 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1]. 339 340* link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9] 341 342* release notes for 343 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9], 344 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8], 345 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7], 346 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6], 347 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5], 348 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4], 349 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3], 350 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2], 351 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1], 352 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0]. 353 354* link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3] 355 356* release notes for 357 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3], 358 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2], 359 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1], 360 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6]. 361 362* link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9] 363 364* release notes for 365 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9], 366 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8], 367 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7], 368 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6], 369 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5], 370 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4], 371 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3], 372 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2], 373 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1], 374 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5]. 375 376* link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5] 377 378* release notes for 379 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5], 380 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4], 381 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3], 382 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2], 383 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1], 384 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4]. 385 386* link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4] 387 388* release notes for 389 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4], 390 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3], 391 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2], 392 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1], 393 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3]. 394 395* release notes for 396 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5], 397 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4], 398 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3], 399 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2], 400 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1], 401 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2]. 402 403* link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3] 404 405* release notes for 406 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3], 407 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2], 408 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1], 409 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1]. 410 411* link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6] 412 413* release notes for 414 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6], 415 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5], 416 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4], 417 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3], 418 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2], 419 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1], 420 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0]. 421 422* link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6] 423 424* release notes for 425 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6], 426 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5], 427 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4], 428 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3], 429 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2], 430 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1], 431 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6]. 432 433* link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6] 434 435* release notes for 436 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6], 437 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5], 438 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4], 439 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3], 440 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2], 441 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1], 442 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5]. 443 444* link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7] 445 446* release notes for 447 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7], 448 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6], 449 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5], 450 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4], 451 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3], 452 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2], 453 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1], 454 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4]. 455 456* link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8] 457 458* release notes for 459 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8], 460 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7], 461 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6], 462 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5], 463 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4], 464 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3], 465 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2], 466 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1], 467 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3]. 468 469* link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5] 470 471* release notes for 472 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5], 473 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4], 474 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3], 475 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2], 476 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1], 477 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2]. 478 479* link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6] 480 481* release notes for 482 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6], 483 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5], 484 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4], 485 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3], 486 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2], 487 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1], 488 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1]. 489 490* link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7] 491 492* release notes for 493 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7], 494 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6], 495 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5], 496 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3], 497 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2], 498 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1], 499 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0]. 500 501* documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4], 502 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3], 503 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6], 504 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13]. 505 506============ 507 508endif::stalenotes[] 509 510OPTIONS 511------- 512--version:: 513 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from. 514 515--help:: 516 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used 517 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all 518 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this 519 option will bring up the manual page for that command. 520+ 521Other options are available to control how the manual page is 522displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information, 523because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git 524help ...`. 525 526-C <path>:: 527 Run as if git was started in '<path>' instead of the current working 528 directory. When multiple `-C` options are given, each subsequent 529 non-absolute `-C <path>` is interpreted relative to the preceding `-C 530 <path>`. 531+ 532This option affects options that expect path name like `--git-dir` and 533`--work-tree` in that their interpretations of the path names would be 534made relative to the working directory caused by the `-C` option. For 535example the following invocations are equivalent: 536 537 git --git-dir=a.git --work-tree=b -C c status 538 git --git-dir=c/a.git --work-tree=c/b status 539 540-c <name>=<value>:: 541 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value 542 given will override values from configuration files. 543 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by 544 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots). 545+ 546Note that omitting the `=` in `git -c foo.bar ...