NAME
----
-git-clone - Clones a repository
+git-clone - Clone a repository into a new directory
SYNOPSIS
[verse]
'git-clone' [--template=<template_directory>] [-l [-s]] [-q] [-n] [--bare]
[-o <name>] [-u <upload-pack>] [--reference <repository>]
- <repository> [<directory>]
+ [--depth <depth>] <repository> [<directory>]
DESCRIPTION
-----------
-Clones a repository into a newly created directory. All remote
-branch heads are copied under `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads/`, except
-that the remote `master` is also copied to `origin` branch.
-In addition, `$GIT_DIR/remotes/origin` file is set up to have
-this line:
+Clones a repository into a newly created directory, creates
+remote-tracking branches for each branch in the cloned repository
+(visible using `git branch -r`), and creates and checks out an initial
+branch equal to the cloned repository's currently active branch.
- Pull: master:origin
+After the clone, a plain `git fetch` without arguments will update
+all the remote-tracking branches, and a `git pull` without
+arguments will in addition merge the remote master branch into the
+current master branch, if any.
-This is to help the typical workflow of working off of the
-remote `master` branch. Every time `git pull` without argument
-is run, the progress on the remote `master` branch is tracked by
-copying it into the local `origin` branch, and merged into the
-branch you are currently working on. Remote branches other than
-`master` are also added there to be tracked.
+This default configuration is achieved by creating references to
+the remote branch heads under `$GIT_DIR/refs/remotes/origin` and
+by initializing `remote.origin.url` and `remote.origin.fetch`
+configuration variables.
OPTIONS
--quiet::
-q::
Operate quietly. This flag is passed to "rsync" and
- "git-clone-pack" commands when given.
+ "git-fetch-pack" commands when given.
-n::
No checkout of HEAD is performed after the clone is complete.
Make a 'bare' GIT repository. That is, instead of
creating `<directory>` and placing the administrative
files in `<directory>/.git`, make the `<directory>`
- itself the `$GIT_DIR`. This implies `-n` option. When
- this option is used, neither the `origin` branch nor the
- default `remotes/origin` file is created.
-
+ itself the `$GIT_DIR`. This obviously implies the `-n`
+ because there is nowhere to check out the working tree.
+ Also the branch heads at the remote are copied directly
+ to corresponding local branch heads, without mapping
+ them to `refs/remotes/origin/`. When this option is
+ used, neither remote-tracking branches nor the related
+ configuration variables are created.
+
+--origin <name>::
-o <name>::
- Instead of using the branch name 'origin' to keep track
- of the upstream repository, use <name> instead. Note
- that the shorthand name stored in `remotes/origin` is
- not affected, but the local branch name to pull the
- remote `master` branch into is.
+ Instead of using the remote name 'origin' to keep track
+ of the upstream repository, use <name> instead.
--upload-pack <upload-pack>::
-u <upload-pack>::
When given, and the repository to clone from is handled
- by 'git-clone-pack', '--exec=<upload-pack>' is passed to
+ by 'git-fetch-pack', '--exec=<upload-pack>' is passed to
the command to specify non-default path for the command
run on the other end.
if unset the templates are taken from the installation
defined default, typically `/usr/share/git-core/templates`.
+--depth <depth>::
+ Create a 'shallow' clone with a history truncated to the
+ specified number of revs. A shallow repository has
+ number of limitations (you cannot clone or fetch from
+ it, nor push from nor into it), but is adequate if you
+ want to only look at near the tip of a large project
+ with a long history, and would want to send in a fixes
+ as patches.
+
<repository>::
The (possibly remote) repository to clone from. It can
be any URL git-fetch supports.
<directory>::
- The name of a new directory to clone into. The "humanish"
+ The name of a new directory to clone into. The "humanish"
part of the source repository is used if no directory is
explicitly given ("repo" for "/path/to/repo.git" and "foo"
for "host.xz:foo/.git"). Cloning into an existing directory
+
------------
$ git clone -l -s -n . ../copy
-$ cd copy
+$ cd ../copy
$ git show-branch
------------