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:v1.8.3.2/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.2]
  47
  48* release notes for
  49  link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
  50  link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
  51  link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
  52
  53* link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
  54
  55* release notes for
  56  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3],
  57  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2],
  58  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1],
  59  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
  60
  61* link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
  62
  63* release notes for
  64  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
  65  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
  66  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
  67  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
  68  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
  69  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
  70  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
  71
  72* link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
  73
  74* release notes for
  75  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
  76  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
  77  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
  78  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
  79
  80* link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
  81
  82* release notes for
  83  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
  84  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
  85  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
  86  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
  87  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
  88
  89* link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
  90
  91* release notes for
  92  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
  93  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
  94  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
  95  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
  96  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
  97  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
  98  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
  99  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
 100
 101* link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
 102
 103* release notes for
 104  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
 105  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
 106  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
 107  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
 108  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
 109  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
 110
 111* link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
 112
 113* release notes for
 114  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
 115  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
 116  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
 117  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
 118  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
 119  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
 120  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
 121  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
 122
 123* link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
 124
 125* release notes for
 126  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
 127  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
 128  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
 129  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
 130  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
 131  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
 132  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
 133
 134* link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
 135
 136* release notes for
 137  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
 138  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
 139  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
 140  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
 141  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
 142  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
 143  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
 144  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
 145
 146* link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
 147
 148* release notes for
 149  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
 150  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
 151  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
 152  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
 153  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
 154  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
 155  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
 156
 157* link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
 158
 159* release notes for
 160  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
 161  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
 162  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
 163  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
 164  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
 165
 166* link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
 167
 168* release notes for
 169  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
 170  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
 171  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
 172  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
 173  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
 174  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
 175
 176* link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
 177
 178* release notes for
 179  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
 180  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
 181  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
 182  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
 183  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
 184  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
 185
 186* link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
 187
 188* release notes for
 189  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
 190  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
 191  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
 192  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
 193  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
 194  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
 195
 196* link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
 197
 198* release notes for
 199  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
 200  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
 201  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
 202  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
 203  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
 204
 205* link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
 206
 207* release notes for
 208  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
 209  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
 210  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
 211  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
 212  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
 213  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
 214  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
 215  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
 216  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
 217  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
 218
 219* link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
 220
 221* release notes for
 222  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
 223  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
 224  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
 225  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
 226
 227* link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
 228
 229* release notes for
 230  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
 231  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
 232  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
 233  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
 234  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
 235  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
 236  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
 237  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
 238  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
 239  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
 240
 241* link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
 242
 243* release notes for
 244  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
 245  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
 246  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
 247  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
 248  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
 249  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
 250
 251* link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
 252
 253* release notes for
 254  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
 255  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
 256  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
 257  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
 258  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
 259
 260* release notes for
 261  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
 262  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
 263  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
 264  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
 265  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
 266  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
 267
 268* link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
 269
 270* release notes for
 271  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
 272  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
 273  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
 274  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
 275
 276* link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
 277
 278* release notes for
 279  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
 280  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
 281  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
 282  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
 283  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
 284  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
 285  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
 286
 287* link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
 288
 289* release notes for
 290  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
 291  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
 292  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
 293  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
 294  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
 295  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
 296  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
 297
 298* link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
 299
 300* release notes for
 301  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
 302  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
 303  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
 304  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
 305  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
 306  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
 307  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
 308
 309* link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
 310
 311* release notes for
 312  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
 313  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
 314  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
 315  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
 316  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
 317  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
 318  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
 319  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
 320
 321* link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
 322
 323* release notes for
 324  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
 325  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
 326  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
 327  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
 328  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
 329  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
 330  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
 331  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
 332  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
 333
 334* link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
 335
 336* release notes for
 337  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
 338  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
 339  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
 340  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
 341  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
 342  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
 343
 344* link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
 345
 346* release notes for
 347  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
 348  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
 349  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
 350  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
 351  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
 352  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
 353  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
 354
 355* link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
 356
 357* release notes for
 358  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
 359  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
 360  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
 361  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
 362  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
 363  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
 364  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
 365
 366* documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
 367  link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
 368  link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
 369  link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
 370
 371============
 372
 373endif::stalenotes[]
 374
 375OPTIONS
 376-------
 377--version::
 378        Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
 379
 380--help::
 381        Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
 382        commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
 383        available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
 384        option will bring up the manual page for that command.
 385+
 386Other options are available to control how the manual page is
 387displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
 388because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
 389help ...`.
 390
 391-c <name>=<value>::
 392        Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
 393        given will override values from configuration files.
 394        The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
 395        'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
 396
 397--exec-path[=<path>]::
 398        Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
 399        This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
 400        environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
 401        the current setting and then exit.
 402
 403--html-path::
 404        Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
 405        documentation is installed and exit.
 406
 407--man-path::
 408        Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
 409        this version of Git and exit.
 410
 411--info-path::
 412        Print the path where the Info files documenting this
 413        version of Git are installed and exit.
 414
 415-p::
 416--paginate::
 417        Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
 418        output is a terminal.  This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
 419        configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
 420        below).
 421
 422--no-pager::
 423        Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
 424
 425--git-dir=<path>::
 426        Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
 427        setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
 428        path or relative path to current working directory.
 429
 430--work-tree=<path>::
 431        Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
 432        or a path relative to the current working directory.
 433        This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
 434        environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
 435        variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 436        more detailed discussion).
 437
 438--namespace=<path>::
 439        Set the Git namespace.  See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
 440        details.  Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
 441        variable.
 442
 443--bare::
 444        Treat the repository as a bare repository.  If GIT_DIR
 445        environment is not set, it is set to the current working
 446        directory.
 447
 448--no-replace-objects::
 449        Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
 450        linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
 451
 452--literal-pathspecs::
 453        Treat pathspecs literally (i.e. no globbing, no pathspec magic).
 454        This is equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
 455        variable to `1`.
 456
 457--glob-pathspecs:
 458        Add "glob" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
 459        the `GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Disabling
 460        globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
 461        magic ":(literal)"
 462
 463--noglob-pathspecs:
 464        Add "literal" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
 465        the `GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Enabling
 466        globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
 467        magic ":(glob)"
 468
 469GIT COMMANDS
 470------------
 471
 472We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
 473("plumbing") commands.
 474
 475High-level commands (porcelain)
 476-------------------------------
 477
 478We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
 479ancillary user utilities.
 480
 481Main porcelain commands
 482~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 483
 484include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
 485
 486Ancillary Commands
 487~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 488Manipulators:
 489
 490include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
 491
 492Interrogators:
 493
 494include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
 495
 496
 497Interacting with Others
 498~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 499
 500These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
 501people via patch over e-mail.
 502
 503include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
 504
 505
 506Low-level commands (plumbing)
 507-----------------------------
 508
 509Although Git includes its
 510own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
 511development of alternative porcelains.  Developers of such porcelains
 512might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
 513linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
 514
 515The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
 516to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
 517than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
 518primarily for scripted use.  The interface to Porcelain commands
 519on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
 520end user experience.
 521
 522The following description divides
 523the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
 524the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
 525compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
 526repositories.
 527
 528
 529Manipulation commands
 530~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 531
 532include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
 533
 534
 535Interrogation commands
 536~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 537
 538include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
 539
 540In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
 541the working tree.
 542
 543
 544Synching repositories
 545~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 546
 547include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
 548
 549The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
 550typically do not use them directly.
 551
 552include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
 553
 554
 555Internal helper commands
 556~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 557
 558These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
 559users typically do not use them directly.
 560
 561include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
 562
 563
 564Configuration Mechanism
 565-----------------------
 566
 567Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
 568repository and are per user.  Such a configuration file may look
 569like this:
 570
 571------------
 572#
 573# A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
 574#
 575
 576; core variables
 577[core]
 578        ; Don't trust file modes
 579        filemode = false
 580
 581; user identity
 582[user]
 583        name = "Junio C Hamano"
 584        email = "gitster@pobox.com"
 585
 586------------
 587
 588Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
 589their operation accordingly.  See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 590list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
 591
 592
 593Identifier Terminology
 594----------------------
 595<object>::
 596        Indicates the object name for any type of object.
 597
 598<blob>::
 599        Indicates a blob object name.
 600
 601<tree>::
 602        Indicates a tree object name.
 603
 604<commit>::
 605        Indicates a commit object name.
 606
 607<tree-ish>::
 608        Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name.  A
 609        command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 610        operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
 611        <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
 612
 613<commit-ish>::
 614        Indicates a commit or tag object name.  A
 615        command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 616        operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
 617        <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
 618
 619<type>::
 620        Indicates that an object type is required.
 621        Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
 622
 623<file>::
 624        Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
 625        root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
 626
 627Symbolic Identifiers
 628--------------------
 629Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
 630symbolic notation:
 631
 632HEAD::
 633        indicates the head of the current branch.
 634
 635<tag>::
 636        a valid tag 'name'
 637        (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
 638
 639<head>::
 640        a valid head 'name'
 641        (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
 642
 643For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
 644"SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
 645
 646
 647File/Directory Structure
 648------------------------
 649
 650Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
 651
 652Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
 653
 654Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
 655`$GIT_DIR`.
 656
 657
 658Terminology
 659-----------
 660Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
 661
 662
 663Environment Variables
 664---------------------
 665Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
 666
 667The Git Repository
 668~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 669These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
 670is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
 671Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
 672
 673'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
 674        This environment allows the specification of an alternate
 675        index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
 676        is used.
 677
 678'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
 679        If the object storage directory is specified via this
 680        environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
 681        underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
 682        directory is used.
 683
 684'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
 685        Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
 686        archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
 687        specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
 688        of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
 689        objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
 690
 691'GIT_DIR'::
 692        If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
 693        specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
 694        for the base of the repository.
 695        The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
 696
 697'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
 698        Set the path to the root of the working tree.
 699        This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
 700        option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
 701
 702'GIT_NAMESPACE'::
 703        Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
 704        The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
 705
 706'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
 707        This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths.  If
 708        set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
 709        into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
 710        excluding slow-loading network directories).  It will not
 711        exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
 712        command line or in the environment.  Normally, Git has to read
 713        the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
 714        might be present in order to compare them with the current
 715        directory.  However, if even this access is slow, you
 716        can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
 717        subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
 718        e.g.,
 719        'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
 720
 721'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
 722        When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
 723        directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
 724        directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
 725        does not cross filesystem boundaries.  This environment variable
 726        can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
 727        boundaries.  Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
 728        an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
 729        command line.
 730
 731Git Commits
 732~~~~~~~~~~~
 733'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
 734'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
 735'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
 736'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
 737'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
 738'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
 739'EMAIL'::
 740        see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
 741
 742Git Diffs
 743~~~~~~~~~
 744'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
 745        Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
 746        number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
 747        This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
 748        value passed on the Git diff command line.
 749
 750'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
 751        When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
 752        program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
 753        described above.  For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
 754        'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
 755
 756        path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
 757+
 758where:
 759
 760        <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
 761                         contents of <old|new>,
 762        <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
 763        <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
 764+
 765The file parameters can point at the user's working file
 766(e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
 767when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
 768index).  'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
 769temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
 770+
 771For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
 772parameter, <path>.
 773
 774other
 775~~~~~
 776'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
 777        A number controlling the amount of output shown by
 778        the recursive merge strategy.  Overrides merge.verbosity.
 779        See linkgit:git-merge[1]
 780
 781'GIT_PAGER'::
 782        This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
 783        to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
 784        a pager.  See also the `core.pager` option in
 785        linkgit:git-config[1].
 786
 787'GIT_EDITOR'::
 788        This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
 789        It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
 790        an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
 791        and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 792
 793'GIT_SSH'::
 794        If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
 795        and 'git push' will use this command instead
 796        of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
 797        The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
 798        four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
 799        from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
 800        remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
 801        the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
 802        than the default SSH port.
 803+
 804To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
 805you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
 806then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
 807+
 808Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
 809personal `.ssh/config` file.  Please consult your ssh documentation
 810for further details.
 811
 812'GIT_ASKPASS'::
 813        If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
 814        acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
 815        will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
 816        and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
 817        option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 818
 819'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
 820        Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
 821        `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file.  This environment variable can
 822        be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
 823        predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
 824        temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
 825        waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
 826
 827'GIT_FLUSH'::
 828        If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
 829        as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
 830        'git check-attr', 'git check-ignore', and 'git whatchanged' will
 831        force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
 832        flushed. If this
 833        variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
 834        using completely buffered I/O.   If this environment variable is
 835        not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
 836        based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
 837
 838'GIT_TRACE'::
 839        If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
 840        is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
 841        stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
 842        execution and external command execution.
 843        If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
 844        and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
 845        value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
 846        trace messages into this file descriptor.
 847        Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
 848        (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
 849        as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
 850        into it.
 851
 852'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
 853        If this variable is set to a path, a file will be created at
 854        the given path logging all accesses to any packs. For each
 855        access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
 856        recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
 857        pack-related performance problems.
 858
 859'GIT_TRACE_PACKET'::
 860        If this variable is set, it shows a trace of all packets
 861        coming in or out of a given program. This can help with
 862        debugging object negotiation or other protocol issues. Tracing
 863        is turned off at a packet starting with "PACK".
 864
 865GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
 866        Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
 867        pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
 868        running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
 869        for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
 870        glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
 871        literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
 872        `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
 873
 874GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS::
 875        Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
 876        pathspecs as glob patterns (aka "glob" magic).
 877
 878GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS::
 879        Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
 880        pathspecs as literal (aka "literal" magic).
 881
 882
 883Discussion[[Discussion]]
 884------------------------
 885
 886More detail on the following is available from the
 887link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
 888user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
 889
 890A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
 891subdirectory at the top level.  The .git directory contains, among other
 892things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
 893of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
 894contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
 895as tags and branch heads.
 896
 897The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
 898hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
 899directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
 900and some number of parent commits.
 901
 902The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
 903"version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
 904represents an immediately preceding step.  Commits with more than one
 905parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
 906
 907All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
 908written as a string of 40 hex digits.  Such names are globally unique.
 909The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
 910just that commit.  A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
 911purpose.
 912
 913When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
 914efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
 915
 916Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history.  A ref
 917may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref.  Refs
 918with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
 919recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development.  SHA-1 names of
 920tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`.  A special ref named
 921`HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
 922
 923The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
 924path, a blob object and a set of attributes.  The blob object represents
 925the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch.  The
 926attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
 927corresponding file in the working tree.  Subsequent changes to the
 928working tree can be found by comparing these attributes.  The index may
 929be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
 930content stored in the index.
 931
 932The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
 933for a given pathname.  These stages are used to hold the various
 934unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
 935
 936FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
 937---------------------
 938
 939See the references in the "description" section to get started
 940using Git.  The following is probably more detail than necessary
 941for a first-time user.
 942
 943The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
 944user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
 945introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
 946
 947See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
 948
 949See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
 950examples.
 951
 952The internals are documented in the
 953link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
 954
 955Users migrating from CVS may also want to
 956read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
 957
 958
 959Authors
 960-------
 961Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
 962C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
 963<git@vger.kernel.org>.  http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
 964gives you a more complete list of contributors.
 965
 966If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
 967output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
 968the authors for specific parts of the project.
 969
 970Reporting Bugs
 971--------------
 972
 973Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
 974development and maintenance is primarily done.  You do not have to be
 975subscribed to the list to send a message there.
 976
 977SEE ALSO
 978--------
 979linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
 980link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
 981linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
 982linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
 983linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
 984
 985GIT
 986---
 987Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite