Packfile transfer protocols
===========================
-Git supports transferring data in packfiles over the ssh://, git:// and
+Git supports transferring data in packfiles over the ssh://, git://, http:// and
file:// transports. There exist two sets of protocols, one for pushing
data from a client to a server and another for fetching data from a
-server to a client. All three transports (ssh, git, file) use the same
-protocol to transfer data.
+server to a client. The three transports (ssh, git, file) use the same
+protocol to transfer data. http is documented in http-protocol.txt.
The processes invoked in the canonical Git implementation are 'upload-pack'
on the server side and 'fetch-pack' on the client side for fetching data;
currently on the server, then for the two to negotiate the smallest amount
of data to send in order to fully update one or the other.
+pkt-line Format
+---------------
+
+The descriptions below build on the pkt-line format described in
+protocol-common.txt. When the grammar indicate `PKT-LINE(...)`, unless
+otherwise noted the usual pkt-line LF rules apply: the sender SHOULD
+include a LF, but the receiver MUST NOT complain if it is not present.
+
Transports
----------
There are three transports over which the packfile protocol is
003fe92df48743b7bc7d26bcaabfddde0a1e20cae47c refs/tags/v1.0^{}
0000
-Server SHOULD terminate each non-flush line using LF ("\n") terminator;
-client MUST NOT complain if there is no terminator.
-
The returned response is a pkt-line stream describing each ref and
its current value. The stream MUST be sorted by name according to
the C locale ordering.
flush-pkt
no-refs = PKT-LINE(zero-id SP "capabilities^{}"
- NUL capability-list LF)
+ NUL capability-list)
list-of-refs = first-ref *other-ref
first-ref = PKT-LINE(obj-id SP refname
- NUL capability-list LF)
+ NUL capability-list)
other-ref = PKT-LINE(other-tip / other-peeled)
- other-tip = obj-id SP refname LF
- other-peeled = obj-id SP refname "^{}" LF
+ other-tip = obj-id SP refname
+ other-peeled = obj-id SP refname "^{}"
shallow = PKT-LINE("shallow" SP obj-id)
want-list = first-want
*additional-want
- shallow-line = PKT_LINE("shallow" SP obj-id)
+ shallow-line = PKT-LINE("shallow" SP obj-id)
- depth-request = PKT_LINE("deepen" SP depth)
+ depth-request = PKT-LINE("deepen" SP depth)
- first-want = PKT-LINE("want" SP obj-id SP capability-list LF)
- additional-want = PKT-LINE("want" SP obj-id LF)
+ first-want = PKT-LINE("want" SP obj-id SP capability-list)
+ additional-want = PKT-LINE("want" SP obj-id)
depth = 1*DIGIT
----
compute-end
have-list = *have-line
- have-line = PKT-LINE("have" SP obj-id LF)
+ have-line = PKT-LINE("have" SP obj-id)
compute-end = flush-pkt / PKT-LINE("done")
----
----
server-response = *ack_multi ack / nak
- ack_multi = PKT-LINE("ACK" SP obj-id ack_status LF)
+ ack_multi = PKT-LINE("ACK" SP obj-id ack_status)
ack_status = "continue" / "common" / "ready"
- ack = PKT-LINE("ACK SP obj-id LF)
- nak = PKT-LINE("NAK" LF)
+ ack = PKT-LINE("ACK" SP obj-id)
+ nak = PKT-LINE("NAK")
----
A simple clone may look like this (with no 'have' lines):
references.
----
- update-request = *shallow command-list [pack-file]
+ update-request = *shallow ( command-list | push-cert ) [packfile]
shallow = PKT-LINE("shallow" SP obj-id)
- command-list = PKT-LINE(command NUL capability-list LF)
- *PKT-LINE(command LF)
+ command-list = PKT-LINE(command NUL capability-list)
+ *PKT-LINE(command)
flush-pkt
command = create / delete / update
old-id = obj-id
new-id = obj-id
- pack-file = "PACK" 28*(OCTET)
+ push-cert = PKT-LINE("push-cert" NUL capability-list LF)
+ PKT-LINE("certificate version 0.1" LF)
+ PKT-LINE("pusher" SP ident LF)
+ PKT-LINE("pushee" SP url LF)
+ PKT-LINE("nonce" SP nonce LF)
+ PKT-LINE(LF)
+ *PKT-LINE(command LF)
+ *PKT-LINE(gpg-signature-lines LF)
+ PKT-LINE("push-cert-end" LF)
+
+ packfile = "PACK" 28*(OCTET)
----
If the receiving end does not support delete-refs, the sending end MUST
NOT ask for delete command.
-The pack-file MUST NOT be sent if the only command used is 'delete'.
+If the receiving end does not support push-cert, the sending end
+MUST NOT send a push-cert command. When a push-cert command is
+sent, command-list MUST NOT be sent; the commands recorded in the
+push certificate is used instead.
-A pack-file MUST be sent if either create or update command is used,
+The packfile MUST NOT be sent if the only command used is 'delete'.
+
+A packfile MUST be sent if either create or update command is used,
even if the server already has all the necessary objects. In this
-case the client MUST send an empty pack-file. The only time this
+case the client MUST send an empty packfile. The only time this
is likely to happen is if the client is creating
a new branch or a tag that points to an existing obj-id.
it will run any update hooks to make sure that the update is acceptable.
If all of that is fine, the server will then update the references.
+Push Certificate
+----------------
+
+A push certificate begins with a set of header lines. After the
+header and an empty line, the protocol commands follow, one per
+line. Note that the trailing LF in push-cert PKT-LINEs is _not_
+optional; it must be present.
+
+Currently, the following header fields are defined:
+
+`pusher` ident::
+ Identify the GPG key in "Human Readable Name <email@address>"
+ format.
+
+`pushee` url::
+ The repository URL (anonymized, if the URL contains
+ authentication material) the user who ran `git push`
+ intended to push into.
+
+`nonce` nonce::
+ The 'nonce' string the receiving repository asked the
+ pushing user to include in the certificate, to prevent
+ replay attacks.
+
+The GPG signature lines are a detached signature for the contents
+recorded in the push certificate before the signature block begins.
+The detached signature is used to certify that the commands were
+given by the pusher, who must be the signer.
+
Report Status
-------------
1*(command-status)
flush-pkt
- unpack-status = PKT-LINE("unpack" SP unpack-result LF)
+ unpack-status = PKT-LINE("unpack" SP unpack-result)
unpack-result = "ok" / error-msg
command-status = command-ok / command-fail
- command-ok = PKT-LINE("ok" SP refname LF)
- command-fail = PKT-LINE("ng" SP refname SP error-msg LF)
+ command-ok = PKT-LINE("ok" SP refname)
+ command-fail = PKT-LINE("ng" SP refname SP error-msg)
error-msg = 1*(OCTECT) ; where not "ok"
----