` is allowed and sets 547`foo.bar` to the boolean true value (just like `[foo]bar` would in a 548config file). Including the equals but with an empty value (like `git -c 549foo.bar= ...`) sets `foo.bar` to the empty string. 550 551--exec-path[=<path>]:: 552 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed. 553 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH 554 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print 555 the current setting and then exit. 556 557--html-path:: 558 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML 559 documentation is installed and exit. 560 561--man-path:: 562 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for 563 this version of Git and exit. 564 565--info-path:: 566 Print the path where the Info files documenting this 567 version of Git are installed and exit. 568 569-p:: 570--paginate:: 571 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard 572 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>` 573 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section 574 below). 575 576--no-pager:: 577 Do not pipe Git output into a pager. 578 579--git-dir=<path>:: 580 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by 581 setting the `GIT_DIR` environment variable. It can be an absolute 582 path or relative path to current working directory. 583 584--work-tree=<path>:: 585 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path 586 or a path relative to the current working directory. 587 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE 588 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration 589 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a 590 more detailed discussion). 591 592--namespace=<path>:: 593 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more 594 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment 595 variable. 596 597--bare:: 598 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR 599 environment is not set, it is set to the current working 600 directory. 601 602--no-replace-objects:: 603 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See 604 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information. 605 606--literal-pathspecs:: 607 Treat pathspecs literally (i.e. no globbing, no pathspec magic). 608 This is equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment 609 variable to `1`. 610 611--glob-pathspecs:: 612 Add "glob" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting 613 the `GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Disabling 614 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec 615 magic ":(literal)" 616 617--noglob-pathspecs:: 618 Add "literal" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting 619 the `GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Enabling 620 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec 621 magic ":(glob)" 622 623--icase-pathspecs:: 624 Add "icase" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting 625 the `GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. 626 627GIT COMMANDS 628------------ 629 630We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level 631("plumbing") commands. 632 633High-level commands (porcelain) 634------------------------------- 635 636We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some 637ancillary user utilities. 638 639Main porcelain commands 640~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 641 642include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[] 643 644Ancillary Commands 645~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 646Manipulators: 647 648include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[] 649 650Interrogators: 651 652include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[] 653 654 655Interacting with Others 656~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 657 658These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other 659people via patch over e-mail. 660 661include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[] 662 663 664Low-level commands (plumbing) 665----------------------------- 666 667Although Git includes its 668own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support 669development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains 670might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and 671linkgit:git-read-tree[1]. 672 673The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics) 674to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable 675than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are 676primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands 677on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the 678end user experience. 679 680The following description divides 681the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in 682the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and 683compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between 684repositories. 685 686 687Manipulation commands 688~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 689 690include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[] 691 692 693Interrogation commands 694~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 695 696include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[] 697 698In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in 699the working tree. 700 701 702Synching repositories 703~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 704 705include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[] 706 707The following are helper commands used by the above; end users 708typically do not use them directly. 709 710include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[] 711 712 713Internal helper commands 714~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 715 716These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end 717users typically do not use them directly. 718 719include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[] 720 721 722Configuration Mechanism 723----------------------- 724 725Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per 726repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look 727like this: 728 729------------ 730# 731# A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment. 732# 733 734; core variables 735[core] 736 ; Don't trust file modes 737 filemode = false 738 739; user identity 740[user] 741 name = "Junio C Hamano" 742 email = "gitster@pobox.com" 743 744------------ 745 746Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust 747their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a 748list and more details about the configuration mechanism. 749 750 751Identifier Terminology 752---------------------- 753<object>:: 754 Indicates the object name for any type of object. 755 756<blob>:: 757 Indicates a blob object name. 758 759<tree>:: 760 Indicates a tree object name. 761 762<commit>:: 763 Indicates a commit object name. 764 765<tree-ish>:: 766 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A 767 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to 768 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences 769 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>. 770 771<commit-ish>:: 772 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A 773 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to 774 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences 775 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>. 776 777<type>:: 778 Indicates that an object type is required. 779 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`. 780 781<file>:: 782 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the 783 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes. 784 785Symbolic Identifiers 786-------------------- 787Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following 788symbolic notation: 789 790HEAD:: 791 indicates the head of the current branch. 792 793<tag>:: 794 a valid tag 'name' 795 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference). 796 797<head>:: 798 a valid head 'name' 799 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference). 800 801For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see 802"SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7]. 803 804 805File/Directory Structure 806------------------------ 807 808Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document. 809 810Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook. 811 812Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the 813`$GIT_DIR`. 814 815 816Terminology 817----------- 818Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7]. 819 820 821Environment Variables 822--------------------- 823Various Git commands use the following environment variables: 824 825The Git Repository 826~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 827These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it 828is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above 829Git so take care if using a foreign front-end. 830 831`GIT_INDEX_FILE`:: 832 This environment allows the specification of an alternate 833 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index` 834 is used. 835 836`GIT_INDEX_VERSION`:: 837 This environment variable allows the specification of an index 838 version for new repositories. It won't affect existing index 839 files. By default index file version 2 or 3 is used. See 840 linkgit:git-update-index[1] for more information. 841 842`GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY`:: 843 If the object storage directory is specified via this 844 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created 845 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects` 846 directory is used. 847 848`GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES`:: 849 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be 850 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable 851 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list 852 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git 853 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories. 854 855`GIT_DIR`:: 856 If the `GIT_DIR` environment variable is set then it 857 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git` 858 for the base of the repository. 859 The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value. 860 861`GIT_WORK_TREE`:: 862 Set the path to the root of the working tree. 863 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command-line 864 option and the core.worktree configuration variable. 865 866`GIT_NAMESPACE`:: 867 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details. 868 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value. 869 870`GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES`:: 871 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If 872 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up 873 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for 874 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not 875 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the 876 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read 877 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that 878 might be present in order to compare them with the current 879 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you 880 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the 881 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved; 882 e.g., 883 `GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink`. 884 885`GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM`:: 886 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository 887 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent 888 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it 889 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable 890 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem 891 boundaries. Like `GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES`, this will not affect 892 an explicit repository directory set via `GIT_DIR` or on the 893 command line. 894 895`GIT_COMMON_DIR`:: 896 If this variable is set to a path, non-worktree files that are 897 normally in $GIT_DIR will be taken from this path 898 instead. Worktree-specific files such as HEAD or index are 899 taken from $GIT_DIR. See linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] and 900 linkgit:git-worktree[1] for 901 details. This variable has lower precedence than other path 902 variables such as GIT_INDEX_FILE, GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY... 903 904Git Commits 905~~~~~~~~~~~ 906`GIT_AUTHOR_NAME`:: 907`GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL`:: 908`GIT_AUTHOR_DATE`:: 909`GIT_COMMITTER_NAME`:: 910`GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL`:: 911`GIT_COMMITTER_DATE`:: 912'EMAIL':: 913 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1] 914 915Git Diffs 916~~~~~~~~~ 917`GIT_DIFF_OPTS`:: 918 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the 919 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created. 920 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option 921 value passed on the Git diff command line. 922 923`GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF`:: 924 When the environment variable `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` is set, the 925 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation 926 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified, 927 `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` is called with 7 parameters: 928 929 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode 930+ 931where: 932 933 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the 934 contents of <old|new>, 935 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes, 936 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes. 937+ 938The file parameters can point at the user's working file 939(e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file` 940when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the 941index). `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` should not worry about unlinking the 942temporary file --- it is removed when `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` exits. 943+ 944For a path that is unmerged, `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` is called with 1 945parameter, <path>. 946+ 947For each path `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` is called, two environment variables, 948`GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER` and `GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL` are set. 949 950`GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER`:: 951 A 1-based counter incremented by one for every path. 952 953`GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL`:: 954 The total number of paths. 955 956other 957~~~~~ 958`GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY`:: 959 A number controlling the amount of output shown by 960 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity. 961 See linkgit:git-merge[1] 962 963`GIT_PAGER`:: 964 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set 965 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch 966 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in 967 linkgit:git-config[1]. 968 969`GIT_EDITOR`:: 970 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`. 971 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode, 972 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1] 973 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1]. 974 975`GIT_SSH`:: 976`GIT_SSH_COMMAND`:: 977 If either of these environment variables is set then 'git fetch' 978 and 'git push' will use the specified command instead of 'ssh' 979 when they need to connect to a remote system. 980 The command will be given exactly two or four arguments: the 981 'username@host' (or just 'host') from the URL and the shell 982 command to execute on that remote system, optionally preceded by 983 '-p' (literally) and the 'port' from the URL when it specifies 984 something other than the default SSH port. 985+ 986`$GIT_SSH_COMMAND` takes precedence over `$GIT_SSH`, and is interpreted 987by the shell, which allows additional arguments to be included. 988`$GIT_SSH` on the other hand must be just the path to a program 989(which can be a wrapper shell script, if additional arguments are 990needed). 991+ 992Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your 993personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation 994for further details. 995 996`GIT_ASKPASS`:: 997 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to 998 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication) 999 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command-line argument1000 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the `core.askPass`1001 option in linkgit:git-config[1].10021003`GIT_TERMINAL_PROMPT`::1004 If this environment variable is set to `0`, git will not prompt1005 on the terminal (e.g., when asking for HTTP authentication).10061007`GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM`::1008 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide1009 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This environment variable can1010 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a1011 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it1012 temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while1013 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.10141015`GIT_FLUSH`::1016 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such1017 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',1018 'git check-attr' and 'git check-ignore' will1019 force a flush of the output stream after each record have been1020 flushed. If this1021 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done1022 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is1023 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing1024 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.10251026`GIT_TRACE`::1027 Enables general trace messages, e.g. alias expansion, built-in1028 command execution and external command execution.1029+1030If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison1031is case insensitive), trace messages will be printed to1032stderr.1033+1034If the variable is set to an integer value greater than 21035and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this1036value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the1037trace messages into this file descriptor.1038+1039Alternatively, if the variable is set to an absolute path1040(starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this1041as a file path and will try to write the trace messages1042into it.1043+1044Unsetting the variable, or setting it to empty, "0" or1045"false" (case insensitive) disables trace messages.10461047`GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS`::1048 Enables trace messages for all accesses to any packs. For each1049 access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is1050 recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some1051 pack-related performance problems.1052 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.10531054`GIT_TRACE_PACKET`::1055 Enables trace messages for all packets coming in or out of a1056 given program. This can help with debugging object negotiation1057 or other protocol issues. Tracing is turned off at a packet1058 starting with "PACK" (but see `GIT_TRACE_PACKFILE` below).1059 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.10601061`GIT_TRACE_PACKFILE`::1062 Enables tracing of packfiles sent or received by a1063 given program. Unlike other trace output, this trace is1064 verbatim: no headers, and no quoting of binary data. You almost1065 certainly want to direct into a file (e.g.,1066 `GIT_TRACE_PACKFILE=/tmp/my.pack`) rather than displaying it on1067 the terminal or mixing it with other trace output.1068+1069Note that this is currently only implemented for the client side1070of clones and fetches.10711072`GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE`::1073 Enables performance related trace messages, e.g. total execution1074 time of each Git command.1075 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.10761077`GIT_TRACE_SETUP`::1078 Enables trace messages printing the .git, working tree and current1079 working directory after Git has completed its setup phase.1080 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.10811082`GIT_TRACE_SHALLOW`::1083 Enables trace messages that can help debugging fetching /1084 cloning of shallow repositories.1085 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.10861087`GIT_TRACE_CURL`::1088 Enables a curl full trace dump of all incoming and outgoing data,1089 including descriptive information, of the git transport protocol.1090 This is similar to doing curl `--trace-ascii` on the command line.1091 This option overrides setting the `GIT_CURL_VERBOSE` environment1092 variable.1093 See `GIT_TRACE` for available trace output options.10941095`GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS`::1096 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all1097 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,1098 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search1099 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the1100 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding1101 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by1102 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).11031104`GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS`::1105 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all1106 pathspecs as glob patterns (aka "glob" magic).11071108`GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS`::1109 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all1110 pathspecs as literal (aka "literal" magic).11111112`GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS`::1113 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all1114 pathspecs as case-insensitive.11151116`GIT_REFLOG_ACTION`::1117 When a ref is updated, reflog entries are created to keep1118 track of the reason why the ref was updated (which is1119 typically the name of the high-level command that updated1120 the ref), in addition to the old and new values of the ref.1121 A scripted Porcelain command can use set_reflog_action1122 helper function in `git-sh-setup` to set its name to this1123 variable when it is invoked as the top level command by the1124 end user, to be recorded in the body of the reflog.11251126`GIT_REF_PARANOIA`::1127 If set to `1`, include broken or badly named refs when iterating1128 over lists of refs. In a normal, non-corrupted repository, this1129 does nothing. However, enabling it may help git to detect and1130 abort some operations in the presence of broken refs. Git sets1131 this variable automatically when performing destructive1132 operations like linkgit:git-prune[1]. You should not need to set1133 it yourself unless you want to be paranoid about making sure1134 an operation has touched every ref (e.g., because you are1135 cloning a repository to make a backup).11361137`GIT_ALLOW_PROTOCOL`::1138 If set, provide a colon-separated list of protocols which are1139 allowed to be used with fetch/push/clone. This is useful to1140 restrict recursive submodule initialization from an untrusted1141 repository. Any protocol not mentioned will be disallowed (i.e.,1142 this is a whitelist, not a blacklist). If the variable is not1143 set at all, all protocols are enabled. The protocol names1144 currently used by git are:11451146 - `file`: any local file-based path (including `file://` URLs,1147 or local paths)11481149 - `git`: the anonymous git protocol over a direct TCP1150 connection (or proxy, if configured)11511152 - `ssh`: git over ssh (including `host:path` syntax,1153 `ssh://`, etc).11541155 - `http`: git over http, both "smart http" and "dumb http".1156 Note that this does _not_ include `https`; if you want both,1157 you should specify both as `http:https`.11581159 - any external helpers are named by their protocol (e.g., use1160 `hg` to allow the `git-remote-hg` helper)116111621163Discussion[[Discussion]]1164------------------------11651166More detail on the following is available from the1167link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the1168user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].11691170A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"1171subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other1172things, a compressed object database representing the complete history1173of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current1174contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such1175as tags and branch heads.11761177The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which1178hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up1179directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree1180and some number of parent commits.11811182The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or1183"version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent1184represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one1185parent represent merges of independent lines of development.11861187All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally1188written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.1189The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing1190just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this1191purpose.11921193When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for1194efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".11951196Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref1197may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs1198with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most1199recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of1200tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named1201`HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.12021203The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each1204path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents1205the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The1206attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the1207corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the1208working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may1209be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the1210content stored in the index.12111212The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")1213for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various1214unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.12151216FURTHER DOCUMENTATION1217---------------------12181219See the references in the "description" section to get started1220using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary1221for a first-time user.12221223The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the1224user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide1225introductions to the underlying Git architecture.12261227See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.12281229See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful1230examples.12311232The internals are documented in the1233link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].12341235Users migrating from CVS may also want to1236read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].123712381239Authors1240-------1241Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio1242C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list1243<git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.openhub.net/p/git/contributors/summary1244gives you a more complete list of contributors.12451246If you have a clone of git.git itself, the1247output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you1248the authors for specific parts of the project.12491250Reporting Bugs1251--------------12521253Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the1254development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be1255subscribed to the list to send a message there.12561257SEE ALSO1258--------1259linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],1260linkgit:giteveryday[7], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],1261linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],1262linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],1263linkgit:gitworkflows[7]12641265GIT1266---1267Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite