1git(1) 2====== 3 4NAME 5---- 6git - the stupid content tracker 7 8 9SYNOPSIS 10-------- 11[verse] 12'git' [--version] [--help] [-C <path>] [-c <name>=<value>] 13 [--exec-path[=<path>]] [--html-path] [--man-path] [--info-path] 14 [-p|--paginate|--no-pager] [--no-replace-objects] [--bare] 15 [--git-dir=<path>] [--work-tree=<path>] [--namespace=<name>] 16 <command> [<args>] 17 18DESCRIPTION 19----------- 20Git is a fast, scalable, distributed revision control system with an 21unusually rich command set that provides both high-level operations 22and full access to internals. 23 24See linkgit:gittutorial[7] to get started, then see 25linkgit:giteveryday[7] for a useful minimum set of 26commands. The link:user-manual.html[Git User's Manual] has a more 27in-depth introduction. 28 29After you mastered the basic concepts, you can come back to this 30page to learn what commands Git offers. You can learn more about 31individual Git commands with "git help command". linkgit:gitcli[7] 32manual page gives you an overview of the command-line command syntax. 33 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 the 'master' 43branch of the `git.git` repository. 44Documentation for older releases are available here: 45 46* link:v2.8.4/git.html[documentation for release 2.8.4] 47 48* release notes for 49 link:RelNotes/2.8.4.txt[2.8.4], 50 link:RelNotes/2.8.3.txt[2.8.3], 51 link:RelNotes/2.8.2.txt[2.8.2], 52 link:RelNotes/2.8.1.txt[2.8.1], 53 link:RelNotes/2.8.0.txt[2.8]. 54 55* link:v2.7.3/git.html[documentation for release 2.7.3] 56 57* release notes for 58 link:RelNotes/2.7.3.txt[2.7.3], 59 link:RelNotes/2.7.2.txt[2.7.2], 60 link:RelNotes/2.7.1.txt[2.7.1], 61 link:RelNotes/2.7.0.txt[2.7]. 62 63* link:v2.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 2.6.6] 64 65* release notes for 66 link:RelNotes/2.6.6.txt[2.6.6], 67 link:RelNotes/2.6.5.txt[2.6.5], 68 link:RelNotes/2.6.4.txt[2.6.4], 69 link:RelNotes/2.6.3.txt[2.6.3], 70 link:RelNotes/2.6.2.txt[2.6.2], 71 link:RelNotes/2.6.1.txt[2.6.1], 72 link:RelNotes/2.6.0.txt[2.6]. 73 74* link:v2.5.5/git.html[documentation for release 2.5.5] 75 76* release notes for 77 link:RelNotes/2.5.5.txt[2.5.5], 78 link:RelNotes/2.5.4.txt[2.5.4], 79 link:RelNotes/2.5.3.txt[2.5.3], 80 link:RelNotes/2.5.2.txt[2.5.2], 81 link:RelNotes/2.5.1.txt[2.5.1], 82 link:RelNotes/2.5.0.txt[2.5]. 83 84* link:v2.4.11/git.html[documentation for release 2.4.11] 85 86* release notes for 87 link:RelNotes/2.4.11.txt[2.4.11], 88 link:RelNotes/2.4.10.txt[2.4.10], 89 link:RelNotes/2.4.9.txt[2.4.9], 90 link:RelNotes/2.4.8.txt[2.4.8], 91 link:RelNotes/2.4.7.txt[2.4.7], 92 link:RelNotes/2.4.6.txt[2.4.6], 93 link:RelNotes/2.4.5.txt[2.4.5], 94 link:RelNotes/2.4.4.txt[2.4.4], 95 link:RelNotes/2.4.3.txt[2.4.3], 96 link:RelNotes/2.4.2.txt[2.4.2], 97 link:RelNotes/2.4.1.txt[2.4.1], 98 link:RelNotes/2.4.0.txt[2.4]. 99 100* link:v2.3.10/git.html[documentation for release 2.3.10] 101 102* release notes for 103 link:RelNotes/2.3.10.txt[2.3.10], 104 link:RelNotes/2.3.9.txt[2.3.9], 105 link:RelNotes/2.3.8.txt[2.3.8], 106 link:RelNotes/2.3.7.txt[2.3.7], 107 link:RelNotes/2.3.6.txt[2.3.6], 108 link:RelNotes/2.3.5.txt[2.3.5], 109 link:RelNotes/2.3.4.txt[2.3.4], 110 link:RelNotes/2.3.3.txt[2.3.3], 111 link:RelNotes/2.3.2.txt[2.3.2], 112 link:RelNotes/2.3.1.txt[2.3.1], 113 link:RelNotes/2.3.0.txt[2.3]. 114 115* link:v2.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 2.2.3] 116 117* release notes for 118 link:RelNotes/2.2.3.txt[2.2.3], 119 link:RelNotes/2.2.2.txt[2.2.2], 120 link:RelNotes/2.2.1.txt[2.2.1], 121 link:RelNotes/2.2.0.txt[2.2]. 122 123* link:v2.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 2.1.4] 124 125* release notes for 126 link:RelNotes/2.1.4.txt[2.1.4], 127 link:RelNotes/2.1.3.txt[2.1.3], 128 link:RelNotes/2.1.2.txt[2.1.2], 129 link:RelNotes/2.1.1.txt[2.1.1], 130 link:RelNotes/2.1.0.txt[2.1]. 131 132* link:v2.0.5/git.html[documentation for release 2.0.5] 133 134* release notes for 135 link:RelNotes/2.0.5.txt[2.0.5], 136 link:RelNotes/2.0.4.txt[2.0.4], 137 link:RelNotes/2.0.3.txt[2.0.3], 138 link:RelNotes/2.0.2.txt[2.0.2], 139 link:RelNotes/2.0.1.txt[2.0.1], 140 link:RelNotes/2.0.0.txt[2.0.0]. 141 142* link:v1.9.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.9.5] 143 144* release notes for 145 link:RelNotes/1.9.5.txt[1.9.5], 146 link:RelNotes/1.9.4.txt[1.9.4], 147 link:RelNotes/1.9.3.txt[1.9.3], 148 link:RelNotes/1.9.2.txt[1.9.2], 149 link:RelNotes/1.9.1.txt[1.9.1], 150 link:RelNotes/1.9.0.txt[1.9.0]. 151 152* link:v1.8.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.5.6] 153 154* release notes for 155 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.6.txt[1.8.5.6], 156 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.5.txt[1.8.5.5], 157 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.4.txt[1.8.5.4], 158 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.3.txt[1.8.5.3], 159 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.2.txt[1.8.5.2], 160 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.1.txt[1.8.5.1], 161 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.txt[1.8.5]. 162 163* link:v1.8.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.4.5] 164 165* release notes for 166 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.5.txt[1.8.4.5], 167 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.4.txt[1.8.4.4], 168 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.3.txt[1.8.4.3], 169 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.2.txt[1.8.4.2], 170 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.1.txt[1.8.4.1], 171 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.txt[1.8.4]. 172 173* link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4] 174 175* release notes for 176 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4], 177 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3], 178 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2], 179 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1], 180 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3]. 181 182* link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3] 183 184* release notes for 185 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3], 186 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2], 187 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1], 188 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2]. 189 190* link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6] 191 192* release notes for 193 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6], 194 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5], 195 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4], 196 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3], 197 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2], 198 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1], 199 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1]. 200 201* link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3] 202 203* release notes for 204 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3], 205 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2], 206 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1], 207 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0]. 208 209* link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4] 210 211* release notes for 212 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4], 213 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3], 214 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2], 215 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1], 216 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12]. 217 218* link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7] 219 220* release notes for 221 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7], 222 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6], 223 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5], 224 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4], 225 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3], 226 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2], 227 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1], 228 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11]. 229 230* link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5] 231 232* release notes for 233 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5], 234 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4], 235 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3], 236 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2], 237 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1], 238 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10]. 239 240* link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7] 241 242* release notes for 243 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7], 244 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6], 245 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5], 246 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4], 247 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3], 248 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2], 249 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1], 250 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9]. 251 252* link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6] 253 254* release notes for 255 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6], 256 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5], 257 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4], 258 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3], 259 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2], 260 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1], 261 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8]. 262 263* link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7] 264 265* release notes for 266 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7], 267 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6], 268 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5], 269 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4], 270 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3], 271 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2], 272 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1], 273 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7]. 274 275* link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6] 276 277* release notes for 278 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6], 279 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5], 280 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4], 281 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3], 282 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2], 283 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1], 284 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6]. 285 286* link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4] 287 288* release notes for 289 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4], 290 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3], 291 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2], 292 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1], 293 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5]. 294 295* link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5] 296 297* release notes for 298 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5], 299 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4], 300 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3], 301 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2], 302 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1], 303 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4]. 304 305* link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5] 306 307* release notes for 308 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5], 309 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4], 310 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3], 311 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2], 312 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1], 313 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3]. 314 315* link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5] 316 317* release notes for 318 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5], 319 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4], 320 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3], 321 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2], 322 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1], 323 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2]. 324 325* link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4] 326 327* release notes for 328 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4], 329 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3], 330 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2], 331 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1], 332 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1]. 333 334* link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9] 335 336* release notes for 337 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9], 338 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8], 339 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7], 340 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6], 341 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5], 342 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4], 343 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3], 344 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2], 345 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1], 346 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0]. 347 348* link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3] 349 350* release notes for 351 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3], 352 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2], 353 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1], 354 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6]. 355 356* link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9] 357 358* release notes for 359 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9], 360 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8], 361 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7], 362 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6], 363 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5], 364 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4], 365 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3], 366 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2], 367 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1], 368 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5]. 369 370* link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5] 371 372* release notes for 373 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5], 374 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4], 375 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3], 376 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2], 377 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1], 378 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4]. 379 380* link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4] 381 382* release notes for 383 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4], 384 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3], 385 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2], 386 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1], 387 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3]. 388 389* release notes for 390 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5], 391 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4], 392 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3], 393 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2], 394 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1], 395 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2]. 396 397* link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3] 398 399* release notes for 400 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3], 401 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2], 402 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1], 403 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1]. 404 405* link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6] 406 407* release notes for 408 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6], 409 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5], 410 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4], 411 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3], 412 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2], 413 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1], 414 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0]. 415 416* link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6] 417 418* release notes for 419 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6], 420 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5], 421 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4], 422 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3], 423 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2], 424 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1], 425 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6]. 426 427* link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6] 428 429* release notes for 430 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6], 431 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5], 432 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4], 433 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3], 434 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2], 435 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1], 436 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5]. 437 438* link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7] 439 440* release notes for 441 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7], 442 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6], 443 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5], 444 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4], 445 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3], 446 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2], 447 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1], 448 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4]. 449 450* link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8] 451 452* release notes for 453 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8], 454 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7], 455 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6], 456 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5], 457 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4], 458 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3], 459 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2], 460 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1], 461 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3]. 462 463* link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5] 464 465* release notes for 466 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5], 467 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4], 468 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3], 469 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2], 470 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1], 471 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2]. 472 473* link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6] 474 475* release notes for 476 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6], 477 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5], 478 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4], 479 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3], 480 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2], 481 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1], 482 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1]. 483 484* link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7] 485 486* release notes for 487 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7], 488 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6], 489 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5], 490 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3], 491 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2], 492 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1], 493 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0]. 494 495* documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4], 496 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3], 497 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6], 498 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13]. 499 500============ 501 502endif::stalenotes[] 503 504OPTIONS 505------- 506--version:: 507 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from. 508 509--help:: 510 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used 511 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all 512 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this 513 option will bring up the manual page for that command. 514+ 515Other options are available to control how the manual page is 516displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information, 517because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git 518help ...`. 519 520-C <path>:: 521 Run as if git was started in '<path>' instead of the current working 522 directory. When multiple `-C` options are given, each subsequent 523 non-absolute `-C <path>` is interpreted relative to the preceding `-C 524 <path>`. 525+ 526This option affects options that expect path name like `--git-dir` and 527`--work-tree` in that their interpretations of the path names would be 528made relative to the working directory caused by the `-C` option. For 529example the following invocations are equivalent: 530 531 git --git-dir=a.git --work-tree=b -C c status 532 git --git-dir=c/a.git --work-tree=c/b status 533 534-c <name>=<value>:: 535 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value 536 given will override values from configuration files. 537 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by 538 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots). 539+ 540Note that omitting the `=` in `git -c foo.bar ...` is allowed and sets 541`foo.bar` to the boolean true value (just like `[foo]bar` would in a 542config file). Including the equals but with an empty value (like `git -c 543foo.bar= ...`) sets `foo.bar` to the empty string. 544 545--exec-path[=<path>]:: 546 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed. 547 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH 548 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print 549 the current setting and then exit. 550 551--html-path:: 552 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML 553 documentation is installed and exit. 554 555--man-path:: 556 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for 557 this version of Git and exit. 558 559--info-path:: 560 Print the path where the Info files documenting this 561 version of Git are installed and exit. 562 563-p:: 564--paginate:: 565 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard 566 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>` 567 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section 568 below). 569 570--no-pager:: 571 Do not pipe Git output into a pager. 572 573--git-dir=<path>:: 574 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by 575 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute 576 path or relative path to current working directory. 577 578--work-tree=<path>:: 579 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path 580 or a path relative to the current working directory. 581 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE 582 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration 583 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a 584 more detailed discussion). 585 586--namespace=<path>:: 587 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more 588 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment 589 variable. 590 591--bare:: 592 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR 593 environment is not set, it is set to the current working 594 directory. 595 596--no-replace-objects:: 597 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See 598 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information. 599 600--literal-pathspecs:: 601 Treat pathspecs literally (i.e. no globbing, no pathspec magic). 602 This is equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment 603 variable to `1`. 604 605--glob-pathspecs:: 606 Add "glob" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting 607 the `GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Disabling 608 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec 609 magic ":(literal)" 610 611--noglob-pathspecs:: 612 Add "literal" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting 613 the `GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Enabling 614 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec 615 magic ":(glob)" 616 617--icase-pathspecs:: 618 Add "icase" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting 619 the `GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. 620 621GIT COMMANDS 622------------ 623 624We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level 625("plumbing") commands. 626 627High-level commands (porcelain) 628------------------------------- 629 630We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some 631ancillary user utilities. 632 633Main porcelain commands 634~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 635 636include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[] 637 638Ancillary Commands 639~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 640Manipulators: 641 642include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[] 643 644Interrogators: 645 646include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[] 647 648 649Interacting with Others 650~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 651 652These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other 653people via patch over e-mail. 654 655include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[] 656 657 658Low-level commands (plumbing) 659----------------------------- 660 661Although Git includes its 662own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support 663development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains 664might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and 665linkgit:git-read-tree[1]. 666 667The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics) 668to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable 669than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are 670primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands 671on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the 672end user experience. 673 674The following description divides 675the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in 676the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and 677compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between 678repositories. 679 680 681Manipulation commands 682~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 683 684include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[] 685 686 687Interrogation commands 688~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 689 690include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[] 691 692In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in 693the working tree. 694 695 696Synching repositories 697~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 698 699include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[] 700 701The following are helper commands used by the above; end users 702typically do not use them directly. 703 704include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[] 705 706 707Internal helper commands 708~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 709 710These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end 711users typically do not use them directly. 712 713include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[] 714 715 716Configuration Mechanism 717----------------------- 718 719Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per 720repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look 721like this: 722 723------------ 724# 725# A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment. 726# 727 728; core variables 729[core] 730 ; Don't trust file modes 731 filemode = false 732 733; user identity 734[user] 735 name = "Junio C Hamano" 736 email = "gitster@pobox.com" 737 738------------ 739 740Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust 741their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a 742list and more details about the configuration mechanism. 743 744 745Identifier Terminology 746---------------------- 747<object>:: 748 Indicates the object name for any type of object. 749 750<blob>:: 751 Indicates a blob object name. 752 753<tree>:: 754 Indicates a tree object name. 755 756<commit>:: 757 Indicates a commit object name. 758 759<tree-ish>:: 760 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A 761 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to 762 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences 763 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>. 764 765<commit-ish>:: 766 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A 767 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to 768 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences 769 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>. 770 771<type>:: 772 Indicates that an object type is required. 773 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`. 774 775<file>:: 776 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the 777 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes. 778 779Symbolic Identifiers 780-------------------- 781Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following 782symbolic notation: 783 784HEAD:: 785 indicates the head of the current branch. 786 787<tag>:: 788 a valid tag 'name' 789 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference). 790 791<head>:: 792 a valid head 'name' 793 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference). 794 795For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see 796"SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7]. 797 798 799File/Directory Structure 800------------------------ 801 802Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document. 803 804Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook. 805 806Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the 807`$GIT_DIR`. 808 809 810Terminology 811----------- 812Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7]. 813 814 815Environment Variables 816--------------------- 817Various Git commands use the following environment variables: 818 819The Git Repository 820~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 821These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it 822is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above 823Git so take care if using a foreign front-end. 824 825'GIT_INDEX_FILE':: 826 This environment allows the specification of an alternate 827 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index` 828 is used. 829 830'GIT_INDEX_VERSION':: 831 This environment variable allows the specification of an index 832 version for new repositories. It won't affect existing index 833 files. By default index file version 2 or 3 is used. See 834 linkgit:git-update-index[1] for more information. 835 836'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY':: 837 If the object storage directory is specified via this 838 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created 839 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects` 840 directory is used. 841 842'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES':: 843 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be 844 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable 845 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list 846 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git 847 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories. 848 849'GIT_DIR':: 850 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it 851 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git` 852 for the base of the repository. 853 The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value. 854 855'GIT_WORK_TREE':: 856 Set the path to the root of the working tree. 857 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command-line 858 option and the core.worktree configuration variable. 859 860'GIT_NAMESPACE':: 861 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details. 862 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value. 863 864'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES':: 865 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If 866 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up 867 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for 868 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not 869 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the 870 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read 871 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that 872 might be present in order to compare them with the current 873 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you 874 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the 875 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved; 876 e.g., 877 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'. 878 879'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM':: 880 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository 881 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent 882 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it 883 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable 884 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem 885 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect 886 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the 887 command line. 888 889'GIT_COMMON_DIR':: 890 If this variable is set to a path, non-worktree files that are 891 normally in $GIT_DIR will be taken from this path 892 instead. Worktree-specific files such as HEAD or index are 893 taken from $GIT_DIR. See linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] and 894 linkgit:git-worktree[1] for 895 details. This variable has lower precedence than other path 896 variables such as GIT_INDEX_FILE, GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY... 897 898Git Commits 899~~~~~~~~~~~ 900'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME':: 901'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL':: 902'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE':: 903'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME':: 904'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL':: 905'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE':: 906'EMAIL':: 907 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1] 908 909Git Diffs 910~~~~~~~~~ 911'GIT_DIFF_OPTS':: 912 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the 913 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created. 914 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option 915 value passed on the Git diff command line. 916 917'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF':: 918 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the 919 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation 920 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified, 921 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters: 922 923 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode 924+ 925where: 926 927 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the 928 contents of <old|new>, 929 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes, 930 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes. 931+ 932The file parameters can point at the user's working file 933(e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file` 934when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the 935index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the 936temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits. 937+ 938For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1 939parameter, <path>. 940+ 941For each path 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called, two environment variables, 942'GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER' and 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL' are set. 943 944'GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER':: 945 A 1-based counter incremented by one for every path. 946 947'GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL':: 948 The total number of paths. 949 950other 951~~~~~ 952'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY':: 953 A number controlling the amount of output shown by 954 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity. 955 See linkgit:git-merge[1] 956 957'GIT_PAGER':: 958 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set 959 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch 960 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in 961 linkgit:git-config[1]. 962 963'GIT_EDITOR':: 964 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`. 965 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode, 966 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1] 967 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1]. 968 969'GIT_SSH':: 970'GIT_SSH_COMMAND':: 971 If either of these environment variables is set then 'git fetch' 972 and 'git push' will use the specified command instead of 'ssh' 973 when they need to connect to a remote system. 974 The command will be given exactly two or four arguments: the 975 'username@host' (or just 'host') from the URL and the shell 976 command to execute on that remote system, optionally preceded by 977 '-p' (literally) and the 'port' from the URL when it specifies 978 something other than the default SSH port. 979+ 980`$GIT_SSH_COMMAND` takes precedence over `$GIT_SSH`, and is interpreted 981by the shell, which allows additional arguments to be included. 982`$GIT_SSH` on the other hand must be just the path to a program 983(which can be a wrapper shell script, if additional arguments are 984needed). 985+ 986Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your 987personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation 988for further details. 989 990'GIT_ASKPASS':: 991 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to 992 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication) 993 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command-line argument 994 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askPass' 995 option in linkgit:git-config[1]. 996 997'GIT_TERMINAL_PROMPT':: 998 If this environment variable is set to `0`, git will not prompt 999 on the terminal (e.g., when asking for HTTP authentication).10001001'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::1002 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide1003 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This environment variable can1004 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a1005 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it1006 temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while1007 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.10081009'GIT_FLUSH'::1010 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such1011 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',1012 'git check-attr' and 'git check-ignore' will1013 force a flush of the output stream after each record have been1014 flushed. If this1015 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done1016 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is1017 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing1018 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.10191020'GIT_TRACE'::1021 Enables general trace messages, e.g. alias expansion, built-in1022 command execution and external command execution.1023+1024If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison1025is case insensitive), trace messages will be printed to1026stderr.1027+1028If the variable is set to an integer value greater than 21029and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this1030value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the1031trace messages into this file descriptor.1032+1033Alternatively, if the variable is set to an absolute path1034(starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this1035as a file path and will try to write the trace messages1036into it.1037+1038Unsetting the variable, or setting it to empty, "0" or1039"false" (case insensitive) disables trace messages.10401041'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::1042 Enables trace messages for all accesses to any packs. For each1043 access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is1044 recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some1045 pack-related performance problems.1046 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.10471048'GIT_TRACE_PACKET'::1049 Enables trace messages for all packets coming in or out of a1050 given program. This can help with debugging object negotiation1051 or other protocol issues. Tracing is turned off at a packet1052 starting with "PACK" (but see 'GIT_TRACE_PACKFILE' below).1053 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.10541055'GIT_TRACE_PACKFILE'::1056 Enables tracing of packfiles sent or received by a1057 given program. Unlike other trace output, this trace is1058 verbatim: no headers, and no quoting of binary data. You almost1059 certainly want to direct into a file (e.g.,1060 `GIT_TRACE_PACKFILE=/tmp/my.pack`) rather than displaying it on1061 the terminal or mixing it with other trace output.1062+1063Note that this is currently only implemented for the client side1064of clones and fetches.10651066'GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE'::1067 Enables performance related trace messages, e.g. total execution1068 time of each Git command.1069 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.10701071'GIT_TRACE_SETUP'::1072 Enables trace messages printing the .git, working tree and current1073 working directory after Git has completed its setup phase.1074 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.10751076'GIT_TRACE_SHALLOW'::1077 Enables trace messages that can help debugging fetching /1078 cloning of shallow repositories.1079 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.10801081'GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS'::1082 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all1083 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,1084 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search1085 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the1086 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding1087 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by1088 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).10891090'GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS'::1091 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all1092 pathspecs as glob patterns (aka "glob" magic).10931094'GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS'::1095 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all1096 pathspecs as literal (aka "literal" magic).10971098'GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS'::1099 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all1100 pathspecs as case-insensitive.11011102'GIT_REFLOG_ACTION'::1103 When a ref is updated, reflog entries are created to keep1104 track of the reason why the ref was updated (which is1105 typically the name of the high-level command that updated1106 the ref), in addition to the old and new values of the ref.1107 A scripted Porcelain command can use set_reflog_action1108 helper function in `git-sh-setup` to set its name to this1109 variable when it is invoked as the top level command by the1110 end user, to be recorded in the body of the reflog.11111112'GIT_REF_PARANOIA'::1113 If set to `1`, include broken or badly named refs when iterating1114 over lists of refs. In a normal, non-corrupted repository, this1115 does nothing. However, enabling it may help git to detect and1116 abort some operations in the presence of broken refs. Git sets1117 this variable automatically when performing destructive1118 operations like linkgit:git-prune[1]. You should not need to set1119 it yourself unless you want to be paranoid about making sure1120 an operation has touched every ref (e.g., because you are1121 cloning a repository to make a backup).11221123'GIT_ALLOW_PROTOCOL'::1124 If set, provide a colon-separated list of protocols which are1125 allowed to be used with fetch/push/clone. This is useful to1126 restrict recursive submodule initialization from an untrusted1127 repository. Any protocol not mentioned will be disallowed (i.e.,1128 this is a whitelist, not a blacklist). If the variable is not1129 set at all, all protocols are enabled. The protocol names1130 currently used by git are:11311132 - `file`: any local file-based path (including `file://` URLs,1133 or local paths)11341135 - `git`: the anonymous git protocol over a direct TCP1136 connection (or proxy, if configured)11371138 - `ssh`: git over ssh (including `host:path` syntax,1139 `ssh://`, etc).11401141 - `http`: git over http, both "smart http" and "dumb http".1142 Note that this does _not_ include `https`; if you want both,1143 you should specify both as `http:https`.11441145 - any external helpers are named by their protocol (e.g., use1146 `hg` to allow the `git-remote-hg` helper)114711481149Discussion[[Discussion]]1150------------------------11511152More detail on the following is available from the1153link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the1154user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].11551156A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"1157subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other1158things, a compressed object database representing the complete history1159of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current1160contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such1161as tags and branch heads.11621163The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which1164hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up1165directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree1166and some number of parent commits.11671168The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or1169"version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent1170represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one1171parent represent merges of independent lines of development.11721173All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally1174written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.1175The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing1176just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this1177purpose.11781179When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for1180efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".11811182Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref1183may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs1184with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most1185recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of1186tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named1187`HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.11881189The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each1190path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents1191the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The1192attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the1193corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the1194working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may1195be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the1196content stored in the index.11971198The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")1199for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various1200unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.12011202FURTHER DOCUMENTATION1203---------------------12041205See the references in the "description" section to get started1206using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary1207for a first-time user.12081209The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the1210user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide1211introductions to the underlying Git architecture.12121213See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.12141215See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful1216examples.12171218The internals are documented in the1219link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].12201221Users migrating from CVS may also want to1222read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].122312241225Authors1226-------1227Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio1228C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list1229<git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.openhub.net/p/git/contributors/summary1230gives you a more complete list of contributors.12311232If you have a clone of git.git itself, the1233output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you1234the authors for specific parts of the project.12351236Reporting Bugs1237--------------12381239Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the1240development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be1241subscribed to the list to send a message there.12421243SEE ALSO1244--------1245linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],1246linkgit:giteveryday[7], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],1247linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],1248linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],1249linkgit:gitworkflows[7]12501251GIT1252---1253Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite