1<repository>:: 2 The "remote" repository that is the source of a fetch 3 or pull operation, or the destination of a push operation. 4 One of the following notations can be used 5 to name the remote repository: 6+ 7=============================================================== 8- Rsync URL: rsync://remote.machine/path/to/repo.git/ 9- HTTP(s) URL: http://remote.machine/path/to/repo.git/ 10- git URL: git://remote.machine/path/to/repo.git/ 11- ssh URL: remote.machine:/path/to/repo.git/ 12- Local directory: /path/to/repo.git/ 13=============================================================== 14+ 15In addition to the above, as a short-hand, the name of a 16file in `$GIT_DIR/remotes` directory can be given; the 17named file should be in the following format: 18+ 19 URL: one of the above URL format 20 Push: <refspec> 21 Pull: <refspec> 22+ 23When such a short-hand is specified in place of 24<repository> without <refspec> parameters on the command 25line, <refspec> specified on `Push:` lines or `Pull:` 26lines are used for `git-push` and `git-fetch`/`git-pull`, 27respectively. Multiple `Push:` and and `Pull:` lines may 28be specified for additional branch mappings. 29+ 30The name of a file in `$GIT_DIR/branches` directory can be 31specified as an older notation short-hand; the named 32file should contain a single line, a URL in one of the 33above formats, optionally followed by a hash `#` and the 34name of remote head (URL fragment notation). 35`$GIT_DIR/branches/<remote>` file that stores a <url> 36without the fragment is equivalent to have this in the 37corresponding file in the `$GIT_DIR/remotes/` directory. 38+ 39 URL: <url> 40 Pull: refs/heads/master:<remote> 41+ 42while having `<url>#<head>` is equivalent to 43+ 44 URL: <url> 45 Pull: refs/heads/<head>:<remote> 46 47<refspec>:: 48 The canonical format of a <refspec> parameter is 49 `+?<src>:<dst>`; that is, an optional plus `+`, followed 50 by the source ref, followed by a colon `:`, followed by 51 the destination ref. 52+ 53When used in `git-push`, the <src> side can be an 54arbitrary "SHA1 expression" that can be used as an 55argument to `git-cat-file -t`. E.g. `master~4` (push 56four parents before the current master head). 57+ 58For `git-push`, the local ref that matches <src> is used 59to fast forward the remote ref that matches <dst>. If 60the optional plus `+` is used, the remote ref is updated 61even if it does not result in a fast forward update. 62+ 63For `git-fetch` and `git-pull`, the remote ref that matches <src> 64is fetched, and if <dst> is not empty string, the local 65ref that matches it is fast forwarded using <src>. 66Again, if the optional plus `+` is used, the local ref 67is updated even if it does not result in a fast forward 68update. 69+ 70[NOTE] 71If the remote branch from which you want to pull is 72modified in non-linear ways such as being rewound and 73rebased frequently, then a pull will attempt a merge with 74an older version of itself, likely conflict, and fail. 75It is under these conditions that you would want to use 76the `+` sign to indicate non-fast-forward updates will 77be needed. There is currently no easy way to determine 78or declare that a branch will be made available in a 79repository with this behavior; the pulling user simply 80must know this is the expected usage pattern for a branch. 81+ 82[NOTE] 83You never do your own development on branches that appear 84on the right hand side of a <refspec> colon on `Pull:` lines; 85they are to be updated by `git-fetch`. If you intend to do 86development derived from a remote branch `B`, have a `Pull:` 87line to track it (i.e. `Pull: B:remote-B`), and have a separate 88branch `my-B` to do your development on top of it. The latter 89is created by `git branch my-B remote-B` (or its equivalent `git 90checkout -b my-B remote-B`). Run `git fetch` to keep track of 91the progress of the remote side, and when you see something new 92on the remote branch, merge it into your development branch with 93`git pull . remote-B`, while you are on `my-B` branch. 94The common `Pull: master:origin` mapping of a remote `master` 95branch to a local `origin` branch, which is then merged to a 96ocal development branch, again typically named `master`, is made 97when you run `git clone` for you to follow this pattern. 98+ 99[NOTE] 100There is a difference between listing multiple <refspec> 101directly on `git-pull` command line and having multiple 102`Pull:` <refspec> lines for a <repository> and running 103`git-pull` command without any explicit <refspec> parameters. 104<refspec> listed explicitly on the command line are always 105merged into the current branch after fetching. In other words, 106if you list more than one remote refs, you would be making 107an Octopus. While `git-pull` run without any explicit <refspec> 108parameter takes default <refspec>s from `Pull:` lines, it 109merges only the first <refspec> found into the current branch, 110after fetching all the remote refs. This is because making an 111Octopus from remote refs is rarely done, while keeping track 112of multiple remote heads in one-go by fetching more than one 113is often useful. 114+ 115Some short-cut notations are also supported. 116+ 117* For backward compatibility, `tag` is almost ignored; 118 it just makes the following parameter <tag> to mean a 119 refspec `refs/tags/<tag>:refs/tags/<tag>`. 120* A parameter <ref> without a colon is equivalent to 121 <ref>: when pulling/fetching, and <ref>`:`<ref> when 122 pushing. That is, do not store it locally if 123 fetching, and update the same name if pushing. 124