Documentation / git.txton commit Merge branch 'jc/mention-tracking-for-pull-default' into maint (cd9c038)
   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:v1.8.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.4]
  47
  48* release notes for
  49  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
  50  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
  51  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
  52  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
  53  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
  54
  55* link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
  56
  57* release notes for
  58  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
  59  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
  60  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
  61  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
  62
  63* link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
  64
  65* release notes for
  66  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
  67  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
  68  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
  69  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
  70  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
  71
  72* link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
  73
  74* release notes for
  75  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
  76  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
  77  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
  78  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
  79  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
  80  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
  81  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
  82  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
  83
  84* link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
  85
  86* release notes for
  87  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
  88  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
  89  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
  90  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
  91  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
  92  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
  93
  94* link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
  95
  96* release notes for
  97  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
  98  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
  99  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
 100  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
 101  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
 102  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
 103  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
 104  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
 105
 106* link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
 107
 108* release notes for
 109  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
 110  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
 111  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
 112  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
 113  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
 114  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
 115  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
 116
 117* link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
 118
 119* release notes for
 120  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
 121  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
 122  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
 123  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
 124  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
 125  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
 126  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
 127  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
 128
 129* link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
 130
 131* release notes for
 132  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
 133  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
 134  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
 135  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
 136  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
 137  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
 138  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
 139
 140* link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
 141
 142* release notes for
 143  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
 144  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
 145  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
 146  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
 147  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
 148
 149* link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
 150
 151* release notes for
 152  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
 153  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
 154  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
 155  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
 156  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
 157  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
 158
 159* link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
 160
 161* release notes for
 162  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
 163  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
 164  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
 165  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
 166  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
 167  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
 168
 169* link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
 170
 171* release notes for
 172  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
 173  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
 174  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
 175  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
 176  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
 177  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
 178
 179* link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
 180
 181* release notes for
 182  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
 183  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
 184  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
 185  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
 186  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
 187
 188* link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
 189
 190* release notes for
 191  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
 192  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
 193  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
 194  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
 195  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
 196  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
 197  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
 198  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
 199  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
 200  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
 201
 202* link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
 203
 204* release notes for
 205  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
 206  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
 207  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
 208  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
 209
 210* link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
 211
 212* release notes for
 213  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
 214  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
 215  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
 216  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
 217  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
 218  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
 219  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
 220  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
 221  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
 222  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
 223
 224* link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
 225
 226* release notes for
 227  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
 228  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
 229  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
 230  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
 231  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
 232  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
 233
 234* link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
 235
 236* release notes for
 237  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
 238  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
 239  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
 240  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
 241  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
 242
 243* release notes for
 244  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
 245  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
 246  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
 247  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
 248  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
 249  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
 250
 251* link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
 252
 253* release notes for
 254  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
 255  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
 256  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
 257  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
 258
 259* link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
 260
 261* release notes for
 262  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
 263  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
 264  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
 265  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
 266  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
 267  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
 268  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
 269
 270* link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
 271
 272* release notes for
 273  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
 274  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
 275  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
 276  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
 277  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
 278  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
 279  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
 280
 281* link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
 282
 283* release notes for
 284  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
 285  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
 286  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
 287  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
 288  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
 289  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
 290  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
 291
 292* link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
 293
 294* release notes for
 295  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
 296  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
 297  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
 298  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
 299  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
 300  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
 301  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
 302  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
 303
 304* link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
 305
 306* release notes for
 307  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
 308  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
 309  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
 310  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
 311  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
 312  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
 313  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
 314  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
 315  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
 316
 317* link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
 318
 319* release notes for
 320  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
 321  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
 322  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
 323  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
 324  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
 325  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
 326
 327* link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
 328
 329* release notes for
 330  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
 331  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
 332  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
 333  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
 334  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
 335  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
 336  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
 337
 338* link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
 339
 340* release notes for
 341  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
 342  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
 343  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
 344  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
 345  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
 346  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
 347  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
 348
 349* documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
 350  link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
 351  link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
 352  link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
 353
 354============
 355
 356endif::stalenotes[]
 357
 358OPTIONS
 359-------
 360--version::
 361        Prints the git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
 362
 363--help::
 364        Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
 365        commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
 366        available commands are printed. If a git command is named this
 367        option will bring up the manual page for that command.
 368+
 369Other options are available to control how the manual page is
 370displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
 371because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
 372help ...`.
 373
 374-c <name>=<value>::
 375        Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
 376        given will override values from configuration files.
 377        The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
 378        'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
 379
 380--exec-path[=<path>]::
 381        Path to wherever your core git programs are installed.
 382        This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
 383        environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
 384        the current setting and then exit.
 385
 386--html-path::
 387        Print the path, without trailing slash, where git's HTML
 388        documentation is installed and exit.
 389
 390--man-path::
 391        Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
 392        this version of git and exit.
 393
 394--info-path::
 395        Print the path where the Info files documenting this
 396        version of git are installed and exit.
 397
 398-p::
 399--paginate::
 400        Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
 401        output is a terminal.  This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
 402        configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
 403        below).
 404
 405--no-pager::
 406        Do not pipe git output into a pager.
 407
 408--git-dir=<path>::
 409        Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
 410        setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
 411        path or relative path to current working directory.
 412
 413--work-tree=<path>::
 414        Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
 415        or a path relative to the current working directory.
 416        This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
 417        environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
 418        variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 419        more detailed discussion).
 420
 421--namespace=<path>::
 422        Set the git namespace.  See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
 423        details.  Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
 424        variable.
 425
 426--bare::
 427        Treat the repository as a bare repository.  If GIT_DIR
 428        environment is not set, it is set to the current working
 429        directory.
 430
 431--no-replace-objects::
 432        Do not use replacement refs to replace git objects. See
 433        linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
 434
 435
 436GIT COMMANDS
 437------------
 438
 439We divide git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
 440("plumbing") commands.
 441
 442High-level commands (porcelain)
 443-------------------------------
 444
 445We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
 446ancillary user utilities.
 447
 448Main porcelain commands
 449~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 450
 451include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
 452
 453Ancillary Commands
 454~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 455Manipulators:
 456
 457include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
 458
 459Interrogators:
 460
 461include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
 462
 463
 464Interacting with Others
 465~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 466
 467These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
 468people via patch over e-mail.
 469
 470include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
 471
 472
 473Low-level commands (plumbing)
 474-----------------------------
 475
 476Although git includes its
 477own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
 478development of alternative porcelains.  Developers of such porcelains
 479might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
 480linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
 481
 482The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
 483to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
 484than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
 485primarily for scripted use.  The interface to Porcelain commands
 486on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
 487end user experience.
 488
 489The following description divides
 490the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
 491the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
 492compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
 493repositories.
 494
 495
 496Manipulation commands
 497~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 498
 499include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
 500
 501
 502Interrogation commands
 503~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 504
 505include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
 506
 507In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
 508the working tree.
 509
 510
 511Synching repositories
 512~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 513
 514include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
 515
 516The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
 517typically do not use them directly.
 518
 519include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
 520
 521
 522Internal helper commands
 523~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 524
 525These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
 526users typically do not use them directly.
 527
 528include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
 529
 530
 531Configuration Mechanism
 532-----------------------
 533
 534Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
 535repository and are per user.  Such a configuration file may look
 536like this:
 537
 538------------
 539#
 540# A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
 541#
 542
 543; core variables
 544[core]
 545        ; Don't trust file modes
 546        filemode = false
 547
 548; user identity
 549[user]
 550        name = "Junio C Hamano"
 551        email = "gitster@pobox.com"
 552
 553------------
 554
 555Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
 556their operation accordingly.  See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 557list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
 558
 559
 560Identifier Terminology
 561----------------------
 562<object>::
 563        Indicates the object name for any type of object.
 564
 565<blob>::
 566        Indicates a blob object name.
 567
 568<tree>::
 569        Indicates a tree object name.
 570
 571<commit>::
 572        Indicates a commit object name.
 573
 574<tree-ish>::
 575        Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name.  A
 576        command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 577        operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
 578        <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
 579
 580<commit-ish>::
 581        Indicates a commit or tag object name.  A
 582        command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 583        operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
 584        <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
 585
 586<type>::
 587        Indicates that an object type is required.
 588        Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
 589
 590<file>::
 591        Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
 592        root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
 593
 594Symbolic Identifiers
 595--------------------
 596Any git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
 597symbolic notation:
 598
 599HEAD::
 600        indicates the head of the current branch.
 601
 602<tag>::
 603        a valid tag 'name'
 604        (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
 605
 606<head>::
 607        a valid head 'name'
 608        (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
 609
 610For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
 611"SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
 612
 613
 614File/Directory Structure
 615------------------------
 616
 617Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
 618
 619Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
 620
 621Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
 622`$GIT_DIR`.
 623
 624
 625Terminology
 626-----------
 627Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
 628
 629
 630Environment Variables
 631---------------------
 632Various git commands use the following environment variables:
 633
 634The git Repository
 635~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 636These environment variables apply to 'all' core git commands. Nb: it
 637is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
 638git so take care if using Cogito etc.
 639
 640'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
 641        This environment allows the specification of an alternate
 642        index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
 643        is used.
 644
 645'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
 646        If the object storage directory is specified via this
 647        environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
 648        underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
 649        directory is used.
 650
 651'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
 652        Due to the immutable nature of git objects, old objects can be
 653        archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
 654        specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
 655        of git object directories which can be used to search for git
 656        objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
 657
 658'GIT_DIR'::
 659        If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
 660        specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
 661        for the base of the repository.
 662        The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
 663
 664'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
 665        Set the path to the working tree.  The value will not be
 666        used in combination with repositories found automatically in
 667        a .git directory (i.e. $GIT_DIR is not set).
 668        This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
 669        option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
 670
 671'GIT_NAMESPACE'::
 672        Set the git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
 673        The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
 674
 675'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
 676        This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths.
 677        If set, it is a list of directories that git should not chdir
 678        up into while looking for a repository directory.
 679        It will not exclude the current working directory or
 680        a GIT_DIR set on the command line or in the environment.
 681        (Useful for excluding slow-loading network directories.)
 682
 683'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
 684        When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
 685        directory, git tries to find such a directory in the parent
 686        directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
 687        does not cross filesystem boundaries.  This environment variable
 688        can be set to true to tell git not to stop at filesystem
 689        boundaries.  Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
 690        an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
 691        command line.
 692
 693git Commits
 694~~~~~~~~~~~
 695'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
 696'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
 697'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
 698'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
 699'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
 700'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
 701'EMAIL'::
 702        see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
 703
 704git Diffs
 705~~~~~~~~~
 706'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
 707        Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
 708        number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
 709        This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
 710        value passed on the git diff command line.
 711
 712'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
 713        When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
 714        program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
 715        described above.  For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
 716        'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
 717
 718        path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
 719+
 720where:
 721
 722        <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
 723                         contents of <old|new>,
 724        <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA1 hashes,
 725        <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
 726+
 727The file parameters can point at the user's working file
 728(e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
 729when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
 730index).  'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
 731temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
 732+
 733For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
 734parameter, <path>.
 735
 736other
 737~~~~~
 738'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
 739        A number controlling the amount of output shown by
 740        the recursive merge strategy.  Overrides merge.verbosity.
 741        See linkgit:git-merge[1]
 742
 743'GIT_PAGER'::
 744        This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
 745        to an empty string or to the value "cat", git will not launch
 746        a pager.  See also the `core.pager` option in
 747        linkgit:git-config[1].
 748
 749'GIT_EDITOR'::
 750        This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
 751        It is used by several git commands when, on interactive mode,
 752        an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
 753        and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 754
 755'GIT_SSH'::
 756        If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
 757        and 'git push' will use this command instead
 758        of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
 759        The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two arguments:
 760        the 'username@host' (or just 'host') from the URL and the
 761        shell command to execute on that remote system.
 762+
 763To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
 764you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
 765then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
 766+
 767Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
 768personal `.ssh/config` file.  Please consult your ssh documentation
 769for further details.
 770
 771'GIT_ASKPASS'::
 772        If this environment variable is set, then git commands which need to
 773        acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
 774        will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
 775        and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
 776        option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 777
 778'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
 779        Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
 780        `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file.  This environment variable can
 781        be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
 782        predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
 783        temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
 784        waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
 785
 786'GIT_FLUSH'::
 787        If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
 788        as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
 789        and 'git whatchanged' will force a flush of the output stream
 790        after each commit-oriented record have been flushed.   If this
 791        variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
 792        using completely buffered I/O.   If this environment variable is
 793        not set, git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
 794        based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
 795
 796'GIT_TRACE'::
 797        If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
 798        is case insensitive), git will print `trace:` messages on
 799        stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
 800        execution and external command execution.
 801        If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
 802        and lower than 10 (strictly) then git will interpret this
 803        value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
 804        trace messages into this file descriptor.
 805        Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
 806        (starting with a '/' character), git will interpret this
 807        as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
 808        into it.
 809
 810Discussion[[Discussion]]
 811------------------------
 812
 813More detail on the following is available from the
 814link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
 815user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
 816
 817A git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
 818subdirectory at the top level.  The .git directory contains, among other
 819things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
 820of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
 821contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
 822as tags and branch heads.
 823
 824The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
 825hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
 826directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
 827and some number of parent commits.
 828
 829The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
 830"version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
 831represents an immediately preceding step.  Commits with more than one
 832parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
 833
 834All objects are named by the SHA1 hash of their contents, normally
 835written as a string of 40 hex digits.  Such names are globally unique.
 836The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
 837just that commit.  A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
 838purpose.
 839
 840When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
 841efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
 842
 843Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history.  A ref
 844may contain the SHA1 name of an object or the name of another ref.  Refs
 845with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA1 name of the most
 846recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development.  SHA1 names of
 847tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`.  A special ref named
 848`HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
 849
 850The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
 851path, a blob object and a set of attributes.  The blob object represents
 852the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch.  The
 853attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
 854corresponding file in the working tree.  Subsequent changes to the
 855working tree can be found by comparing these attributes.  The index may
 856be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
 857content stored in the index.
 858
 859The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
 860for a given pathname.  These stages are used to hold the various
 861unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
 862
 863FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
 864---------------------
 865
 866See the references in the "description" section to get started
 867using git.  The following is probably more detail than necessary
 868for a first-time user.
 869
 870The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
 871user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
 872introductions to the underlying git architecture.
 873
 874See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
 875
 876See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
 877examples.
 878
 879The internals are documented in the
 880link:technical/api-index.html[GIT API documentation].
 881
 882Users migrating from CVS may also want to
 883read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
 884
 885
 886Authors
 887-------
 888Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
 889C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the git mailing list
 890<git@vger.kernel.org>.  http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
 891gives you a more complete list of contributors.
 892
 893If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
 894output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
 895the authors for specific parts of the project.
 896
 897Reporting Bugs
 898--------------
 899
 900Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
 901development and maintenance is primarily done.  You do not have to be
 902subscribed to the list to send a message there.
 903
 904SEE ALSO
 905--------
 906linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
 907link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
 908linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
 909linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
 910linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
 911
 912GIT
 913---
 914Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite