git-http-backend(1)
===================

NAME
----
git-http-backend - Server side implementation of Git over HTTP

SYNOPSIS
--------
[verse]
'git-http-backend'

DESCRIPTION
-----------
A simple CGI program to serve the contents of a Git repository to Git
clients accessing the repository over http:// and https:// protocols.
The program supports clients fetching using both the smart HTTP protcol
and the backwards-compatible dumb HTTP protocol, as well as clients
pushing using the smart HTTP protocol.

By default, only the `upload-pack` service is enabled, which serves
'git-fetch-pack' and 'git-ls-remote' clients, which are invoked from
'git-fetch', 'git-pull', and 'git-clone'.  If the client is authenticated,
the `receive-pack` service is enabled, which serves 'git-send-pack'
clients, which is invoked from 'git-push'.

SERVICES
--------
These services can be enabled/disabled using the per-repository
configuration file:

http.uploadpack::
	This serves 'git-fetch-pack' and 'git-ls-remote' clients.
	It is enabled by default, but a repository can disable it
	by setting this configuration item to `false`.

http.receivepack::
	This serves 'git-send-pack' clients, allowing push.  It is
	disabled by default for anonymous users, and enabled by
	default for users authenticated by the web server.  It can be
	disabled by setting this item to `false`, or enabled for all
	users, including anonymous users, by setting it to `true`.

URL TRANSLATION
---------------
To determine the location of the repository on disk, 'git-http-backend'
concatenates the environment variables PATH_INFO, which is set
automatically by the web server, and GIT_PROJECT_ROOT, which must be set
manually in the web server configuration.  If GIT_PROJECT_ROOT is not
set, 'git-http-backend' reads PATH_TRANSLATED, which is also set
automatically by the web server.

EXAMPLES
--------
All of the following examples map 'http://$hostname/git/foo/bar.git'
to '/var/www/git/foo/bar.git'.

Apache 2.x::
	Ensure mod_cgi, mod_alias, and mod_env are enabled, set
	GIT_PROJECT_ROOT (or DocumentRoot) appropriately, and
	create a ScriptAlias to the CGI:
+
----------------------------------------------------------------
SetEnv GIT_PROJECT_ROOT /var/www/git
ScriptAlias /git/ /usr/libexec/git-core/git-http-backend/
----------------------------------------------------------------
+
To enable anonymous read access but authenticated write access,
require authorization with a LocationMatch directive:
+
----------------------------------------------------------------
<LocationMatch ".*/git-receive-pack$">
	AuthType Basic
	AuthName "Git Access"
	Require group committers
	...
</LocationMatch>
----------------------------------------------------------------
+
To require authentication for both reads and writes, use a Location
directive around the repository, or one of its parent directories:
+
----------------------------------------------------------------
<Location /git/private>
	AuthType Basic
	AuthName "Private Git Access"
	Require group committers
	...
</Location>
----------------------------------------------------------------

Accelerated static Apache 2.x::
	Similar to the above, but Apache can be used to return static
	files that are stored on disk.	On many systems this may
	be more efficient as Apache can ask the kernel to copy the
	file contents from the file system directly to the network:
+
----------------------------------------------------------------
SetEnv GIT_PROJECT_ROOT /var/www/git

AliasMatch ^/git/(.*/objects/[0-9a-f]{2}/[0-9a-f]{38})$          /var/www/git/$1
AliasMatch ^/git/(.*/objects/pack/pack-[0-9a-f]{40}.(pack|idx))$ /var/www/git/$1
ScriptAlias /git/ /usr/libexec/git-core/git-http-backend/
----------------------------------------------------------------


ENVIRONMENT
-----------
'git-http-backend' relies upon the CGI environment variables set
by the invoking web server, including:

* PATH_INFO (if GIT_PROJECT_ROOT is set, otherwise PATH_TRANSLATED)
* REMOTE_USER
* REMOTE_ADDR
* CONTENT_TYPE
* QUERY_STRING
* REQUEST_METHOD

The backend process sets GIT_COMMITTER_NAME to '$REMOTE_USER' and
GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL to '$\{REMOTE_USER}@http.$\{REMOTE_ADDR\}',
ensuring that any reflogs created by 'git-receive-pack' contain some
identifying information of the remote user who performed the push.

All CGI environment variables are available to each of the hooks
invoked by the 'git-receive-pack'.

Author
------
Written by Shawn O. Pearce <spearce@spearce.org>.

Documentation
--------------
Documentation by Shawn O. Pearce <spearce@spearce.org>.

GIT
---
Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite