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:v1.8.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.4]
  47
  48* release notes for
  49  link:RelNotes/1.8.4.txt[1.8.4].
  50
  51* link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4]
  52
  53* release notes for
  54  link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4],
  55  link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3],
  56  link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
  57  link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
  58  link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
  59
  60* link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
  61
  62* release notes for
  63  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3],
  64  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2],
  65  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1],
  66  link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
  67
  68* link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
  69
  70* release notes for
  71  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
  72  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
  73  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
  74  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
  75  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
  76  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
  77  link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
  78
  79* link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
  80
  81* release notes for
  82  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
  83  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
  84  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
  85  link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
  86
  87* link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
  88
  89* release notes for
  90  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
  91  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
  92  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
  93  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
  94  link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
  95
  96* link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
  97
  98* release notes for
  99  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
 100  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
 101  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
 102  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
 103  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
 104  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
 105  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
 106  link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
 107
 108* link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
 109
 110* release notes for
 111  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
 112  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
 113  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
 114  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
 115  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
 116  link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
 117
 118* link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
 119
 120* release notes for
 121  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
 122  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
 123  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
 124  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
 125  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
 126  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
 127  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
 128  link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
 129
 130* link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
 131
 132* release notes for
 133  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
 134  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
 135  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
 136  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
 137  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
 138  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
 139  link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
 140
 141* link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
 142
 143* release notes for
 144  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
 145  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
 146  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
 147  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
 148  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
 149  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
 150  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
 151  link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
 152
 153* link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
 154
 155* release notes for
 156  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
 157  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
 158  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
 159  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
 160  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
 161  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
 162  link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
 163
 164* link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
 165
 166* release notes for
 167  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
 168  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
 169  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
 170  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
 171  link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
 172
 173* link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
 174
 175* release notes for
 176  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
 177  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
 178  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
 179  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
 180  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
 181  link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
 182
 183* link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
 184
 185* release notes for
 186  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
 187  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
 188  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
 189  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
 190  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
 191  link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
 192
 193* link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
 194
 195* release notes for
 196  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
 197  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
 198  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
 199  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
 200  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
 201  link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
 202
 203* link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
 204
 205* release notes for
 206  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
 207  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
 208  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
 209  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
 210  link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
 211
 212* link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
 213
 214* release notes for
 215  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
 216  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
 217  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
 218  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
 219  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
 220  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
 221  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
 222  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
 223  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
 224  link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
 225
 226* link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
 227
 228* release notes for
 229  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
 230  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
 231  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
 232  link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
 233
 234* link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
 235
 236* release notes for
 237  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
 238  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
 239  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
 240  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
 241  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
 242  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
 243  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
 244  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
 245  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
 246  link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
 247
 248* link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
 249
 250* release notes for
 251  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
 252  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
 253  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
 254  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
 255  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
 256  link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
 257
 258* link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
 259
 260* release notes for
 261  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
 262  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
 263  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
 264  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
 265  link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
 266
 267* release notes for
 268  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
 269  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
 270  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
 271  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
 272  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
 273  link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
 274
 275* link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
 276
 277* release notes for
 278  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
 279  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
 280  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
 281  link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
 282
 283* link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
 284
 285* release notes for
 286  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
 287  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
 288  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
 289  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
 290  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
 291  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
 292  link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
 293
 294* link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
 295
 296* release notes for
 297  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
 298  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
 299  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
 300  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
 301  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
 302  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
 303  link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
 304
 305* link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
 306
 307* release notes for
 308  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
 309  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
 310  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
 311  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
 312  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
 313  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
 314  link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
 315
 316* link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
 317
 318* release notes for
 319  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
 320  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
 321  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
 322  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
 323  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
 324  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
 325  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
 326  link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
 327
 328* link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
 329
 330* release notes for
 331  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
 332  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
 333  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
 334  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
 335  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
 336  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
 337  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
 338  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
 339  link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
 340
 341* link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
 342
 343* release notes for
 344  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
 345  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
 346  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
 347  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
 348  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
 349  link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
 350
 351* link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
 352
 353* release notes for
 354  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
 355  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
 356  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
 357  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
 358  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
 359  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
 360  link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
 361
 362* link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
 363
 364* release notes for
 365  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
 366  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
 367  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
 368  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
 369  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
 370  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
 371  link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
 372
 373* documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
 374  link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
 375  link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
 376  link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
 377
 378============
 379
 380endif::stalenotes[]
 381
 382OPTIONS
 383-------
 384--version::
 385        Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
 386
 387--help::
 388        Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
 389        commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
 390        available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
 391        option will bring up the manual page for that command.
 392+
 393Other options are available to control how the manual page is
 394displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
 395because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
 396help ...`.
 397
 398-c <name>=<value>::
 399        Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
 400        given will override values from configuration files.
 401        The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
 402        'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
 403
 404--exec-path[=<path>]::
 405        Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
 406        This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
 407        environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
 408        the current setting and then exit.
 409
 410--html-path::
 411        Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
 412        documentation is installed and exit.
 413
 414--man-path::
 415        Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
 416        this version of Git and exit.
 417
 418--info-path::
 419        Print the path where the Info files documenting this
 420        version of Git are installed and exit.
 421
 422-p::
 423--paginate::
 424        Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
 425        output is a terminal.  This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
 426        configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
 427        below).
 428
 429--no-pager::
 430        Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
 431
 432--git-dir=<path>::
 433        Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
 434        setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
 435        path or relative path to current working directory.
 436
 437--work-tree=<path>::
 438        Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
 439        or a path relative to the current working directory.
 440        This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
 441        environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
 442        variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 443        more detailed discussion).
 444
 445--namespace=<path>::
 446        Set the Git namespace.  See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
 447        details.  Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
 448        variable.
 449
 450--bare::
 451        Treat the repository as a bare repository.  If GIT_DIR
 452        environment is not set, it is set to the current working
 453        directory.
 454
 455--no-replace-objects::
 456        Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
 457        linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
 458
 459--literal-pathspecs::
 460        Treat pathspecs literally (i.e. no globbing, no pathspec magic).
 461        This is equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
 462        variable to `1`.
 463
 464--glob-pathspecs:
 465        Add "glob" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
 466        the `GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Disabling
 467        globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
 468        magic ":(literal)"
 469
 470--noglob-pathspecs:
 471        Add "literal" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
 472        the `GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Enabling
 473        globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
 474        magic ":(glob)"
 475
 476--icase-pathspecs:
 477        Add "icase" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
 478        the `GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`.
 479
 480GIT COMMANDS
 481------------
 482
 483We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
 484("plumbing") commands.
 485
 486High-level commands (porcelain)
 487-------------------------------
 488
 489We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
 490ancillary user utilities.
 491
 492Main porcelain commands
 493~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 494
 495include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
 496
 497Ancillary Commands
 498~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 499Manipulators:
 500
 501include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
 502
 503Interrogators:
 504
 505include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
 506
 507
 508Interacting with Others
 509~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 510
 511These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
 512people via patch over e-mail.
 513
 514include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
 515
 516
 517Low-level commands (plumbing)
 518-----------------------------
 519
 520Although Git includes its
 521own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
 522development of alternative porcelains.  Developers of such porcelains
 523might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
 524linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
 525
 526The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
 527to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
 528than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
 529primarily for scripted use.  The interface to Porcelain commands
 530on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
 531end user experience.
 532
 533The following description divides
 534the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
 535the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
 536compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
 537repositories.
 538
 539
 540Manipulation commands
 541~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 542
 543include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
 544
 545
 546Interrogation commands
 547~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 548
 549include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
 550
 551In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
 552the working tree.
 553
 554
 555Synching repositories
 556~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 557
 558include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
 559
 560The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
 561typically do not use them directly.
 562
 563include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
 564
 565
 566Internal helper commands
 567~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 568
 569These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
 570users typically do not use them directly.
 571
 572include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
 573
 574
 575Configuration Mechanism
 576-----------------------
 577
 578Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
 579repository and are per user.  Such a configuration file may look
 580like this:
 581
 582------------
 583#
 584# A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
 585#
 586
 587; core variables
 588[core]
 589        ; Don't trust file modes
 590        filemode = false
 591
 592; user identity
 593[user]
 594        name = "Junio C Hamano"
 595        email = "gitster@pobox.com"
 596
 597------------
 598
 599Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
 600their operation accordingly.  See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 601list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
 602
 603
 604Identifier Terminology
 605----------------------
 606<object>::
 607        Indicates the object name for any type of object.
 608
 609<blob>::
 610        Indicates a blob object name.
 611
 612<tree>::
 613        Indicates a tree object name.
 614
 615<commit>::
 616        Indicates a commit object name.
 617
 618<tree-ish>::
 619        Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name.  A
 620        command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 621        operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
 622        <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
 623
 624<commit-ish>::
 625        Indicates a commit or tag object name.  A
 626        command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 627        operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
 628        <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
 629
 630<type>::
 631        Indicates that an object type is required.
 632        Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
 633
 634<file>::
 635        Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
 636        root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
 637
 638Symbolic Identifiers
 639--------------------
 640Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
 641symbolic notation:
 642
 643HEAD::
 644        indicates the head of the current branch.
 645
 646<tag>::
 647        a valid tag 'name'
 648        (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
 649
 650<head>::
 651        a valid head 'name'
 652        (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
 653
 654For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
 655"SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
 656
 657
 658File/Directory Structure
 659------------------------
 660
 661Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
 662
 663Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
 664
 665Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
 666`$GIT_DIR`.
 667
 668
 669Terminology
 670-----------
 671Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
 672
 673
 674Environment Variables
 675---------------------
 676Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
 677
 678The Git Repository
 679~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 680These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
 681is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
 682Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
 683
 684'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
 685        This environment allows the specification of an alternate
 686        index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
 687        is used.
 688
 689'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
 690        If the object storage directory is specified via this
 691        environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
 692        underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
 693        directory is used.
 694
 695'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
 696        Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
 697        archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
 698        specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
 699        of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
 700        objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
 701
 702'GIT_DIR'::
 703        If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
 704        specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
 705        for the base of the repository.
 706        The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
 707
 708'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
 709        Set the path to the root of the working tree.
 710        This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
 711        option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
 712
 713'GIT_NAMESPACE'::
 714        Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
 715        The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
 716
 717'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
 718        This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths.  If
 719        set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
 720        into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
 721        excluding slow-loading network directories).  It will not
 722        exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
 723        command line or in the environment.  Normally, Git has to read
 724        the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
 725        might be present in order to compare them with the current
 726        directory.  However, if even this access is slow, you
 727        can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
 728        subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
 729        e.g.,
 730        'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
 731
 732'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
 733        When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
 734        directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
 735        directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
 736        does not cross filesystem boundaries.  This environment variable
 737        can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
 738        boundaries.  Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
 739        an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
 740        command line.
 741
 742Git Commits
 743~~~~~~~~~~~
 744'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
 745'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
 746'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
 747'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
 748'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
 749'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
 750'EMAIL'::
 751        see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
 752
 753Git Diffs
 754~~~~~~~~~
 755'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
 756        Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
 757        number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
 758        This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
 759        value passed on the Git diff command line.
 760
 761'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
 762        When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
 763        program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
 764        described above.  For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
 765        'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
 766
 767        path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
 768+
 769where:
 770
 771        <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
 772                         contents of <old|new>,
 773        <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
 774        <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
 775+
 776The file parameters can point at the user's working file
 777(e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
 778when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
 779index).  'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
 780temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
 781+
 782For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
 783parameter, <path>.
 784
 785other
 786~~~~~
 787'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
 788        A number controlling the amount of output shown by
 789        the recursive merge strategy.  Overrides merge.verbosity.
 790        See linkgit:git-merge[1]
 791
 792'GIT_PAGER'::
 793        This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
 794        to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
 795        a pager.  See also the `core.pager` option in
 796        linkgit:git-config[1].
 797
 798'GIT_EDITOR'::
 799        This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
 800        It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
 801        an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
 802        and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 803
 804'GIT_SSH'::
 805        If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
 806        and 'git push' will use this command instead
 807        of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
 808        The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
 809        four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
 810        from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
 811        remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
 812        the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
 813        than the default SSH port.
 814+
 815To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
 816you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
 817then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
 818+
 819Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
 820personal `.ssh/config` file.  Please consult your ssh documentation
 821for further details.
 822
 823'GIT_ASKPASS'::
 824        If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
 825        acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
 826        will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
 827        and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
 828        option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 829
 830'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
 831        Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
 832        `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file.  This environment variable can
 833        be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
 834        predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
 835        temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
 836        waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
 837
 838'GIT_FLUSH'::
 839        If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
 840        as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
 841        'git check-attr' and 'git check-ignore' will
 842        force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
 843        flushed. If this
 844        variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
 845        using completely buffered I/O.   If this environment variable is
 846        not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
 847        based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
 848
 849'GIT_TRACE'::
 850        If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
 851        is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
 852        stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
 853        execution and external command execution.
 854        If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
 855        and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
 856        value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
 857        trace messages into this file descriptor.
 858        Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
 859        (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
 860        as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
 861        into it.
 862
 863'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
 864        If this variable is set to a path, a file will be created at
 865        the given path logging all accesses to any packs. For each
 866        access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
 867        recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
 868        pack-related performance problems.
 869
 870'GIT_TRACE_PACKET'::
 871        If this variable is set, it shows a trace of all packets
 872        coming in or out of a given program. This can help with
 873        debugging object negotiation or other protocol issues. Tracing
 874        is turned off at a packet starting with "PACK".
 875
 876GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
 877        Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
 878        pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
 879        running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
 880        for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
 881        glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
 882        literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
 883        `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
 884
 885GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS::
 886        Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
 887        pathspecs as glob patterns (aka "glob" magic).
 888
 889GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS::
 890        Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
 891        pathspecs as literal (aka "literal" magic).
 892
 893GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS::
 894        Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
 895        pathspecs as case-insensitive.
 896
 897
 898Discussion[[Discussion]]
 899------------------------
 900
 901More detail on the following is available from the
 902link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
 903user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
 904
 905A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
 906subdirectory at the top level.  The .git directory contains, among other
 907things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
 908of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
 909contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
 910as tags and branch heads.
 911
 912The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
 913hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
 914directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
 915and some number of parent commits.
 916
 917The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
 918"version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
 919represents an immediately preceding step.  Commits with more than one
 920parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
 921
 922All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
 923written as a string of 40 hex digits.  Such names are globally unique.
 924The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
 925just that commit.  A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
 926purpose.
 927
 928When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
 929efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
 930
 931Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history.  A ref
 932may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref.  Refs
 933with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
 934recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development.  SHA-1 names of
 935tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`.  A special ref named
 936`HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
 937
 938The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
 939path, a blob object and a set of attributes.  The blob object represents
 940the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch.  The
 941attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
 942corresponding file in the working tree.  Subsequent changes to the
 943working tree can be found by comparing these attributes.  The index may
 944be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
 945content stored in the index.
 946
 947The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
 948for a given pathname.  These stages are used to hold the various
 949unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
 950
 951FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
 952---------------------
 953
 954See the references in the "description" section to get started
 955using Git.  The following is probably more detail than necessary
 956for a first-time user.
 957
 958The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
 959user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
 960introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
 961
 962See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
 963
 964See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
 965examples.
 966
 967The internals are documented in the
 968link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
 969
 970Users migrating from CVS may also want to
 971read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
 972
 973
 974Authors
 975-------
 976Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
 977C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
 978<git@vger.kernel.org>.  http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
 979gives you a more complete list of contributors.
 980
 981If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
 982output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
 983the authors for specific parts of the project.
 984
 985Reporting Bugs
 986--------------
 987
 988Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
 989development and maintenance is primarily done.  You do not have to be
 990subscribed to the list to send a message there.
 991
 992SEE ALSO
 993--------
 994linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
 995link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
 996linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
 997linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
 998linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
 999
1000GIT
1001---
1002Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite